The Greg Koch Interviews Part 1: Stone Brewing's CEO on the Beer Business

Recently I got a chance to interview Greg Koch, the CEO and often controversial co-founder of Stone Brewing Co. He had been on my list of people I wanted to meet for a while now, and he seemed eager, as the main proponent of using the term 'Black IPA' instead of the controversial 'Cascadian Dark Ale', to debate the merits of the terminology. Of course, I did not want our entire conversation to be a debate, so in this first video we talk about the craft beer business, marketing, the new Stone hotel, and new beers and projects Stone has in the pipeline. Mr Koch was in a mellow mood, contrasting the public perception of a loud and brash showman. He showed up to the Horse Brass Pub at 12:30pm with a cup of Stumptown coffee, a new beard, and a quiet demeanor.




Stay tuned for Part 2, where the conversation gets more intense as we turn to the Black IPA vs. CDA debate.