Before Stone’s top-rated Xocoveza was a thing, San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker was making a damn good Mexican Chocolate Stout for himself and his buddies. He knew his beer was better than any dessert Stout he could find at the store. He and his friends were loving it, but how could he share his talents with the world?

Chris made it happen. He entered Stone’s annual homebrewing competition knowing the stakes were high — he was in it to win it. Stone would use the winner’s recipe for the next Stout they brewed! Chris’ chocolate-vanilla-swirl dark brew danced around the judges’ palates, while the spice from the cinnamon, nutmeg, and pasilla peppers added an extra little kick. 

Chris won the competition, but he couldn’t have predicted that it would become one of Stone’s most recognizable Dark Beers — and also one of the top-selling Mexican Chocolate Stouts of all time!

So don’t underestimate the little guy. Without Stone’s competition, Mexican Chocolate Stouts wouldn’t be the phenomena they are today. There’s a homebrewer out there right now making beer that will change the craft beer game forever. We just gotta keep rooting for independent craft breweries like Stone, who know that community support drives innovation and leads to better beer for everyone. 

Rated 4.34 on BeerAdvocate; 4.17 on Untappd from over 110,000 ratings!