San Diego’s latest Stone Company Store Photo: Stone Brewing Co.

Escondido’s Stone Brewing Co. is putting more than 26 million dollars into a tremendous expansion that includes a major land grab down south. This mighty bankroll will result in an additional 55,000-square-foot brewing facility, a larger kitchen for Stone’s restaurant, World Bistro and Gardens, plus a new, eighteen-acre “Stone Farms” that will supply organic ingredients there, in addition to an event space/barrel-aging facility to experiment with new brews, and get this, a 50-room Stone Hotel. Clearly, the brewery is a massive draw down south, where a second location of the bistro is also planned in San Diego’s South Park. It also looks like Stone will throw a bone to L.A. in the months to come.

Squid Ink announces that the brewery will open up a base of sorts up north, with plans to install one of its Stone Company Stores into Pasadena in the coming months. The outlet will carry rare Stone beers and plans to fill growlers and offer tap tastings, and will help develop what we’re just going to start calling Pasadena’s “Ale Alley,” as this same stretch of Raymond Avenue is already home to Craftsman Brewing. [SI]