THE STONEY'S STORY. SINCE 1907.

Hard work built this country. But sometimes, hard work gets a little help from luck. In 1907, William B. "Stoney" Jones sat down for a friendly game of poker. Hours passed, fortunes turned, and Stoney walked out with the deed to the Eureka Gold Crown Brewery in his pocket. He got to work crafting an all-malt Old World lager using only the finest natural ingredients. It didn't take long before people stopped asking for Eureka and started asking for "Stoney's Beer." That name stuck. So did the recipe.

Eureka Brewing Company in Sutersville, PA had been brewing "Eureka Gold Crown" beer for years. After winning the brewery in a poker game, William Benjamin "Stoney" Jones moved the operation to Smithton, PA. Locals quickly stopped calling it Eureka. They just asked for "one of Stoney's beers." Down the road, Joseph Ferrando ran a hotel and livery in Smithton. He used his horses and wagons to haul the beer around town. And we like to think he served plenty of it, too.

W.B. Jones Jr., Stoney's son and manager of Eureka Brewing Company, was arrested for bootlegging and released on $3,000 bail. That might explain how the brewery managed to survive Prohibition as well as it did.

Prohibition ends. To celebrate, Stoney Jones renames the brewery Jones Brewing Company and officially rebrands his best-selling beer with the name people had been calling it for years: Stoney's. He would run Jones Brewery until his death in 1936. That same year Prohibition ended, Joseph Ferrando died unexpectedly. To support the family, his eldest son Gildo went to work at the brewery. The Ferrando and Jones families were now tied together.

Shirley Jones, Stoney's granddaughter and eventually Smithton's most famous native daughter, is born on March 31. As a child, she's babysat by Emma Ferrando. Nearly 80 years later, Emma's grandson John LaCarte will buy the brewery that Shirley's grandfather founded. Some things are just meant to come full circle.

Stoney Jones passes away and his son, William Benjamin Jones Jr., takes over Jones Brewing Company. He leads the operation until his death in 1965. During this era, Stoney's becomes a fixture in local VFWs across Western Pennsylvania, starting with World War II veterans and continuing through every generation of service members since. That tradition holds to this day.

Mr. Smoothie makes his debut in Stoney's advertising the same year the Pirates win the World Series. Some say he looks a little like Stoney himself. He's been the face of the brand ever since, showing up on coasters, cans, and signs for over six decades.

William Benjamin Jones III takes the helm and leads Jones Brewing Company for over two decades, carrying on the family's brewing tradition until his death in 1986. Three generations of Jones men had now run the brewery.

Shirley Jones stars in The Partridge Family, putting Smithton's most famous daughter on television screens across the country. Meanwhile, the fourth generation steps up. Greg King, Stoney's great-grandson, begins working at the brewery during high school and college. His brother Jon King follows the same path. Both of them will play a major role in the brewery's future.

Pittsburgh earns the title "The City of Champions." Stoney's is right there for every celebration. Ed Hogan, son-in-law of Stoney Jones' daughter, takes over leadership of Jones Brewing Company and keeps the family legacy moving forward.

1982. The 75th anniversary of Jones Brewery in Smithton, PA. William Jones III and the crew celebrating the only way they knew how. This is the heritage that Stoney's was built on.

Stoney's releases the first light beer good enough to carry the name: Stoney's Light. Brewed from the ground up with the same natural ingredients as the original. Greg King, a fourth-generation Jones who had worked at the brewery for 12 years, is promoted to brewmaster. In 1988, Gabby and Sandy Podlucky purchase Jones Brewing Company. For the first time in the brewery's history, the Jones family name is no longer on the ownership papers. Greg King stays on as brewmaster until 1995. The beer keeps winning. Stoney's Premium and Esquire Extra Dry take second and third place at the 14th Annual International Beer Tasting and Judging. Then at the Great American Beer Festival, Esquire Extra Dry, Stoney's Premium, and Stoney's Light all take silver. Three beers. Three medals.

Stoney's Light takes silver at the 2012 LA International Commercial Beer Competition. Two years later, it comes back and wins gold. Stoney's Premium takes bronze the same year. In 2017, the brewery comes home. Jon King, great-grandson of Stoney Jones, purchases the brand in partnership with John LaCarte, grandson of Emma Ferrando. Greg King, Jon's brother and fellow great-grandson of Stoney, returns as brewmaster. The Jones and LaCarte families had been connected in Smithton since the beginning. When Jon mentioned he wanted to buy back the brewery, John didn't hesitate. "The sense of ownership goes back four generations. This is more than a business. Stoney's has always been part of our family." After decades under outside ownership, Stoney's was back where it belonged. Family-owned. Family-brewed. The way it was always supposed to be.