We got some fresh beer news for you this Wednesday.

☀️Today's weather: Coast — Sunny, high 72; Inland — Sunny, high 78

🎧 Sounds like: "Gargoyles" by Mint Simon

Today’s newsletter is 1,015 words — a 4-minute read.

We now know the name of the new restaurant taking over the iconic Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido, so drumroll please.

• It's...Quarry Escondido! And owner Greg Koch told Axios he's aiming to open before the holidays.

Why it matters: Stone's 12,500-square-foot bistro and acres of gardens have been legendary since opening in 2006, and many feared the location would be closed for good after Stone's sale to Firestone Walker last spring.

• Then came the surprise announcement last week that Koch and cofounder Steve Wagner were taking it back to keep the location open under a new name.

Driving the news: Koch has been running a poll on Instagram about what to name the new place, and he announced the winner yesterday (with a bit of a fake out first).

• It beat out other user-submitted names like Beery McBeerface and Stoney McStoneface, plus Koch's personal favorite, The Escondidian.

The intrigue: Koch and Wagner kept ownership of Stone Escondido's real estate throughout the sales of the brewery, first to Sapporo and then Firestone, he told Axios.

• So after the Firestone sale announcement, and the news that Escondido's location wasn't part of the sale, he and Wagner started making plans.

"That place will always be a very big part of me," he told Axios.

• "My favorite thing is to be off to the edge and just listen to the talking and the laughter and clinking of glasses and dishes," he said.

💭 Claire's thought bubble: I have my own Stone Escondido story.

• When my husband and I were early dating, we went on a road trip. As we were driving back, my husband asked whether I'd ever been to Stone, and I said no.
• "Should we go?" he asked.
• "Sure," I said, thinking it was a very good sign that he wanted to not get rid of me as soon as possible.

Flashback: It was a big risk to open Stone in far-flung Escondido back in 2006, Koch said.

• "MapQuest wouldn't even get you there correctly," he said. "That's a stamp in time right there, just even mentioning the word MapQuest."

People did find it, of course, despite the fact that there's no actual name out front — just the iconic gargoyle face.

What's next: Stone will serve its last dinner on Nov. 13, close briefly and then reopen as Quarry. The new restaurant will stick to what made Stone successful, Koch said.

• And, yes, it will serve Stone beer.

More quarry deets

AI is producing reality-bending midterm ads about defaced Bibles, upscale dinners and a board game with a "Death to America" playing card.

Why it matters: The warnings about deepfakes are coming true. Election laws haven't kept pace with a world where campaigns can put words in opponents' mouths and create realistic-looking scenes that didn't happen.

• The Wesleyan Media Project found $137 million had been spent on 220 AI-generated ads through Oct. 11, mostly from Republicans.
• California and three other states have laws prohibiting certain uses of AI-generated deepfakes in political ads, while 27 more require some form of disclosure about their use.
• No federal law specifically regulates AI-generated political ads.

The big picture: An Axios analysis found numerous political ads partly or fully made by generative AI, sometimes undisclosed.

What we found

⚽ The Wave's owners proposed a 12,000- to 16,000-seat stadium at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, opening in 2031. The preliminary plan also includes a hotel, shops and convention center. (Times of San Diego)

A Superior Court judge allowed Rady Children's to temporarily limit gender-affirming medical treatment for new patients.

• Rady says it's responding to pressure from the Trump administration and was aiming to entirely eliminate gender-transition services. The state previously sued Rady to keep the programs going. (Voice of San Diego)

⚓ The USS Abraham Lincoln will move its home port to Washington state later this year for maintenance. That means relocating its crew and families. The carrier just returned here a few weeks ago. (NBC 7)

🏊 Catherine Breed ended a 900-mile swim along the coast here on Monday.

• It took her 111 days, and her final stretch went through polluted waters near Imperial Beach. (The Guardian)

The Savannah Bananas are bringing their baseball-meets-variety-show act back to Petco Park.

• Petco is the first Major League ballpark on their 2027 Banana Ball World Tour. They'll play April 3 and 4 for two games against the Loco Beach Coconuts.

The catch: The games are months away, but fans have only until Oct. 31 to enter the ticket lottery.

Flashback: The Bananas have played four sold-out games here since their 2025 debut, according to the Padres.

Catch up quick: Banana Ball is baseball with funky rules and lots of dancing.

• Bunting is banned, batters can steal first base, and a fan who cleanly catches a foul ball records an out.
• There's also a two-hour time limit.

What else to expect: A dancing umpire, a breakdancing coach and a player on stilts are among the scheduled attractions, organizers say.

• Ticket holders can arrive early at Gallagher Square for player photos and autographs, merchandise shopping and the "Before the Peel" singing-and-dancing show on the Sycuan Stage.

Tell a fan

In a stunning upset, a closed Mission Bay bathroom is out of the local Halloween costume bracket.

• It was edged out by a sea lion with 55% of the vote.

We're down to just four choices, so cast your vote for the best local costume here.

🍻 Claire already has reservations for a last night at Stone AND is eager to check out Quarry.

👩🏻‍🍼 Kate is on parental leave.

This newsletter was edited by Geoff Ziezulewicz, who can confirm Stone IPAs are in fact delicious.