Ballast Point will push forward with a once-planned brewpub in San Francisco, while permanently closing its Chicago location.
Kings & Convicts Brewing Co., which acquired the San Diego craft brewery from Constellation Brands in late 2019, announced the moves today.
Constellation Brands had planned to open a San Francisco location but scrapped those plans in April 2019, while also shuttering its “Trade Street” sour beer and barrel-aging facility and Temecula, Calif.-based brewpub.
The San Francisco Ballast Point location is expected to open by the end of 2021 and will be the company’s fifth California location in addition to outposts in San Diego, Anaheim and Long Beach. The company will complete construction on the 12,000 sq. ft. and kitchen, which includes a 1,500 sq. ft. patio space and a 3-barrel research-and-development brewhouse, in the Mission Bay District near the Chase Arena, home to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and AT&T Park, where Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants play.
Taps will pour Ballast Point offerings and R&D releases exclusive to the San Francisco location, including growler and crowler fills, while the kitchen will serve a full menu.
Ballast Point won’t be the only national craft brand with an outpost in the area. In September 2020, Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages announced it would rebrand its Little Creatures taproom in the neighborhood as a New Belgium taproom.
As for Chicago, the company decided to permanently shutter the taproom in the city’s Fulton Market District.
“We love Chicago and will remain invested in the region with Kings & Convicts, but have decided it’s in the best interest of Ballast Point and its long-term success to focus on our roots in San Diego and California as a whole,” CEO Brendan Watters said in a press release. “The ability to highlight our products in a tasting room across from a world-class entertainment facility and as part of an incredible development in San Francisco aligns well with our vision for Ballast Point.”
The company indefinitely closed the 12,000 sq. ft. brewpub on October 24, 2020, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The location was expected to reopen in the spring, but plans changed.
Constellation Brands opened the 12,000 sq. ft. space in May 2018 with a 3-barrel pilot brewery.