In December 2019, virtually unknown Chicago entity Kings & Convicts Brewing rocked the craft-beer industry when it acquired Miramar-based Ballast Point Brewing from Big Beer interest Constellation Brands. In January 2022, the company made headlines again, purchasing the 50,000-square-foot Miramar production brewery and 1,200-square-foot Leucadia tasting room previously operated by Saint Archer Brewing from parent-company Molson Coors Beverage Co. Today, Kings & Convicts is back in the news after announcing it is moving on from both facilities.
Yesterday, the company shuttered its Leucadia satellite. Shortly thereafter, Kings & Convicts co-fouder and Ballast Point CEO Brendan Watters shared that they are exploring options for exiting the Miramar brewery once its lease expires in the coming months, at which point they intend to shift production of Kings & Convicts’ core beers to Ballast Point’s headquarters, less than a mile away. That lineup includes World Beer Cup bronze-medal-winning hazy IPA, Haze in the Park, Kings & Convicts IPA and Legion Lager, which was produced in collaboration with Major League Rugby team, the San Diego Legion.
“We’re looking at many areas for expansion with Kings & Convicts right now. Leveraging our focus on growing Kings & Convicts’ distribution footprint and expanding Ballast Point’s consumer base is one of them,” says Watters. “We’ll keep pouring Kings & Convicts beers in Ballast Point taprooms with kitchens and expanding into places that serve food, too, because this model makes sense for us.”
Kitchen-equipped Ballast Point venues include its Miramar mothership, and locations in Little Italy, Long Beach and Anaheim. In less than a month, that quintet will be joined by a new, long-awaited Ballast Point brewery-restaurant in San Francisco’s. The 12,000-square-foot location is installed at the base of the Icona:Labs building in Mission Bay, two blocks from the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center and less than a mile from the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park.
The taproom will be equipped with 46 taps dispensing a multitude of Ballast Point beers, including small-batch creations from an on-site three-barrel research-and-development brewhouse. Beers from local guest breweries will also be available along with a full wine list.
The kitchen will be headed by Ballast Point Culinary Director Tommy Dimella and Executive Chef Damien Jones. Jones is a Bay Area native who has previously worked at the Silverado Country Club & Spa in Napa Valley, the historic Hotel Whitcomb and InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco. Their menu will be stocked with brewpub fare ranging from light to comforting with flavors focusing on San Francisco’s multicultural landscape.
“Salads and seasonal delights” will consist of braised beef bowl and sage dumplings, while “snacks and shareables” will include kampachi crudo, malted pretzel puffs and BP chicken wings in Sculpin hot sauce or hoisin sticky glaze. The “usual suspects” portion of the menu will offer a fried chicken sandwich with andouille aioli, a double smash-burger with an Angus chuck-brisket blend, and an aged cheddar-and-havarti grilled cheese with pepperoni spread and hot honey.
The San Francisco location will host a pre-grand opening “raise the mast” celebration as part of San Francisco Beer Week (SFBW) on Thursday, February 16, before its official public debut on Tuesday, February 21 at 4 p.m. The SFBW event is open to the public. Attendees can RSVP online.
Ballast Point Brewery & Restaurant is located at 705 16th Street in San Francisco’s Mission Bay area