Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits

A Home Brewer's
Humble Dream

After developing a taste for beer in college, founder Jack White decided to try making more interesting beer than he could find in the store or at a keg party. Jack, along with his college roommate Pete A'Hearn, began home brewing in their apartment at UCLA and soon realized it wasn't easy to get access to the various supplies and ingredients he wanted nor did he have anyone with whom to trade ideas about brewing.

In 1992, Jack opened Home Brew Mart, which he filled with the supplies, ingredients, and conversation every brewer needed to make better beer at home. His plan was to one day take this hobby to the pro level and start a brewery. Around the same time, Pete went off to UC Davis to get his master brewer's certificate - they soon found a collaborator in Yuseff Cherney, a fellow home brewer with a similar passion and a set of home brewing awards to boot. Yuseff became Home Brew Mart's first employee and was part of the team to open a "back room" brewery behind the shop. In 1996, Ballast Point Brewing was born.
History Polaroid Background
Prev
Next
History

Yuseff & Jack, 1992
For The Love of Beer...And Spirits

From day one, Ballast Point's philosophy has always been doing what we love, and making what we love to drink. So, naturally, we named the beers after something many of us love almost as much as brewing fishing. Today, many of the beers are named for fish or fishing terms, and the labels have fish on them as a reminder to always do what you love.

Soon after the brewery opened, our founding brewmaster Pete decided to take his love for brewing into the classroom as a science teacher inspiring the next generation of homebrewers, perhaps. He is still an active ambassador for our brand, with a wealth of brewing knowledge to boot.

By 2004, Ballast Point had outgrown its back room location and moved into a larger production brewery in Scripps Ranch. In this location, Ballast Point continues to brew around the clock to meet the growing demand for its beer.

After a decade of growth on the beer side, Jack and Yuseff decided to take on a new challenge distilling to see if they could add their own spin on another centuries-old craft. The Ballast Point Spirits family now includes 14 spirits, all made and bottled on site in Scripps Ranch.
Ballast Point Label

Original Sculpin Label by Paul Elder
Staying True
to Our Roots

Today, Home Brew Mart remains in its original location, continuing to aid home brewers and their beer dreams alike, while serving as a tasting room for many of our "pro" beers.

And in September 2013, Ballast Point added a third location: a brewery, tasting room, and restaurant in San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood. Little Italy serves as the "lab" for research and development. Here, all employees have the chance to brew on the system and our brewers experiment with new recipes, while the restaurant crafts food inspired by the same adventurous spirit we bring to brewing and distilling.
Homework Series Bottle
Preparing For
The Future

By the end of 2013, Ballast Point completely maximized its output in Scripps Ranch and soon sought out a larger space to keep up with demand. In mid-2014, Ballast Point finished construction on a 107,000 square foot brewery in the Miramar area equipped to support the brewery's growth.

Two large copper kettles discovered in a brewery in Lohr, Germany are the showpiece of this new brewery headquarters, which also features a state-of-the-art lab, tasting bar and restaurant. With its fourth brewery location and room to grow, Ballast Point's plan for the future is simple: keep doing more of what we love.