I was vacationing in Oregon — see “Quick Sips” — when Ballast Point announced plans to abandon its flagship 107,00 square-foot-brewery in San Diego’s Miramar area.
Now owned by Kings & Convicts, Ballast hopes to cut costs by brewing in smaller facilities. This may be fiscally responsible, but what a dismal development! Home of the fabled Sculpin IPA, a brewery that once enjoyed a national following is shrinking before our eyes.
The Ballast Point Brewery in San Diego in 2019.
(John Gibbins/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
This was the latest blow absorbed by our local beer community. Two years ago, the area boasted 144 craft breweries operating 232 locations. Today, those numbers have been pared to 126 and 220.
“No brewery has been left unspared by the challenges of shifting consumer trends, inflation, rising labor costs and cost of living, and increased competition particularly for breweries with a large distribution footprint,” noted Vince Vasquez, an independent industry analyst.
Still, that’s a fair number of breweries. Are any taking steps to survive, and even thrive, in these turbulent times?
Absolutely.
Here’s Vasquez again: “Some of the breweries I see doing well are focused more on onsite consumption, frequently rotating taps and an elevated customer experience.”
He named Pure Project “as a great example of all this.”
Omar Passons, a longtime supporter of the craft beer community, cited Kelsey McNair’s North Park Beer.
“… in addition to having great beer what differentiates North Park Beer is that it feels just as genuine and authentic as its founder,” Passons said in an email. “He always said he wanted to be a good neighbor and an asset to the community and I think that, as much as anything, has enabled him to persevere.”
Julie Wartell, who teaches “Craft Beer and the Urban Economy” at UC San Diego, stressed the importance of building a broad audience.
“The good beer places have a beer drinker following, yes, but some of the ones that are successful bring in people beyond the focused beer drinkers,” she said.
They host trivia nights, running clubs, alumni associations, concerts and other non-beery attractions. Breweries large (Stone and AleSmith) and small (Deft and Duck Foot) maintain busy calendars of events.
These days, craft beer requires as much craft as beer.
World beaters
North Park Beer founder/brewer Kelsey McNair, left, with Brewers Association President Bob Pease at the 2024 World Beer Cup awards.
(Courtesy of North Park Beer)
In good times and bad, San Diego beer is a sure bet.
The World Beer Cup, one of the largest beer competitions anywhere, took place last month in Las Vegas. Our breweries captured 14 medals, improving on the 12 nabbed at the previous WBC.
The winners:
Coronado Brewing: gold, Nado, “international Lager” category.
North Park Beer (San Diego): gold, Ice-Fu!, “Hoppy Lager” category
Pizza Port Ocean Beach: gold, Junk in the Trunk Dunkel, “South German-style Dunkel Weizen” category.
Pizza Port Carlsbad: gold, 24th Annual Strong Ale Festival, “Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer” category.
Battlemage Brewing (Vista): silver, Summon Ifrit, “American-Style Amber/Red Ale” category.
Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (Oceanside): silver, Chlllzner, “International Pilsner” category.
Culture Brewing (Solana Beach): silver, Kosta-busser, “Honey Beer” category.
Karl Strauss Brewing (San Diego): silver, Golden Stout, “Coffee Beer” category.
North Park Beer (San Diego): silver, Hop Fu!, “American-Style IPA” category.
Abnormal Beer (San Diego): bronze, Eddie’s Redux, “West Coast-Style IPA” category.
Craft Coast Beer & Tacos (Oceanside): bronze, XPA, “Australian-Style Pale Ale” category.
Fall Brewing (San Diego): bronze, Tora!, “International Lager” category.
Julian Beer: bronze, Dolphin of the Desert, “Belgian-Style Quadrupel” category.
Kilowatt Brewing (San Diego): bronze, OB Bubble Dubbel, “Belgian-Style Dubbel” category.
“Winning,” said San Diego Brewers Guild Executive Director Erik Fowler, “never gets old.”
Quick Sips, Central Oregon Edition
“Capitulation” beer by Monkless Belgian Ales of Bend, Oregon.
(Courtesy of Peter Rowe)
Capitulation
From: Monkless Belgian Ales, Bend, Ore.
ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 8.1 percent
Style: Belgian-Style Tripel
Drink or dump: Drink. I surrendered to Capitulation’s fresh melon and strawberry aromas; Monkless dry hops this with Citra and Hallertau Blanc hops. Bubbly and gently spiced, Capitulation is surprisingly light on the tongue. It’s truly a winner, taking a bronze medal winner in the 2024 World Beer Cup.
Venture, a New Zealand-Style Pale Ale from Sunriver Brewing in Sunriver, Oregon.
(Courtesy of Peter Rowe)
Venture
From: Sunriver Brewing, Sunriver, Ore.
ABV: 5.5 percent
Style: New Zealand-Style Pale Ale
Drink or dump: Drink. With its light body, Venture is easy to quaff. Moderately bitter, with the Nelson Sauvin and Superdelic hops kicking in during the sassy finish.
Electri-Fly, an India pale ale from Wild Ride Brewing of Redmond, Oregon.
(Courtesy of Peter Rowe)
Electri-Fly
From: Wild Ride Brewing, Redmond, Ore.
ABV: 6.3 percent
Style: India Pale Ale
Drink or dump: Dump. This jammy IPA should be a hop bomb — the brewery claims it packs 60 bittering units — but any enticing bitterness drowns in the pudgy, sweet apricot body. Electri-Fly never takes off.
Rowe is a freelance writer.