I had the chance to visit the Ballast Point Brewery tasting room at their main brewery in Scripps Ranch on Christmas Eve. It is a very large facility, with many tanks visible through the opening behind the bar, which I found myself perfectly positioned as I ordered my first taste. My instinct as a former brewer probably helped.
First thing I noticed is that the prices are very reasonable. You can get a 4 oz taste, an 8 oz taste, or a pint, all in the same large glass.
The 8oz taste I had of the Black Marlin Porter was a nice porter, not too strong, but plenty of flavor.
The 4 oz of Victory at Sea Stout was very fresh tasting and very flavorful. Nice to get a small taste in a big glass of a high alcohol beer.
As you can tell, I am a dark ale kinda of guy. And I am not a small tasting glass kinda guy. I like a large glass.
As I was drinking someone next to me ordered a bottle of the bloody mary mix that Ballast Point makes. They also produce spirits at the facility, but I was confused whether they sell the vodka and gin in the tasting room. The mix was tremendous on Christmas morning, maybe the best pre mixed I have ever had.
The tasting room was packed on Christmas Eve, maybe 80 people inside and out on the patio with the great weather we have been having. The patrons were purchasing bottles, cans, and growlers to take home and share during the holidays.
Everything was fine until the bartenders had to stop filling growlers due to a shortage of caps. Evidently Ballast Point has to send back a batch that was not sealing on the growler. Add to that a much larger demand than they anticipated, and you have a mini crisis. People were not happy. For some reason they did not want to purchase a 22 oz bomber of the same beer, which in my mind is a much better way to transport beer to go.
As far as the real estate aspect of the tasting room setup, I was impressed how comfortable the room was. The bar is long and L shaped, so you can belly up without being in the way of people coming up to the bar to order. The aforementioned opening to the brewhouse is about 5 feet wide, so you can get a pretty good view of the tanks. I would have liked to see another window so the entire kettle and mash tun are visible, but maybe safety concerns prevented them from doing that.
As soon as you walk into the room, you encounter a retail space, with plenty of choices.
The building sits above the street, so sitting on the patio allows a nice view of the old growth eucalyptus trees in the area.
Thanks, Ballast Point, for designing a nice tasting room experience.
As usual, I paid for everything, no freebies.
Mike Lanzarotta, Commercial Real Estate
