The company described the decision as a “difficult” one, thanking staff and patrons for years of memories and hospitality. The closure leaves Ballast Point with only four tasting rooms - Little Italy, Anaheim, Long Beach, and San Francisco - cementing its retreat from the city that made it famous.
The Miramar location has long been central to Ballast Point’s identity. It wasn’t just a taproom; it was the flagship of the brewery’s post-Constellation era - a sprawling venue that once symbolized San Diego’s dominance in the craft beer world.
Its closure comes less than two years after Ballast Point ceased brewing operations at the Miramar facility, handing over production to non-alcoholic beer maker Athletic Brewing Company. At the time, executives called it a “temporary measure,” but this latest move confirms what many industry insiders feared: Ballast Point is steadily dismantling its San Diego footprint.
This decline follows years of turbulence. After its record-breaking $1 billion sale to Constellation Brands in 2015, Ballast Point became a cautionary tale of overexpansion and corporate mismanagement. Its parent company sold the brand just four years later for a fraction of the price to the small Illinois-based Kings & Convicts Brewing Co., which has struggled to restore momentum. Even with local hospitality group RMD Group recently joining as a partner, optimism around a turnaround has been short-lived. The Miramar closure all but confirms that those expansion plans are now on hold - if not abandoned altogether.
The shutdown also underscores a larger crisis in San Diego’s once-celebrated craft beer industry. Once hailed as the “Capital of Craft,” the region has watched its most prominent breweries—Stone, Green Flash, Modern Times, and now Ballast Point - either sell out, scale back, or shutter flagship operations. The industry that once defined San Diego’s cultural and economic identity is now grappling with a new reality: consumer tastes shifting toward canned cocktails, non-alcoholic options, and smaller hyper-local breweries that don’t rely on large-scale production.
For many locals, the end of Ballast Point Miramar feels like the symbolic close of an era. This was where tourists and beer aficionados once gathered to sample iconic brews like Sculpin IPA, a beer that helped put San Diego on the global craft map. Now, the space will likely be remembered as one of the last relics of a golden age that couldn’t sustain its own success. While Ballast Point insists “our story together is far from over,” the company’s steady contraction and reliance on outside partners suggest otherwise.
If recent history is any indication, the brand may not survive this latest retrenchment. As the industry continues to shrink and competition intensifies, Ballast Point’s once-boundless voyage could soon reach its final port of call.
This decline follows years of turbulence. After its record-breaking $1 billion sale to Constellation Brands in 2015, Ballast Point became a cautionary tale of overexpansion and corporate mismanagement. Its parent company sold the brand just four years later for a fraction of the price to the small Illinois-based Kings & Convicts Brewing Co., which has struggled to restore momentum. Even with local hospitality group RMD Group recently joining as a partner, optimism around a turnaround has been short-lived. The Miramar closure all but confirms that those expansion plans are now on hold - if not abandoned altogether.
The shutdown also underscores a larger crisis in San Diego’s once-celebrated craft beer industry. Once hailed as the “Capital of Craft,” the region has watched its most prominent breweries—Stone, Green Flash, Modern Times, and now Ballast Point - either sell out, scale back, or shutter flagship operations. The industry that once defined San Diego’s cultural and economic identity is now grappling with a new reality: consumer tastes shifting toward canned cocktails, non-alcoholic options, and smaller hyper-local breweries that don’t rely on large-scale production.
For many locals, the end of Ballast Point Miramar feels like the symbolic close of an era. This was where tourists and beer aficionados once gathered to sample iconic brews like Sculpin IPA, a beer that helped put San Diego on the global craft map. Now, the space will likely be remembered as one of the last relics of a golden age that couldn’t sustain its own success. While Ballast Point insists “our story together is far from over,” the company’s steady contraction and reliance on outside partners suggest otherwise.
If recent history is any indication, the brand may not survive this latest retrenchment. As the industry continues to shrink and competition intensifies, Ballast Point’s once-boundless voyage could soon reach its final port of call.
Originally published on October 8, 2025.
