San Diego’s Ballast Point Brewing Co. is planning to expand to Chicago, a company spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
Although details are scant, Ballast Point’s vice president of marketing, Hilary Cocalis, said the company is eyeing the Windy City, looking to open a brewery pub in the Fulton Market area by early 2018.
The up-and-coming neighborhood is located within the Fulton River District in the city’s West Loop. It is home to many restaurants, as well as offices for companies like Google and Uber.
Since the plan is still in the early stages, Cocalis said the company does not have renderings of how that facility might look. She said Ballast Point chose Chicago because it’s a hub for both good beer and food.
Ballast Point Brewing Co. currently operates several tasting rooms in San Diego – its Miramar headquarters, as well as locations in Little Italy, Scripps Ranch and Linda Vista. The company also has facilities in Temecula and Long Beach, California.
In May 2016, the company announced it was expanding to Virginia, investing $47.8 million in establishing its brewing operation on the East Coast. Today, the company runs a tasting room and restaurant in Daleville, Virginia.
In March of this year, the Colorado-based Brewers Association named Ballast Point Brewing Co. among the 50 overall largest production breweries in the United States. The company ranked No. 13 in the nation, with Stone Brewing Co. on its tail at No. 17, and San Diego’s Green Flash Brewing Co. at No. 47.
