Ballast Point

Made with only six ingredients. Malted 2-row barley, palisade hops, orange blossom honey, White Labs California Ale Yeast, apricots and San Diego carbon filtered tap water. Low bitterness is balanced by tart apricots with a sweet but not cloying finish. Barmy Ale can be aged up to eight years with a strong honey wine character emerging if cellared. Be careful not to be the barmiest of them all.

If you have fallen for the IPA style like we have, Big Eye will be a welcome addition to your repertoire. You’ll revel in Big Eye’s bitter, hoppy flavor thanks to the American Columbus and Centennial hops that are used to flavor and dry hop our flagship IPA. We thank our hops every day that the English loved their bitters—or else the IPA style may not have been born to help the beer survive the journey from Cape Hope to India back in the 18th century.

Like dessert? You’ll love this: Black Marlin Porter with apple pie a la mode—try it! Black Marlin is a rich, dark and chocolaty Porter with a distinctive American hop character. It is a great beer to go with hearty foods and is surprisingly one of the few beers that goes well with dessert. We also invite you to blend Black Marlin with Big Eye IPA for a treat we like to call the Black Eye.

Sour Wench was a Home Brew Mart recipe that we made every year for the Southern California Home brewers Fest in Temecula. This Blackberry Ale was originally developed by Ballast Point’s original Master Brewer Peter A’Hearn and Colby Chandler. While interning in Germany, Peter fell in love with the Berliner Weiss style of beer. A beer made with a procedure in which the mash was soured. The tartness of the Oregon State Marion Blackberries, at one pound per gallon, was a perfect addition for this sour style. Sour Wench is not aged in oak barrels. In the end, it’s a great bridge beer into the Sour Style’s.

American blonde ale w/ soft malt notes and a slight yeast character.

Inspired by traditional English ESBs, our Calico Amber Ale is as American as it could be. A rich complexity comes from four types of malt—but it’s those distinct American hops that offer a crisp bitterness and unique floral aroma. To round out our traditional-English-yet-very-American Amber Ale, we use a proprietary yeast to develop a fruity, Madeira-like richness. Try one today, and find out what a gold medal beer tastes like!

The beer that launched Ballast Point. Our original Pale Ale is a rich golden brew, crafted with aromatic German hops and rounded out with a blend of American and Munich malts. While it’s hopped like a lager, we ferment it like an ale to create a smooth, bright taste that has just a hint of fruit and spice. It’s extremely drinkable, like a Kolsch should be, yet complex, like a good craft beer demands.

A coffee ale with a touch of cream. Calm Before the Storm came from a quest for a warm weather alternative to our Victory at Sea Imperial Porter. Like its more robust cousin, we infuse a punch of flavor using cold brewed Caffé Calabria coffee and a hint of vanilla. But this time, we added it to a lighter-bodied golden cream ale. The end result is a surprisingly bright, coffee-forward beer that’s perfectly refreshing. Previously listed at 6.2% abv.

Our Dead Ringer Oktoberfest lager is inspired by old-style Märzen brews customarily enjoyed during Bavaria’s world-famous beer festival. Thanks to an abundance of toasted malt and a lower hop bitterness, this dark reddish brown lager is loaded with sweet, caramel toffee flavors and aromas. All the taste and celebration of Oktoberfest packed into one bottle; no lederhosen required.

On a quest to make delicious beers, our brewers have continually sought creative new ways to accentuate the delightfully aromatic and flavorful qualities of hops. Hopheads rejoice! Dorado Double IPA takes hops to a new level. Mash Hopping, First Wort Hopping, Kettle Hopping, and Dry Hopping create an award winning beer that embodies San Diego’s reputation for making world class IPAs. Our bottle Robust Series gives all beer lovers an opportunity to try our most rare beers, previously available only on draft at select tap houses. Enjoy! Get the Point! World Beer Cup 2006 Bronze Award Winner

Ten different malts and six different hops (Ahtanum, Cluster, and Spalt to name a few) combine to create this full-flavored, small beer. Even Keel features a silky malt backbone and a bright hop flavor and aroma that come from the late kettle additions and dry hopping with 1.5 pounds per barrel. Even more layers of flavor are created with fermentation being done by two strains of yeast. This session ale is herbaceous with additional citrus aromas of lemon and grapefruit. The orange to copper hue draws you in and the low alcohol volume keeps you coming back for more.

Our Fathom India Pale Lager combines time-honored lagering techniques with the hop profiles of a West Coast IPA recipe. The cold-fermenting lager yeast provides a clean base that allows the citrus and pine aromas from the hops to really shine. The result is a gold medal beer with a refreshing, easy drinking character and just the right amount of depth.

We take our year-round production Big Eye IPA and infuse fresh skinned, sliced ginger root into the beer post fermentation. The spicy Centennial hops used in Big Eye go very well with the spicy taste and aromatics from the fresh ginger root. The solid malt backbone of Big Eye also lends itself well to ginger, almost adding a candied component as it blends across your palate.

Our Award-winning IPA, with a citrus twist. Our Grapefruit Sculpin is the latest take on our signature IPA. Some may say there are few ways to improve Sculpin’s unique flavor, but the tart freshness of grapefruit perfectly complements our IPA’s citrusy hop character. Grapefruit’s a winter fruit, but this easy-drinking ale tastes like summer.

A new Pale Ale where hops run the show. Our Grunion Pale Ale wasn’t born on a beach, but in a backyard. Originating from an employee-only home brew contest, this award-winning hoppy pale ale is named after the tiny local fish known for late night frolics on shore. A pair of new hop varieties lend strong yet balanced summer melon aromas and herbal flavors, while a soft caramel malt sweetness holds it all together.

Now… Imagine adding this spicy goodness to a citrusy and hoppy Sculpin by Ballast Point (are you imagining?) Well, imagine no more. It exists…and it is glorious! The floral and spicy flavor of the Habanero is balanced by the Hoppy and Citrusy flavors of the Sculpin, and vice versa.

Brewed with madras curry, caynne pepper, cumin, toasted coconut, and kaffir lime leaf, Indra Kunindra is a 9% ABV stout brewed in collaboration with homebrewer Alex Tweet. It was brewed for Holiday Wine Cellar’s 46th Anniversary Homebrewers Competition. First batch at 9%, others at 7%.

Our Ballast Point Lager is the quintessential cooler beer for lively adventures or leisurely days. At only 99 calories, this incredibly bright lager still packs a ton of flavor. Brewed with 100% 2-Row barley and a light touch of Apollo hops, Ballast Point lager is a refreshing choice for any occasion. Whether you’re docked or at sea, it’s the perfect companion for whatever destination lies ahead.

A classic German-style beer, brewed in San Diego. Our Longfin Lager has become one of the go-to beers with the team at the brewery. A solidly balanced Helles that finishes clean with a hint of hops, it would easily fit in at any German beer garden. But we think it’s perfect for enjoying on the beach, the boat or anywhere else you can put an ice chest full of beer.

Our Mango Even Keel is the ideal beer for easy drinking. This hoppy, session ale gets a flavor boost from mango, which perfectly plays off the citrusy hop bouquet. With fruit, hops, and a low ABV, this beer truly is on another level.

We’ve developed many IPA recipes in our R&D program, but right from the tank, our Manta Ray Double IPA was a winner. Aromas of fresh, citrusy tangerine, melon and light pine leap from the beer and linger over a smooth finish. Like its namesake, this brew can sneak up on you – a big ABV without a bite.

Smooth, chocolaty and roasty with a hoppy finish.

Ballast Point’s Brewing and Spirits Navigator Doppelbock is inspired by the strong German dark lagers and bock’s. Briess Extra Special malt helps create the source of the flavors that dominate the aroma and taste buds in Navigator. You are able to enjoy forward flavors of caramelized malt sugars and dried fruits, such as raisins, apricots and prunes. This strong lager is a big malt-driven beer that truly deserves the nickname “liquid bread.”

Highly drinkable cream ale with a refreshing fresh orange zest character.

A flavorful ale that keeps you balanced. Our Even Keel is a hoppy ale designed for smooth sailing. A full-flavored beer with a silky malt backbone and a bright hop profile of herbs and citrus, it packs all the taste of an IPA in a sessionable alcohol content. This ale is perfect for leisurely days on the water, when all you want are a few beers and a level ride.

First brewed on Pescadero Avenue, which is located in the coastal San Diego town of Ocean Beach. Pescadero Pilsner pours a light, golden color with a bright white head. It has aromas of bready pilsner malt and a grassy, floral Saaz hops. There is a light to moderate amount of lingering bitterness and lemon citrus flavor from the hops. With a touch of dry hopping and an elevated ABV, this Pilsner-inspired, cold fermented lager is both traditional and new world at the same time.

A Scottish ale with San Diego spirit. Our Piper Down Scottish Ale hits all the right notes for the Ballast Point Bagpipe Corps that inspired it. We created this very low hopped, malty ale for the band to enjoy using UK Maris Otter malt, roasted barley, UK hops and low fermentation temperatures. Then we let the brew’s sweet complexity build over a three-hour boil. Full of roasted caramel flavor, it’s a pub classic with Ballast Point personality.

Our Red Velvet oatmeal stout is a mind-bending beer. Like the cake that inspired it, the deep red color comes from beets, which add a rich, earthy character that complements the chocolate flavor and aroma. The foamy head of the nitro pour is our “icing”, adding a creamy smoothness to the mouthfeel. But this liquid dessert still finishes like a beer – not sweet, but just as satisfying.

Victory at Sea aged in Ballast Point rum barrels.

Wet Hops (fresh hops) are hops that are picked off the vine and used in the brewing process before they are dried and packaged like normal. To brew this beer we get Cascade Hops from Yakima, Washington. They are picked, shipped and put into the brew within 36 hours. The Wet Hops have a grassy, vegetal, chlorophyll flavor that is reminiscent of fresh cut Greens. We showcase this 100% Cascade Hop Beer with a very light and crisp grain bill including a small portion of rice. This allows the aroma and flavor from such a rare, very seasonal ingredient, to shine.

The Sculpin is a testament to our humble beginnings as Home Brew Mart. It showcases bright flavors and aromas of apricot, peach, mango & lemon. The lighter body also brings out the crispness of the hops. This delicious Ballast Point Ale won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup 2010 in the International Pale Ale category. The Sculpin fish has poisonous spikes on it’s fins that can give a strong sting. Ironically, the meat from a Sculpin is considered some of the tastiest. Something that has a sting but tastes great, sounds like a Ballast Point India Pale Ale.

A beast of an imperial stout. Our Sea Monster Imperial Stout explores the darkest reaches of the traditional oatmeal stout. This bold, rich brew first lures you in with roasted coffee notes, then grabs hold with hints of bittersweet chocolate and currant. Backed with a perfect hop balance, you’ll soon discover this is one monster of mythic proportions.

A dry stout with fresh brewed Cafe Calabria coffee. The flaked barley and oats serve to round out the body a little without the malty sweetness. Calabria is an independant coffee importer and roaster located on 30th st. in the North Park area of San Diego. ours with abundant curtaining that settles into an opaque onyx color with red highlights and a thick beige head from the nitro treatment. Subtle aromas of a freshly made cappuccino, milk chocolate and roasted raw barley. Chocolate Malts and 20% Flaked Barley help build the cookie dough flavors and the velvety, silky smooth mouth feel. Medium body is balanced by one mid-boil addition of UK Fuggle Hops. This allows a smooth bitterness and more hop flavor to make its way into this Oatmeal Stout. Some earthy lavender flavors also are derived from the UK Fuggle hops and add to the slight hoppy aftertaste in this very drinkable ale. Our nitro treatment comes from using both carbon dioxide and nitrogen being dissolved into the beer. This creates tiny bubbles and a creamy texture when the beer is heavily agitated while being poured from a nitro tap.

Notes of peach are prevalent on the nose. Tartness comes through on the palate.

American Stout. Black in color with roasted flavor and noticeable hop bitterness.

The Commodore came out of our search for a medium-bodied American Stout. The recipe began at our R&D pilot brewery, but quickly became a favorite of our crew. Strong flavors of roast coffee and bittersweet chocolate balance with light citrusy hop aromas, highlighted by a crisp, bitter finish. One sip of this gold medal-winning stout will have you ready to take command of your own fleet.

Prepare to walk the plank to an Ale of overwhelming proportions. More hops & more malts than any land lubber can handle. After this experience...your tongue will be buckled. The I.B.U.’s (International Bitterness Units) are off the scale on this ale. Be forewarned, those with a timid palate, this is not a wee beer! Handcrafted in small batches for those sailing the seas in search of great ales.

Our Unfiltered Sculpin IPA packs extra hops into every sip, enhancing the classic Sculpin notes of fresh apricot, peach, mango and lemon with a slight haze and less bitterness.

Two of the world’s oldest beverages join forces to conquer your palate. Victory at Sea embodies the art of masterful brewing by infusing a velvety Imperial Porter with pure vanilla flavor and specially-selected, hand roasted coffee. The addition of cold brewed coffee to the beer lends a subtle roasted flavor to this robust imperial porter, blending perfectly with rich vanilla and caramel undertones. By uniting two San Diego brewing traditions, Caffe Calabria freshly brewed coffee and Ballast Point beer, we have successfully created an artisanal masterpiece.

Summer days and ocean waves inspired our Belgian Witbier-styled Wahoo Wheat. Brewed to be light and refreshing—with a unique citrus character that comes from adding orange peel and coriander to the boil. What gives our Wahoo Wheat—and other wheat beers—a hazy appearance is the unmalted wheat it’s made from. A special yeast contributes to this beer’s refreshing tangy flavor—quite different from the banana and clovey Hefeweizens of Bavaria. If you want to be surprised what deliciousness can come from wheat, oats and barley, try one today.

Our Wahoo Wheat is brewed with unfiltered, un-malted wheat and oats that give it a distinctive cloudy complexity.True to the Belgian tradition, this Witbier boasts a refreshing, citrusy flavor thanks to the orange peel and coriander we add to the boil. This makes Wahoo an ideal beer for year-round beach weather.

There’s no wonder why our Pale Ale is so popular—it is skillfully crafted in the style of the Kolsch beers of Cologne, Germany. We’ve chosen German hops for aroma, and rounded out the recipe with a blend of American and German malts. While it is very much like a Pilsner, our Pale Ale is fermented at ale temperatures, giving it a subdued fruitiness—a perfect compliment to the crispness of the wheat and maltiness of the Munich malt. If you like a lighter brew but also like the complexity of craft beers, then our Pale Ale is for you.

Premium malted barley, Galaxy hops, and British Ale yeast are the base of this hibiscus, cherry, honey, and lime beer. A crystal-clear deep pink hue invites you in while the complex fruity aroma comes from all of the ingredients combined, not just the cherries. Hibiscus adds some bitterness and color, while the lime adds some acidity.

Imperial Porter with Coffee & Vanilla. Our Victory at Sea Imperial Porter is a bold, smooth brew with just the right amount of sweetness. We infused this robust porter with whole vanilla beans and San Diego’s own Caffe Calabria coffee beans. The subtle roasted notes and minimal acidity of the cold brewed coffee, balances perfectly with the sweet caramel undertones of the malt, creating a winning combination for your palate.