A weekly column dedicated to sharing the best sights and activities in San Diego at the best price – free! We have a great city and you don’t need to break the bank to experience it.
Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com
Address & Neighborhood: 10051 Old Grove Road, San Diego, CA 92131; Scripps Ranch
Best For: Beer drinkers, politicians, gregarious types, kind souls
Free tour times: Daily at 12:00pm, 2pm, 5pm
San Diego is home to many breweries and it seems like a new one opens nearly every week. Per the local beer-centric magazine WestCoaster, there are currently 60 operating brew houses in San Diego County and an additional 27 in planning or development. With San Diego Beer Week beginning tomorrow, 11/2, and running through 11/11 I thought a free activity related to San Diego’s suds scene would be appropriate. There are also an incredible amount of events going on during Beer Week – check the website for more information.
Touring a brewery is an opportunity to learn about the brewing process and about the history of the brewery and the styles of beer they produce. Although the brewing process portion of tours can get repetitive if you’ve been on a couple before I find it interesting to experience the personality of a brewery that comes through on a tour, and the opportunity to try some their wares at the conclusion.
Although San Diego has many breweries, there are not many tours offered and only one that I could find that is free. Both Green Flash and Stone offer tours, costing $5 and $3 respectively. The Stone tour used to be free but was constantly swamped, making getting a tour token a difficult task. The one tour I was able to locate that is offered free of charge is at Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits in Scripps Ranch. (If you know of other free tours in San Diego please let other readers know in the comments section.)
Ballast Point was formed in 1996 and currently has two locations – the main production facility in Scripps Ranch and a home brewing supply mart with tasting room in Linda Vista, just south of the USD campus. At the 2010 World Beer Cup Ballast Point was named Small Brewery of the Year, a great achievement and testament to the quality of the beers they create.
If you haven’t ever been on a brewery tour you’ll learn a lot about the steps in the brewing process. If you’ve been on a tour (or many) in the past, you’ll still likely learn something about Ballast Point and get to try a variety of their libations in the tasting room after your tour.
Have a great rest of the week and I hope you have a chance to enjoy the bounty of beers that San Diego is home to during San Diego Beer Week. Cheers!
T. Roger Thomas says
I will take this tour and will blog about the experience!
CleanSheets AndDirtyGirls. blogspot. com
John Anderson says
Nice – hope you have a great time. If they have any Serrano or other pepper beers on tap make sure to try them. I haven’t had better pepper beers anywhere.
patty jones says
Hey John, I really love these SD for Free posts! Thank you.
I got a tour of this place before it opened to the public. Fascinating to see the guts of a place like this!
John Anderson says
Thanks Patty! It’s fun writing and a good motivator to get out and explore the city and county.
That’s really cool you got to see it before opening. Hess Brewing is in construction at their new location in North Park (3812 Grim, near 30th & University) and I’m holding out hope to get a preview there. Any tips? ;)
Frank Gormlie says
Oh, so you got to change your avatar? And when did you visit this beer joint, exactly?
Patty Jones says
This is my “out in the world” avatar, you should recognize the image.
And my brewery tour was “bf” ;-)
Mike S says
Solid post. Thank you for mentioning/citing us!
John Anderson says
Thanks Mike! Especially for the great brews. I missed my chance to try the San Salvador last year but am keeping my eyes peeled for a return.
John Anderson says
I meant to type brews news*. Love the West Coaster.
Ryan says
Thanks for the shout out! Nice article.
John Anderson says
Ryan – No doubt. Have a good Monday!