In December, news broke that Constellation Brands was in the process of selling Ballast Point Brewing to the entrepreneurial group behind Illinois-based Kings and Convicts Brewing. Today, it was announced that, with all regulatory permits and licenses finalized, that sale is complete. Kings and Convicts now owns the Ballast Point brand as well as its facilities in California and Chicago.
A privately held company founded in 2017, Kings and Convicts has made the decision to split its operations between San Diego and Highwood, Illinois. Prior to its acquisition of Ballast Point, it operated a small, 5,000-square-foot brewery and tap room, and was moving forward on plans to build an additional 48,000-square-foot facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
Constellation Brands made headlines when it purchased Ballast Point in 2015 for the record-breaking price of $1 billion. In selling off the brand, the New York-based entity opted to retain ownership of the Daleville, Virginia production brewery formerly operated under Ballast Point.
Ballast Point currently operates locations in San Diego’s Miramar, Linda Vista and Little Italy communities, as well as Anaheim and Long Beach in Southern California and its brewpub in Chicago’s West Loop. The company’s beers are distributed in all 50 states and 17 countries internationally.