The rise and fall of Ballast brewery and the craft revolution that isn't

Baxter Lomax
 Constellation Brands bought Ballast Point brewery some time ago expecting big things to develop in a deal worth one billion dollars. The growth slowed for Ballast Point brewery and likely will never develop as craft beer in general has jumped the left shark. Many people got into craft beer for the same investing scam and lottery winning tech companies enjoy and this is the hope some sucker will buy them out as was done with Goose Island and Ballast. However, with 6500 breweries in the United States there is only so many shelves of beer to be sold, drunk, or stocked in stores. The only way these things can grow is through debt and they will create a lot of beer that will go unsold in the coming years. Ballast just opened up a pub in Fulton District to give more urban elites egos filled seeing new eateries and drinking establishments and this in fact it what these brew pubs serve local real estate markets. Doyle at Ballast in Chicago looks bored as I checked out the Fulton Street Market and saw it as it is as just another excuse for developers ad builders to rebuild and purchase new material or television big screens and so forth related to the hospirality industry.

Talk of Balalst and a multifaceted strategy to bring awareness to the brand is bullshit and no craft beer will ever expand to the level of the beers and brands like Budweiser, and Coors and other giants that the beer snobs and their hops sneer down upon. The days of craft beer and its double digit growth are long over and with so many names and styles there is much confusion and this is what is hitting Ballast really hard. I reckon that these craft beer moguls don't figure that there is not enough mouths to force drink down upon and perhaps Balast and other craft beer brands should sell beer geared...towards robots. Balalst Point can build all the brew pubs it heart desires but its not going to help create sales as craft beer loyalty will never amount to the loyalty of past generations towards brands the beer snobs despise so. If people want a fruit drink they can go to McDonalds or their local Asian fusion bubble café.

I argued with the owner of the Itasca Inn in beautiful Itasca, Illinois and told him not to carry this beer. Balalst is not a cool independent brand but is now owned by a global international conglomerate that pushes importing of bad Mexican beer and attempts to actually destroy big brands and American beer from empowering itself. The sellout of San Diego based formerly independent Ballast Beer was a disgrace and Balalst deserves to fall after that move. Sales are declining and not going to pick up with the uptick of new breweries and competition / People also don't fel the need to purchase craft beer at a supermarket as the whole point of craft beer is going out and having the opportunity to learn new beers in a social setting and not home alone like Bob.