Ballast Point is closing its Botetourt County kitchen and tasting room, but its parent company says it will keep the east coast brewery and distribution center open. Botetourt County officials say the announcement took them entirely by surprise. The taproom and retail location will be closing at the end of the month, according to a spokeswoman with Constellation Brands. Ballast Point began its operations there in the June of 2017, and at a ribbon cutting at that time, County Administrator Gary Larrowe spoke about the opening:
There had been reports from ex-employees recently about Ballast Point reducing its staff there, although some online chatter from Ballast Point fans said the tasting room seemed to be busy much of the time.
CONSTELLATION BRANDS NEWS RELEASE: “As seen throughout the beer industry, growth in craft beer is being driven largely by local brands. With that, we are appropriately reallocating Ballast Point investments to drive growth in core local markets. We thank the local Daleville community, its surrounding neighbors and our taproom employees for their support and dedication over past couple of years.
We will continue to make a positive impact to the local economy through the operation of the Daleville brewing facility, which represents a robust hub for Constellation’s future innovation in support of our specialty portfolio.”
