Ballast Point Takes Another Hit While Untitled Art Calls It Quits

Another difficult week for craft beer

Ballast Point is closing another taproom, Untitled Art is ending operations after nearly a decade, and Anchor Brewing continues inching toward what could finally be a return. Those stories headline this week's craft beer news and set the stage for the latest episode of Craft Beer Republic.

Greg and Flex also compare brewery road trips, review two collaboration IPAs, revisit one of the strangest beers ever brewed, and somehow end up talking about synchronized movie nights, waterfalls, and a Georgia driver who managed to get two vehicles stuck in the same mud hole.

Ballast Point closes its San Francisco taproom

Ballast Point has closed its Mission Bay taproom in San Francisco. The brewery now operates tasting rooms in Anaheim, Long Beach, and San Diego's Little Italy. No explanation for the closure was announced, adding another chapter to Ballast Point's long series of changes over the past several years.

Untitled Art shuts down after ten years

Untitled Art is ceasing operations after building a national reputation for hazy IPAs, pastry stouts, fruited sours, and later non-alcoholic beverages and THC products. During the discussion, Flex reflects on how Untitled Art helped pull him back into craft beer during the brewery's peak years.

Anchor Brewing may finally be getting closer

Fresh federal label approvals featuring Anchor Brewing's classic artwork have renewed speculation that the historic San Francisco brewery could eventually return. While no launch date has been announced, the approvals are another encouraging sign for longtime Anchor fans.

Road trip beers and brewery stops

Greg escapes the Southern California heat with a visit to Malibu Brewing, while Flex celebrates his birthday with a brewery road trip that includes Modist Brewing, PRYES Brewing, and plenty of local craft beer at Target Field. Along the way, the conversation turns into an unofficial ranking of baseball stadium beer selections and brewery destinations.

Featured beers

• Phase Three Brewing x Eagle Park Brewing Midwest Sound, a double dry hopped hazy double IPA featuring Galaxy, Nelson, and Citra hops.

• MadeWest Brewing x Coronado Brewing Short Lived IPA, a West Coast IPA brewed with Strata, Strata Crush, and Columbus hops.

  
  

One of beer's strangest ingredients

The episode also looks at a Japanese beer brewed with Black Ivory coffee, whose beans pass through elephants before being cleaned and roasted. It becomes the latest entry in Greg's growing collection of unusual beer origin stories.

Listen now

Episode 520, "Drunk Movie Buddies," is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Come hang out with us!