Athletic Brewing purchases second San Diego brewing facility

Athletic Brewing's beer lineup by the pool

Athletic Brewing Co., America’s largest non-alcoholic brewery, recently announced the purchase of a second San Diego brewing facility for an undisclosed sum. The 107,000-sq-ft brewery, located at 9045 Carroll Way in the Miramar neighborhood of San Diego, was formerly known as Ballast Point. Located next to Athletic Brewing’s existing San Diego brewery at 7606 Trade Street, the new Carroll Way facility includes 300-barrel and 150-barrel brewhouses and will offer the versatility to produce both flagship and limited-time brews.

Athletic Brewing is planning a series of renovations and site improvements over the next 18 months, including the installation of a new packaging line as well as enhancements to the brewhouse, cellar, and lab to meet food safety and quality requirements specific to the large-scale production of non-alcoholic beer at the company’s standards.

A Ballast Point taproom operated by Kings & Convicts and connected to the Carroll Way facility will remain open to the public during the renovation. Athletic, which will retain its existing Trade Street location, expects to begin brewing its award-winning NA beer at the Carroll Way facility in late 2025. Once operational, Athletic will double its U.S. brewing capacity, further cementing it as the world’s largest brewery entirely devoted to producing non-alcoholic beer.

With this purchase, Athletic is poised to fulfill the increasing demand for non-alcoholic beer as the category reaches critical mass, ensuring that Athletic beer is available to more consumers than ever.

Launched in 2018, Athletic Brewing is the number one non-alcoholic beer brand in the U.S., with over 19% market share and dollar sales growing more than 62%¹. The Brewers Association recently ranked Athletic as the 10th largest U.S. craft brewery and 20th largest overall brewing company². According to recent polling, 41% of Americans are trying to drink less alcohol in 2024³.

Quote from Bill Shufelt, cofounder and CEO of Athletic Brewing Co.:

“Once a punchline, non-alcoholic beer is now the most exciting beverage in coolers across the country. Thanks to our ongoing investment, consumers finally have a product they are proud to hold in their hands and share with friends and family. Since day one, skeptics have questioned the viability of a brewery dedicated to non-alcoholic beer, but we’ve proved them wrong, reinvigorating one of the sleepiest corners of the grocery store in the process. Through our innovative approach to brewing and creative marketing, we’ve created additional occasions for beer and attracted new consumers to the beer aisle. More people than ever before are excited about Athletic, and this expansion will allow us to efficiently and sustainably scale our capacity in anticipation of meeting increasing wholesaler, retailer, and consumer demand for years to come. The future of modern adult beverages is bright, and we’re excited to continue shaping it. We can’t wait to get to work and strengthen our roots in the San Diego brewing community.”

Quote from John Walker, cofounder and chief product officer of Athletic Brewing Co.:

“We look forward to continuing the tradition of creating amazing brews at this renowned facility and pushing the boundaries of non-alcoholic beer. We plan to utilize the capacity at Carroll Way to its fullest with the addition of a brand new, state-of-the-art packaging hall capable of filling 1,200 cans per minute and implementing some amazing brewing technology which will enhance sustainability as we continue to reduce our use of one of our most precious resources — water. Our team will take the next 18 months to make efficiency and food safety modifications while we build the packaging hall, and we look forward to the day when we can fire up both the main and the pilot brewhouses.”