Ballast Point Brewery to change the feel of Botetourt County

Craft brewer should appeal to millennials

SAN DIEGO – A delegation of leaders from Botetourt County recently traveled to San Diego, to the headquarters of Ballast Point Brewing, which will soon open its East Coast operation in Daleville.

Among the first orders of business for the group was a tour of the San Diego facility in Miramar, California.

“You are now standing in our largest production facility. This facility is 107,000 square feet and it was originally owned by Van Camp's seafood,” said a tour guide leading the delegation through the facility where beer is both produced and packaged.

It was a big win for Botetourt and the Roanoke Valley from a purely economic standpoint.

“The tour we've had out here is awesome. And even though I don't drink I found out a lot of good information,” said Billy Martin, a member of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors. “A lot of income. A lot of jobs. Lot of tax money. And that helps take the burden off some of the homeowners.”

But beyond the jobs and $47 million in investment comes the shift in culture that comes with a craft beer company. 

Especially one that was born in San Diego. A city flush with millennials.  A group the Roanoke Valley would like to have as well.

“This is going to instantly change us from a community that maybe millennial's would not have looked at into a community that millennial's will want to seek out,” said Gary Larrowe, Botetourt County administrator.

“In Virginia’s Blue Ridge, we’re an outdoor community. There's hunting and fishing and kayaking and biking. And having a millennial, if you will, brewery place to visit, I think will fit into all that. This is an outdoor kind of beer and an outdoor kind of company. It certainly fits with what we're trying to do on the tourism side as well as the industrial side in Botetourt,” said John Williamson, also a member of the board of supervisors.

It’s hard to tell now – but the Botetourt location will be more than a brewery.  It will also include a restaurant for up to 300 people.

It will look something like the restaurant and tasting room in Miramar, complete with a subtle nautical theme.

“We try and translate it to the physical space without being too heavy handed. You don't see fishnets and things like that, but we've got some ropes, we've got the outline of a ship on the ceiling here. You know big chunky bolts and things like that. So we're trying to take cues from what you would see if you were on the ship or on the dock,” said Hilary Cocalis, vice president for marketing.

The tasting room will feature a kitchen complete with an executive chef.  And -- lots of opportunity for local people to find jobs and careers.

As we walked the Little Italy neighborhood of San Diego with Mike Alvarado, who will head up operations at the Daleville tasting room, he talked about hiring up to 50 people right away.  He mentioned beer festivals and an atmosphere we haven’t seen before in the Roanoke Valley.

“My vision is to create a culture from San Diego to Daleville. I'm really excited about education. That's the number one thing is like I want to have a staff know what they're talking about how to talk about it in the project alone because I want them to blow our customers' minds away,” he said.

For the delegation from Botetourt County, there is plenty of reason to salivate – beyond the food and drink.  They see Ballast Point as a game changer for them and the region.

“Certainly ought to change the way the rest of the Roanoke Valley thinks about the county in terms of a place to visit and a venue find food and find beer,” Williamson said.

“We really got to be cognizant of the millennial's and what their wants and wishes are. This is the Botetourt County cool factor that you're talking about that will end up coming to us,” Larrowe said.

The brewing operations will come on line gradually throughout 2017, beginning with a 100 barrel system and building to a 300 barrel system.  But the tasting room is scheduled to open as early as Memorial Day, barring construction delays.


About the Author:

John Carlin co-anchors the 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on WSLS 10.