Ballast Point is Building a Chicago Brewpub and Rooftop Bar in Fulton Market

San Diego-based Ballast Point Brewery will try to cement its place among Chicago’s beer lovers next year by opening a brewpub in the West Loop/Fulton Market. Ownership hopes to unveil a 12,000-square-foot facility at 210 N. Green St., according to the Tribune. Ballast Point would follow Haymarket Pub & Brewery and Rick Bayless’ Cruz Blanca as the third brewpub in the West Loop/Fulton Market area.

The kitchen will serve fish tacos and other Southern California fare to pair with the beer. The Trib also reports the menu will have some local-inspired items. The brewery will crank out special beers exclusive to the Chicago facility. There’s also a rooftop bar planned.

Ballast Point brews in six locations in California and one in Virginia. Ownership opened a brewpub last year in Long Beach, Calif. Constellation Brands, which counts many beers in its portfolio, including Corona, Modelo, and Bayless’ own Tocayo Brewing Co., last year gobbled up Ballast Point in a $1 billion purchase. The San Diego brewer’s flagship beer is Big Eye IPA, but another brew — Sculpin IPA — could be its most popular.

The Trib noted that Ballast Point’s new space is the former Amity Packing Co. pork processing plant. The Fulton Market meatpacking industry continues to be replaced by trendy restaurants, hotels and corporations like Google, as the neighborhood continues to transform. Soon a major brewery will be part of that transformation.