DALEVILLE, Va. – After slightly more than two years, Ballast Point is closing its taproom and restaurant in Botetourt County.
Twenty-five hospitality employees, both full-time and part-time will be affected by the closure, as well as 16 temporary employees, according to the county.
Some of those affected will be offered jobs in production, according to county administrator Gary Larrowe.
The decision to close is a corporate decision and had nothing to do with the location's profitability but rather the brand as a whole, according to an employee with knowledge of the decision.
We reached out to Constellation Brands, which owns Ballast Point, and received this response:
"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."
The taproom and retail location will be closing Sept. 29, while the brewing facility will remain open, according to a spokeswoman with Constellation Brands.
“This move comes as a total surprise to the County and to the community,” said Larrowe. “Ballast Point has been a great corporate citizen and draw for visitors to the County, which makes this decision all the more impactful.”
Ballast Point posted this message on its Ballast Point: Virginia Facebook page:
Friends of BP Daleville,
We regret to inform you that on September 29th, the Daleville tasting room will be closing its doors. We'd like to take this opportunity to express a sincere thank you to the local Daleville community, its surrounding neighbors, and our team members for the support and dedication. What an unforgettable few years!
Our brewery will remain in operation next door. In the meantime, we invite you to join us through the 29th for a pint and farewell cheers.
In 2017, Ballast Point opened its Daleville location in different phases.
The first phase, which included the kitchen, tasting room and banquet room to hold up to 300 visitors, opened on June 12, 2017.
A few months after that, in late August, is when brewing began at the Botetourt County facility.
Larrowe provided more clarity on the future of the Daleville site.
He said that the current facility is set to become Constellation Brands’ innovation hub to produce new products including beers, hard seltzers and flavored malts.
He also said that Constellation Brands may consider, down the road, leasing the facility to a third-party operator.
Stay with 10 News on-air and online as we continue to learn more about this decision.