San Diego Padres fans now have their own beer to help celebrate the team’s 50th anniversary and all those Manny Machado home runs they hope to see.
San Diego-based craft brewer Ballast Point announced this week that Swingin’ Friar Ale will be available at Petco Park and throughout San Diego beginning Opening Day. The co-branded beer features packaging that highlights the club’s historical brown and gold colors and the Padres’ 50th anniversary logo.
“Ballast Point is one of the most in-demand beer brands in the ballpark,” said Erik Greupner, the Padres’ president of business operations.
Petco Park boasts two Ballast Point-sponsored bars, while brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev adorn the Estrella Jalisco Landing, Pacifico Porch, Budweiser Patio and Budweiser Beer Loft.
Constellation Brands bought Ballast Point for $1 billion in 2015. It’s the first time the brewer has co-branded a beer with anyone, according to Hilary Cocalis, Ballast Point’s vice president of marketing. She said it will be brewing 100 barrels for the Opening Day batch.
Ballast Point shipped a total of 275,000 barrels of beer last year, according to an estimate provided to SBJ by Beer Marketer’s Insights. Although that was 12 percent lower than its 2017 production, it is 10 times as much as it brewed in 2011, the company’s first year as a team partner.