BALLAST POINT BREWING

After developing a taste for beer in college, founder Jack White decided to try making more interesting beer than he could find in the store or at a keg party. Jack, along with his college roommate Pete A’Hearn, began home brewing in their apartment at UCLA and soon realised it wasn’t easy to get access to the various supplies and ingredients he wanted—nor did he have anyone with whom to trade ideas about brewing.

In 1992, Jack opened Home Brew Mart, which he filled with the supplies, ingredients, and conversation every brewer needed to make better beer at home. His plan was to one day take this hobby to the pro level and start a brewery. Around the same time, Pete went off to UC Davis to get his master brewer’s certificate – they soon found a collaborator in Yuseff Cherney, a fellow home brewer with a similar passion and a set of home brewing awards to boot. Yuseff became Home Brew Mart’s first employee and was part of the team to open a “back room” brewery behind the shop. In 1996, Ballast Point Brewing was born.