Ballast Point introduces Big Gus clear Hazy IPA and Wee Gus hoppy lager

Ballast Point Brewing is taking their San Diego, California based operations in new directions for this, their 25th year in business in 2021. Adding to the year-round portfolio is a pair of clear hop showcases that mark something different from the brewery. Big Gus is a clear version of Hazy IPA and Wee Gus is a hoppy lager from the R & D team. These mark the first new beers to their portfolio since 2019. Big Gus and Wee Gus hit off-premise shelves this month throughout Ballast Point’s distribution network in Southern California and Arizona in 12 oz. 6-pack cans, and is currently available on draft at all Ballast Point taprooms in San Diego, Anaheim, and Long Beach.

More from a press release:

The journey to the “Brothers Gus” began several years ago as the brainchildren of the brewers at Ballast Point’s Little Italy R&D facility, where they brew more than 150 experimental recipes per year. Big ideas are typically born after a few beers, so the team sat down and came up with a fun challenge. “What if we made a clear hazy IPA?” As the rest of the industry was deep in the haze craze, the Ballast Point brewers bucked the trend by developing two beers that are clearly different from anything on the market. Ballast Point is well-known for brewing hop-forward beers - the Brothers Gus are no exception– but they are crystal clear by design.

“We always wanted to make a beer that looks different than it tastes,” said Aaron Justus, Ballast Point’s director of research and development. “That’s sort of the creative play with Big and Wee Gus. We sat around as a R&D team and thought ‘how can we make these beers as clear as possible? What kind of scientific processes can we do to ensure that clarity and how can we make them hoppy? They also had to be beers that we like to drink.”

Originally called Hop Soda due to its resemblance to tonic water, Wee Gus is what happens when you brew a beer that looks like an American Light Lager but is aromatic and flavorful with the late addition of hops – while also being crystal clear. The result is a bright and spritzy, easy-drinking 4.2% ABV hoppy lager. Wee in calories (95) - not in flavor - this crisp, bone-dry beer is brewed with German Bach lager yeast and dry-hopped with heaps of Northern Brewer and German Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops, giving it a refreshing undercurrent of lemon, herbal, and floral aromas with a hint of black pepper.

Big Gus is the bigger, bolder brother of Wee Gus and is what happens when brewers swim in the opposite direction of the haze craze. This behemoth is a crystal clear, extremely dry, and colossally dry-hopped 6.5% ABV India Pale Ale. Big Gus has the spine of a traditional IPA with a generous amount of American Amarillo, Cashmere, and handpicked Yakima Valley Mosaic hops and a delicate pilsner malt.

An unexpected added bonus: Both beers weigh in at under 150 calories each — Big Gus (145) and Wee Gus (95). The brewers bucked one trend and stumbled onto another.

As he has done for the past 25 years, Ballast Point’s resident artist, Paul Elder, brought the story of the art inside the can to life from sketch to full-color art on the outside. Wee Gus, a delicate, little fish in a big ocean full of scary danger, and Big Gus, a goliath of a grouper who rules the reef.

Big Gus:

Serving Facts: Serving size: 12 fl oz; Servings per container: 1; Amount Per Serving: Alcohol by volume: 6.5%; Calories: 145; Carbohydrates: 5g; Fat: 0g; Protein: 1.3g.

Wee Gus:

Serving Facts: Serving size: 12 fl oz; Servings per container: 1; Amount Per Serving: Alcohol by volume: 4.2%; Calories: 95; Carbohydrates: 3g; Fat: 0g; Protein: 0g.

About Ballast Point Brewing Co.

What started in 1996 as a small group of homebrewers who simply wanted to make great beer evolved into the team of adventurers known today as Ballast Point. A pioneering brewery born 25 years ago within the hallowed, hopped walls of San Diego’s Home Brew Mart, the complete art of the craft swims in the DNA of Ballast Point and informs both what’s inside and on the can. On March 2, 2020, Ballast Point officially returned to its iconic independent roots under the new ownership of San Diego-headquartered, Kings & Convicts Brewing Co., and continues to be an internationally recognized leader in the industry with 6 taproom locations in California and Chicago. From bringing a hoppy twist to a porter or adding four types of malt to its amber ale, to creating the breakthrough gold-medal winning Sculpin IPA, Ballast Point is known for adding its touch and asking if there’s a better way. Ballast Point brews over 50 styles of beer with an emphasis on R&D and innovation and is distributed in select markets across the US and internationally. For more information, visit www.ballastpoint.com and follow our journey on Instagram and Facebook.