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[Photos: Candice Woo]

We've had numerous requests for a status update on Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits' new brewery and restaurant in Little Italy.

Well folks, you may be able to drink and eat there as soon as next month.

Construction on the 9.000-square-foot space is moving at a fast clip and Colby Chandler, Ballast Point's specialty brewer who'll be overseeing this location, says his 5 BBL brew house should be installed shortly. The system will sit, behind glass, in highly visible spot to the left of the new tasting room stocked with 50 taps; a digital menu board will help you keep track of their current beer line-up.

Chandler says he'll likely bring on two brewers to assist him with production, which will include experimental batches and most excitingly, a sour program destined for a dry and unchilled section of their cold box that can hold at least 50 barrels.

Executive chef Colin MacLaggan, formerly of Avenue 5, is in the process of finalizing a menu that'll be broken into sections for "land, sea and garden", small plates that'll range from beer-steamed mussels to duck confit, bratwust and smoked fish platters. The open kitchen will look out onto a dining room with a mix of seating options, from individual to communal tables.

He and Chandler will collaborate on monthly beer dinners, which will occasionally feature guest chefs. The duo is also looking forward to cooking up outdoor barbecues; Ballast Point recently decided to turn the building's parking area into a new beer garden with seating for at least 60.

· Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits [Official Site]

· All Beer Coverage on Eater [~ESD~]