P. Ballantine & Sons Brewing Company is a beer brand that was founded in 1845 in Newark, New Jersey. At its peak in the mid-20th century, it was the third-largest brewer in the United States, trailing only Anheuser-Busch and Schlitz. The brand is currently owned and operated by Pabst Brewing Company. Throughout history, it is best known for its Ballantine XXX Ale.

The company was founded in 1845 in Newark, New Jersey, by Peter Ballantine (1791–1883), who emigrated from Scotland. The company was originally incorporated as the Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company.

Following the death of the last son of Peter Ballantine, the company was taken over by George Griswold Frelinghuysen, the company's vice-president, who was married to Ballantine's granddaughter.

Frelinghuysen was the son of Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen and Matilda Elizabeth Griswold. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1870, received his Bachelor of Law from Columbia University Law School in 1872, and was admitted to the New Jersey and New York bars in 1872 and 1876 respectively.

The 18th Amendment took effect in 1920, beginning Prohibition. The company was forced to consolidate, and they manufactured Malt Syrup to stay in business. The Ballantine family continued to own the brewing company all throughout Prohibition. But by the time the 21st amendment was passed in 1933, the family was ready to sell the company.

In 1933, after Prohibition was lifted, the Ballantine company was acquired by two brothers, Carl and Otto Badenhausen. During the 1940s and 1950s, the brand expanded its market presence, utilizing various advertising strategies. Ballantine Beer was the first television sponsor of the New York Yankees. It was during this period that the brand was elevated to the number three beer in the U.S. It was also during this period that the company grew into one of the largest privately held corporations in the United States. Ballantine Beer enjoyed a high level of success into the early 1960s, however, by the mid-sixties, the brand began losing popularity. In 1965 Carl Badenhausen sold the company but remained at the helm until his retirement in 1969.

In the mid-1960s the company went into decline. It was losing market share to lighter lagers with less alcohol content. Despite advertising efforts to revive the company, the owners agreed to sell the brand, the company, and all their assets to the Falstaff Brewing Corporation in 1972.

The new owners closed the original brewery in Newark, started brewing elsewhere, and did not strictly adhere to Ballantine's recipes. Falstaff was successfully sued for violating the terms of the sales contract. The general consensus is that, under the stewardship of Falstaff, the beers remained faithful for a time to their original flavor profile. But Falstaff was doing poorly financially and was sold to Pabst in 1985. At an unknown point during these changes, the original recipes were lost.^{[citation needed]}