Old Town Scottsdale’s first brewery, Goldwater Brewing, ready for soft opening

“Instead of a big brewery in an industrial park or a tiny brewery on Scottsdale Road, we kinda went right in the middle,” says head brewer Chad McClelland (pictured above with his father, Greg).

The result is a 10-barrel brewhouse and taproom situated right where Goldwater Boulevard splits from Scottsdale Road (map).

The brewery is a family-run operation. Chad’s father is the owner, his brother handles branding and marketing, and his brother-in-law is the general manager.

Goldwater passed its final inspections last week, and a soft opening will be announced sometime this week.

The brewery is part of a crammed row of businesses that includes Sip Coffee & Beer House, Brat Haus, and Union Barrelhouse.

The beers

McClelland estimates the four venues will have a combined total of 140 beers on tap, making it a go-to destination for Scottsdale craft beer drinkers.

Those 140 beers won’t include any brewed at Goldwater – not right away. McClelland, who previously brewed at Cartel in Tempe, is planning to brew his first batch next week.

In the meantime, Goldwater will rely on guest beers to fill its 20 taps.

McClelland plans to roll out several beers in the coming weeks, starting with an IPA, a pale ale, a fruit ale, and a brown ale.

Also look for a porter and a Kölsch.

The space

The tight space limited the size of the brewing system, but Goldwater plans to distribute its beers to restaurants and other bars once it’s up to speed.

A separate building – 600 feet from the brewery – has been leased for grain storage, keg cleaning, and whatever else.

The taproom can accommodate up to 50 people. There’s a tiny south-facing patio, and a roll-up garage door faces Scottsdale Road to the east.

The centerpiece of the interior is a weathered-wood bar with a copper-sheathed top that can seat 16 people.

“We wanted to go with garage feel, but keep it a little classy,” McClelland says.

The future

The bar is mounted on heavy-duty casters, allowing it to be rolled away to make room for a mobile canning machine when Goldwater is ready for that step.

Next door, Goldwater has rented the basement of the Scottsdale Creative Arts Center – the only non-beer business in the strip – for its barrel-aging room.

Eventually, there are plans to turn the basement into a speakeasy-type lounge with self-service taps. All that, though, is what McClelland calls “phase two.”

Although Goldwater doesn’t have a kitchen, patrons can order or bring in food from Sip, Brat Haus, or Barrelhouse. And there will be food trucks on weekends.

The hours

“The idea is for me to brew in the mornings, then open the tasting room at 3,” McClelland says. “We’ll probably stay open until 9 or 10. Then on weekends, 11 to 11 or something like that.”

Goldwater originally had hoped to open in January to take advantage of the Super Bowl and spring training crowds.

Now, though, McClelland sees an advantage to opening at the start of summer.

“It gives us time to work the kinks out,” he says.