Mesa’s craft beer scene suddenly seems to be catching up with the rest of the East Valley.
The Brass Tap, with 60 beers on tap, opened earlier this year at Riverview. Beer Research Institute, the city’s second brewery, is opening in November.
And yesterday I told you about Boulders on Southern, a Mesa spinoff of Tempe’s Boulders on Broadway, opening Dec. 1 (see story).
Now add The Draft Sports Grill, a “craft beer-focused sports bar,” which is renovating the former Buffalo Wild Wings space off Alma School between Southern and U.S. 60 (across from Fiesta Mall).
“It was a unique opportunity to get into a bigger box space without the usual expense,” says owner Justin Heinz, who worked as director of operations for Zipps Sports Grill. “This space already has a huge kitchen and four walk-in coolers.”
The 5,500-square-foot venue (not including the north-facing patio) will be home to 34 large TVs, including a video wall behind the bar with two 90-inch LEDs, four 55-inchers, and four 48-inchers.
There’ll be 24 beers on tap – all tracked on a gigantic 9-foot-long, state-of-the-art digital screen via Digital Pour, which also will sync with the grill’s website and apps.
A consulting chef flew into the Valley this week to create a menu of pub grub fare Heinz calls “nicer than typical sports bar food.”
Heinz says The Draft will open around Christmas.
