12 West Brewing – named for its future address at 12 West Main Street – plans to be the third brewery in downtown Mesa.
Before that, though, it will be the second brewery in Gilbert.
Confused? That’s understandable.
Noel Garcia (pictured above on left) and Bryan McCormick (right) are scheduled to launch 12 West in November at Barnone, the latest project at Joe Johnston‘s Agritopia complex on the northwest corner of Higley and Ray in Gilbert.
The former Johnston family farm already is home to a housing development, an urban farm, and two restaurants – Joe’s Farm Grill and The Coffee Shop.
Now, a 1950s Quonset hut (pictured below) just to the west of the restaurants is being converted into Barnone, an artisan workplace with a dozen small businesses – including two restaurants, a micro winery and 12 West – all under the same roof.
Space will be limited. AÂ 1-barrel brewing system will occupy 250 of 12 West’s 1,000 square feet. There’ll be a small bar, communal seating for 46 people, and a south-facing patio, but no kitchen.
12 West will have 12 taps, all dedicated to its own beers. The half-dozen core beers are expected to be an IPA, a saison, an oatmeal coffee stout, a pale ale, a brown ale, and a double IPA.
Garcia, who will do the brewing, was bitten by the home-brewing bug eight years ago, and says he has spent too many hours to count hanging around Valley breweries to learn the craft.
‘‘I owe a lot of thanks to Steve McFate at McFate and Jon Lane and Dave Burkle at OHSO for literally putting up with me for so long,’’ he laughs. ‘‘I’d literally just sit and watch them brew and ask questions.’’
Garcia also became good friends with home brewers Matt Trethewey and Greg Sorrels, who went on to launch The Beer Research Institute in Mesa two years ago.
Garcia originally was targeting the Barnone space for Ebner Brewing, a brewery he was planning with different partners. But those plans collapsed last December.
Then, early this year, a mutual acquaintance connected Garcia with McCormick, who wanted to open a brewery in the building he owns in downtown Mesa. McCormick, a non-brewer who has a solar business, recently had lost his brewer-partner in the venture.
Together, Garcia and McCormick have revived plans for 12 West, opting to start with the space at Barnone. They also will have a 10-barrel production facility next to McCormick’s shop in east Mesa.
McCormick’s downtown Mesa building currently is leased by a wedding-related business. When the lease expires in three years, 12 West will move in. The 7,500-square-foot brew pub will include a full kitchen.
At least, that’s the plan for now.
