Arizona’s newest brewery – Old Ellsworth Brewing Company in Queen Creek – will open its doors to the public at 11 a.m. Monday, July 17.
The brewpub is located on the southeast corner of Ellsworth and Ocotillo in a 5,500-square-foot building that previously housed Manhattan Vine pizzeria and wine bar.
The industrial-style interior offers a variety of seating – four-top tables, six-tops, community tables, booths, and a banquette – all black. A metal-topped bar will seat 14 or so people.
Two roll-up glass doors open to a long patio along the north side of the building (shown above and below). Eventually it will wrap around to the west side as well.
‘‘Queen Creek is really excited to see us come in,’’ says Brian McKean, who owns the brewery with his wife, Chris, and her brother, Ryan Bostrom.
Brian and Ryan, longtime home brewers, will oversee brewing operations, which barely have gotten off the ground because the 7-barrel brewing system still is in transit to Arizona.
McKean and Bostrom have brewed a cloudberry saison in collaboration with OHSO and are working on another beer with Uncle Bear’s. Otherwise, they will rely on guest beers to supply the 12 taps for now.
You’re going to have to wait a couple of months for the rest of Old Ellsworth’s planned beers, including a Helles lager and Mexican Vienna lager, one of which is expected to become the brewery’s flagship.
The kitchen, however, is ready to hit the ground running. Under the guidance of chef Robert Hutson, who spent 20 years at RigaTony’s, it offers an ambitious menu.
One of the highlights is a build-your-own poutine. You start with a bowl of hand-cut fries or tots for $10 and add any of a dozen toppings for 75 cents to $1.50 each.
Other specialty items include a Hatch chile grilled cheese sandwich, a deep-fried chile relleno burger, and a buffalo burger with kale, corn salsa, and honey chipotle aoili on Indian frybread.
Click the above menu for a zoomable view.
Old Ellsworth Brewing Company will open at 11 a.m. daily.
