In 2000, Todd Carey opened a small neighborhood sports bar called Uncle Bear’s Bar & Grill – named after his dog, Bear – in Gilbert. Eighteen years later, Uncle Bear’s is returning to the town in a big way.
Uncle Bear’s Brewery, Taproom & Yard will open by this weekend (the exact day still to be determined) in an industrial park on the northwest corner of Lindsay and Germann.
The massive 18,000-square-foot brewery includes a 100-seat taproom, a three-sided bar with 20 taps, and a retail store. There’s also a sidewalk patio in front and a 6,200-square-foot outdoor area in back.
It’s the latest evolution of Uncle Bear’s – a quantum leap, actually, for the ninth-largest brewery in the state. The facility will allow Uncle Bear’s to triple its production and has room to expand even more in the future.
‘‘We’re home now again – we’re in Gilbert where it all started,’’ Carey says. ‘‘We love the southeast Valley. We love pumping our beer out statewide, (but) we want to kill it in our backyard.’’
Carey opened two other Uncle Bear’s Bar & Grills – in Mesa and Queen Creek – before closing the Gilbert original in 2009 and moving to San Diego. It was during his two-and-a-half years there he was bitten by the brewery bug.
‘‘I really fell in love with a lot of the craft beer that was going on there,’’ he says. ‘‘I knew a new wave was gonna sweep across the nation, so I said, ‘I love it. We already sell others’ (beers). We already have venues to sell to. Let’s do it ourselves.’’
Uncle Bear’s Brewery – basically an Uncle Bear’s Bar & Grill with a small brewing system on the side of the dining area – launched in Ahwatukee in 2009. The other locations were rebranded as Uncle Bear’s Grill & Tap.
Over the next five years, the seven-barrel Ahwatukee brewhouse built its production from 150 barrels in 2013 to 4,300 barrels this year, but constantly was battling a lack of space.
It even began canning some of its beers but was forced to keep the restaurant closed until 3 p.m. Tuesdays in order to set up the canning line, can the beer, and then disassemble the canning line every week.
The new Gilbert production brewery has a 30-barrel brewhouse and enough fermenters to produce more than 12,000 barrels of beer per year under the supervision of head brewer Andrew Bauman, who took over for original head brewer Joe Baldwin two years ago.
(The Ahwatukee location will continue to operate as an Uncle Bear’s Grill & Tap with no on-site brewing.)
Besides more fermenters and bright tanks, the new brewery has a permanent canning line, a huge walk-in cooler, a lab, a barrel-aging room, and a 5,000-gallon reverse-osmosis water filtration system.
For now, the dog-themed brewery will continue to can five Uncle Bear’s beers: Mandarin Wheat, Ocean Beach West Coast IPA, Fence Jumper Golden Ale, Wolfhound Irish Red Ale, and Barkley’s Peanut Butter Cup Porter.
(The first four also are available in variety 12-packs at the brewery and at retail locations throughout the Valley. You can find variety 24-packs at Costco.)
Carey plans to offer only Uncle Bear’s beers on the new taproom’s 20 fire hydrant tap handles, although there only are 13 beers to start. No food is available, but food trucks will be brought in for special events.
Three 55-inch TV screens will show sports, including the NFL Sunday Ticket package, and other events. Like the Grill & Tap locations, the brewery invites patrons to bring in photos of their dogs – they must be 8x10s in a black frame – to hang on the walls.
Out back, a 45,000-pound grain silo overlooks the ‘‘yard,’’ which has a row of rustic picnic tables, Cornhole and ping-pong games, and a band area with lights and sound system.
Although it’s all asphalt right now, Carey plans to add a grassy area for dogs to run. Also in the works is an Uncle Bear’s food truck – to pair with Uncle Bear’s current eight-tap beer truck – and possibly more Uncle Bear’s Grill & Tap locations.
‘‘I can do five more liquor licenses (with his microbrewery license),’’ Carey says. ‘‘We’ve got some things up our sleeves.’’
Getting there
Uncle Bear’s Brewery, Taproom & Yard is located at 612 E. Germann Road, Gilbert, but actually is about a block north of Germann (map). From Germann, turn north on Silverado – the first street west of the canal – and drive to the north end of the industrial park.
The brewery is located just south of the Potato Barn Outlet building that’s visible from the Loop 202.
To start, hours will be 2-9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday; 2-10 p.m. Friday; noon-10 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Additional hours eventually will be added.
