Steel Cactus Brewing, Arizona newest craft brewery, made its debut Sunday with the first in a series of soft-opening ‘‘pop-up’’ events at its Gilbert taproom.
- The small brewery and taproom are located in the Commerce Park business center on the south side of Guadalupe halfway between Cooper and Gilbert.
The owners: Angelo Pisano, a 30-year veteran of the restaurant industry, and Trevor Herd, who has an engineering background.
- Both are from Michigan – Pisano went to Michigan State and Herd to Oakland University – and longtime home brewers.
The brewery: The 1,500-square-foot space has a 7-barrel brewing system.
- The taproom has a small bar, nine taps, TVs, and 25 seats.
- A planned buildout in the brewing area will add seating for another 80 people.
The beers: There were six Steel Cactus beers and two guest beers on tap for Sunday’s pop-up.
- The tentative flagship is Blue Boy, a light American ale whose name is a tongue-in-cheek homage to Bud Light.
- Pisano, a self-described ‘‘big IPA guy,’’ says his favorite is Guavalicious, a double IPA blended with guava puree.
The food: There is no kitchen, but you can bring in food. A rotation of food trucks will be scheduled.
The timeline: The brewery will continue to hold occasional pop-ups through the holidays.
- Pop-ups will be announced on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
- The grand opening will be held in January.
- Projected hours will be 3-8 p.m. weekdays and noon-9 p.m. weekends.
📌 Details: 761 N. Monterey St. #104, Gilbert (map), steelcactusbrewing.com.
