Goldwater Brewing Co.
Audio By Carbonatix
In the decade since the McClelland family opened Goldwater Brewing Co. in Old Town Scottsdale, their popular, award-winning brewery has grown to three taprooms around the Valley. For the past four years, they’ve wanted something bigger.
Soon, those dreams will become a reality. Goldwater is coming to Gilbert in 2026, not just with a new taproom but also a massive outdoor area and a larger production facility.
“We thought it was time to make more beer,” says Dillon McClelland, a Goldwater co-founder.
The founders, who include McClelland, his dad Greg, brother Chad and business partner Jimmy Disken, bought 2.5 acres at the northeast corner of Gilbert and Warner roads that was last home to Mesa’s Cider Corps. The cidery closed its taproom and production facility in Gilbert at the end of 2022.
The property will again be used for producing craft beverages by the end of this year or early next. Among Goldwater’s most popular beers are the floral, prickly pear-infused kolsch Desert Rose, Hop Chowda New England IPA and Machine Gun Teddy brown ale.
“We’re producing what we can at Scottsdale, and it’s enough to fill our taprooms and some distribution,” McClelland says. With a 30-barrel brewing system going into the property, they will be able to scale up their operations significantly, he adds.
The Gilbert site will be for more than making beer. Drinkers will have plenty of space to visit and sip a pint, including a 2,000-square-foot taproom and more than 1,000-square-foot patio. Goldwater plans to host food trucks, as it does at its other taprooms.
Goldwater Brewing Co.
The rest of the property is 1.5 acres of undeveloped land that backs up to the Arizona Canal. The Goldwater owners plan to transform that area, which is now just dirt. A driving range and a beer park are among the ideas suggested so far, but “nothing is set in stone,” McClelland says.
“We have dreams but we are just trying to get open and running before we make that our phase two,” he says.
That outdoor space could host larger community events, such as food truck meetups, music festivals or a farmers market, too, he says.
This new facility will also allow Goldwater to scale up its production to produce beer to sell beyond the taprooms. Despite the sour national outlook for craft beer, local brewers are adapting. McClelland and his family feel optimistic about growing.
“There still are thirsty people out there in Arizona,” McClelland says. “Even after being open for 10 years, we’re still kind of unknown to people. We’re confident in our beer, we’re confident in our brand, we’re confident in our team and our family to really push this thing forward.”
Goldwater Brewing Co.
Opens in 2026
685 S. Gilbert Road, Gilbert
