Mike Chapman and his wife Laura will open Dynamite Beer Co. in the former Huss location in Uptown Plaza. Located at Camelback Road and Central Avenue, Dynamite is anticipated to open on Feb. 27.
The Chapmans launched Dynamite in Cave Creek in 2022. The bar features beer and wine on tap, a menu of pub bites and a bottle shop. A second Cave Creek location was in the works when Chapman got a call from his former employer, asking if he’d be interested in working in uptown Phoenix again.
“That’s not the phone call you expect,” Chapman says.
Returning to uptown, where he managed the Huss outpost for five years, was something he couldn’t pass up.
“I put a lot of my heart into this taproom and I guess it came back full circle,” he says. Huss closed its uptown kitchen and taproom, along with the Mesa beer bar and eatery Papago Brewing Co., in January. The decision was motivated by the brewer’s focus on production. The dining and shopping center is undergoing other changes. Chicago deep dish pizzeria chain Lou Malnati's closed on Feb. 18, while The Henry, a Fox Restaurant Concept, is under construction and set to replace a former Applebee's.
With the arrival of Dynamite, guests will see the return of a familiar face and dining format. Drinks will include a regularly changing menu of wines and beers, albeit from several makers. The draft list will feature breweries from around the Valley – including Huss, The Shop Beer Co. and Wren House Brewing Co. – and beyond.
“The (taps) are constantly rotating. We bring in the best stuff we can find from San Diego to Portland, Maine, to Billings, Montana, and all the way down to Florida,” Chapman says, noting they'll also carry a small selection of European beers seasonally, such as during Oktoberfest.
The wine selection will also cover miles of terroir, with local and Paso Robles, California, selections, as well as pours from South America and New Zealand.
Dynamite's food centers on pub bites that Chapman has worked to elevate using local ingredients and makers. Dishes include flatbread pizzas made on tandoor bread, pretzels with creamy whipped feta, Schreiner's sausage boards and Dynamite Sticks – strips of sweet, spicy candied bacon.
Dynamite Beer Co. opened in Cave Creek in 2022. This year, the taproom and kitchen will open two more locations, in uptown Phoenix and Cave Creek.
Dynamite Beer Co.
Dynamite features nods to the Southwest and rock ‘n roll at its Cave Creek location, with black paint and patterned tiles along the bar.
Uptown and its second outpost in Cave Creek, which is anticipated to open this fall, will get the same treatment. As a musician, Chapman says he infuses that passion into everything from Dynamite’s brand to its events. Guests should expect a “packed event calendar” of music bingo, trivia, brewery tap takeovers and more.
“At Dynamite, it’s always about having fun,” he says.
Dynamite Beer Co.
Opens Feb. 27100 E. Camelback Road, #160
