Eric Sipe turns 26 this week.
He is celebrating the occasion by working on what he hopes will become his legacy in Tucson.
In early July, Sipe and his business partner Eric Rosas plan to launch the Dillinger Brewing Company at 3895 N. Oracle Road, less than a mile south of the Tucson Mall.
The 2,400-square-feet of industrial space, once home to an embroidery shop and a dry cleaning business, will soon house a commanding 10-barrel system, which will sit just east of a taproom, offering up to six taps of Dillinger deliciousness to thirsty patrons.
The brewery will give craft beer enthusiasts somewhere to stop on their way from Pueblo Vida, Borderlands and Thunder Canyon downtown to Catalina Brewing in Marana and Thunder Canyonβs original location, north of Tucson (if they opt to take the Oracle Road corridor over Interstate 10).
βThousands of people drive Oracle every day,β Sipe said. βHopefully, some of them will want to stop in for a pint.β
Sipe and Rosas are Tucson natives. Sipe went to Catalina Foothills High School and Rosas to Palo Verde.
They met as members of Alpha Kappa Psi, the professional business fraternity, at the University of Arizona.
βWe would have cigar smoking nights, sit around and come up with ideas,β Sipe said. βThatβs where the idea for a brewery formulated.β
After graduating from the UA in 2013, Rosas went to San Antonio to work for the United Services Automobile Association. Sipe took a couple of years off to see the world, Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, but the two never forgot their plans.
Sipe, who has spent the last year working at a cigar bar in Scottsdale, moved back to Tucson to make the brewery work. Rosas will be back in town, tentatively by the end of next January, to help Dillinger grow. He plans to continue working remotely for the USAA.
Like many other local brewery owners, their initial idea was to open downtown, but βwe couldnβt find anything suitable,β Sipe said. βAll the places we tried required grandiose ideas, where weβd have to rent 10,000 square feet of basement space and reinforce the floor. It wasnβt practical.β
The new spot on Oracle suits their purposes, Sipe said.
Sipe wants to make this a long-term project.
βThis is hopefully the way I leave my mark on Tucson,β he said. βWhen people think of what to do in Tucson, I want Dillinger to be on their list.β
Keep up with Dillinger’s progress at facebook.com/dillingerbrewery
Need more to do this summer? Try these highlights:
Saturday, May 28 — Green Feet Brewing Company celebrates its grand opening at 3669 E. 44th St. facebook.com/greenfeetbrewing
June 15 — Baja Arizona Brewers will hold a seasonal beer celebration at Borderlands Brewing, 119 E. Toole Ave. facebook.com/borderlandsbrewing
June 18 — Reid Park Zoo hosts its annual “Brew at the Zoo” fundraiser. facebook.com/brewatthezootucson
June 25 — Tap & Bottle turns 3 years old. It will hold a joint party with Exo Roast Company next door, which is turning 4. facebook.com/thetapandbottle
July 2-4 β 1912 Brewing Company, 2045 Forbes Blvd., celebrates its first anniversary.
July 2-4 — Beast Brewing Company, 1326 W. Highway 92, in Bisbee celebrates the Fourth of July with its third annual Lobster Roll Party. beastbrewingcompany.com
July 23 — Real Wild & Woody Beer Festival at the Phoenix Convention Center, 33 S. Third St., Phoenix. realwildandwoody.com
July 30 — Arizona Beer House holds a party for its first anniversary. facebook.com/azbeerhouse
