Sentinel Peak Brewing Company has a lot to celebrate at its first anniversary party this Saturday.
The east-side spot is expanding into the space next door, adding 1,100 square feet.
The extra room will allow for more seating, but more importantly, will provide real estate for more beer production.
Owners Jeremy Hilderbrand, Matt Gordon and Taylor Carter will start construction in February on a 10-barrel system, that will allow them to brew 300 gallons of beer at a time.
They currently run on a three-barrel system.
“The demand is there,” Hilderbrand said. “Right now, we make enough beer for the tap room and a couple of accounts. We want to distribute around Tucson and have a bigger presence around town.”
As a side effect, the growth also will allow Sentinel Peak to expand the hours of the taproom.
The current set-up doesn’t allow the crew to brew and serve at the same time.
“Our brew system is in the middle of foot traffic behind the bar,” Hilderbrand said. “You have to be sanitary and keep things clean. It is hard to do that with people there.”
Once the new system is in place, the goal is to be open seven days a week.
Sentinel Peak’s current hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays.
Hilderbrand said construction on the expansion will begin next month. The owners are hoping to have it completed within the next eight months.
In the meantime, the brewery is going to party hard this weekend with catered barbecue, live music and an Anniversary Strong Ale.
“We would love to be available all across the state,” Hilderbrand said. “Having a bigger system will allow us to put that option on the table.”
