Lumberbeard Brewing plans to open in late summer in what was formerly the Culligan Water Systems space at 25 E. Third.

Owner and head brewer Bret Gordon says he’s been working with Valleyford-based Fusion Architecture PLLC on designs for the 14,000-square-foot space, which is being remodeled by Flywheel Construction & Development LLC, of Spokane Valley.

“We spent a few weeks on demolition, and we’re just getting started on building it out now,” he says. “If all goes well, we plan to open sometime in early September.”

He says the brewery’s location is ideal, being right off Division Street, close to downtown and the freeway.

“It was one of the best spaces we looked at,” he says. “We’ll have about 10,000 square feet of production space and a 4,000-square-foot tasting room.”

Originally from Southern California, Gordon says he started brewing beer as a hobby and eventually went back to school to earn a brewing certification from the University of California San Diego. 

“I had sisters living in the Spokane area, and I liked the area,” he says. “I decided the time and opportunity was right for my family.”

Gordon says his father, Norman, is a partner in the business, and his wife, Hannah, will be managing its social media.

“We’ll start pretty small with one to three employees, and be open four or five days a week,” he says. “Nothing is set in stone yet, but we plan to offer a good variety of beer types so customers can get a feel for what they like.”

He says the name Lumberbeard has been his personal social media handle for years, and he figured it would be a fitting name for the business.

“We thought of quite a few names, but this was one I’d already made up that happens to fit well with the Pacific Northwest,” he says. “We’re already so excited to open and just happy to be making beer again.”