A pair of craft beer enthusiasts has joined forces with a professional brewer to found Selkirk Abbey Brewing Co., in Post Falls, and the team expects to begin producing Belgian-style ales by early next year.

Jeff Whitman, who's been developing recipes with friend Rob Wallace, says the initial ales will be inspired by strong brews historically produced by certain Trappist monasteries.

"We've got good recipes locked in already," Whitman says. "Once we get going, nothing is off limits."

Joining in the endeavor is Fred Colby, owner of Laughing Dog Brewing, in Ponderay, Idaho, who helped acquire and set up the equipment for Selkirk Abbey, which will occupy 3,000 square feet of leased space at 6180 E. Seltice Way, in Post Falls.

Whitman says Selkirk Abbey's target customers will be "beer geeks" who are enthusiasts of craft beers, which are made by small, independent breweries.

"It's not going to be your father's beer," he says. "It will be pale in color, but very full bodied. We've got plans for a golden ale that's going to have 9-percent alcohol."

Whitman says the company has applied for state and federal permits to produce beer commercially.

"We've bought equipment, leased space, and we're working with regulators," he says. "We can't make any beer until it's licensed. We don't know that it's going to be open this year."

The brewery's equipment has an annual production capacity of 1,700 barrels, each of which would contain 31 gallons, although Selkirk Abbey plans to buy additional fermenters that would increase the capacity to 2,000 barrels a year, Whitman says.

Whitman, a longtime Hewlett-Packard Co. employee, says he started making beer with a home-brewing kit his wife bought for him, and that kindled his interest in craft beers.

About that time, he met Wallace, a sporting goods store employee who shares his interests in craft beer and beer making.

"We hit it off," Whitman says. "Rob's got a lot of good ideas and we figured we would give this a whirl."

Whitman and Wallace made friends with Colby at a beer-tasting event and started tapping from his experiences. Colby, who founded Laughing Dog in 2005, will be invaluable for his connections to distributors, Whitman says.

"He gives us industry access and brewing skills," Whitman says.

Whitman says Selkirk Abbey likely will open in two phases. The first phase will be for production to be marketed through distributors, and the second phase will be to the public, he says.

"When we start to get income from production, we hope to open a tap room," Whitman says.

Craig Hunter and Rob Kannapien, both of Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty, handled Selkirk Abbey's lease.