Not too long ago, Eric Ingram purchased a Pliny the Elder at a liquor store in Gilroy, only to find out later that the beer, which is one of the most sought-after brews among beer fans, was two months out of date.

Gilroy was a source of frustration for the lovers of suds, who often had to drive to San Jose, Santa Cruz and other cities just to get their fix.

“For years we were a beer desert out here,” Ingram said. “I call it a wasteland. Distributors would put their outdated beer down here, and it was obvious.”

Now halfway through 2019, Gilroy’s beer scene has improved dramatically, and its epicenter is downtown.

It all happened within a span of two years. Bartenders Union Local 408 and Golden State Brew and Grill opened in 2017, followed by Promised Land Brewing Company and Capos Night Club & Restaurant earlier in 2019. All joined a lineup that includes the Milias Restaurant and The District, and all are located on Monterey Street.

Lonely Oak Brew Pub and Pizzeria is also currently under construction, mere doors away from Milias.

“There was nothing in Gilroy,” said Ingram, the co-owner of Promised Land. “Now, for Gilroy, it’s just beginning.”

South Valley joins Beer Week

Silicon Valley Beer Week, running July 19-28, celebrates local brewers and craft beer culture with events throughout San Jose and surrounding areas.

Now for its seventh year, Beer Week is extending its reach to the South Valley, and Gilroy/Morgan Hill beer establishments have been invited to participate in the 10-day celebration with new releases, tastings and other special events.

An opening party, “Brew at the Zoo,” is set for July 19 from 6-9pm at San Jose’s Happy Hollow Zoo. Then, for the next nine days, more than 150 events are lined up throughout the Silicon Valley.

Promised Land plans on releasing its Tech Juice NEIPA 6.4 percent IPA for Beer Week. The beer is a collaboration with Trail Dust BBQ and South Winchester BBQ. It will be available in the Promised Land tasting room, 7419 Monterey St., on July 25.

In Morgan Hill, Kelly Brewing Company, which celebrated its grand opening in March, will not only release a new beer, but it is also inviting the community to meet the brewers and take a tour of its open fermentation brewery at 70 East Fourth St. on July 25 from 5-9pm.

“We’re working like crazy trying to improve everywhere,” said owner Ross Kelly. “People have a lot of good things to say about our beer.”

Golden State Brewery has a number of events lined up for Beer Week at its Santa Clara location, including an IPA release, a film screening and more.

For the complete list of events, visit svbeerweek.com.

The people and the beer

After spending seven weeks in a Chicago hostel to study brewing science at the Siebel Institute of Technology, then additional time learning abroad at Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany, Kelly returned to South County determined to make his own mark.

“I knew I wanted to open my own brewery,” said the 2006 Live Oak High School alumnus. “I knew by the time I was 20, 21 years old that I wanted to do this. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the last 10 years.”

Kelly knew exactly where to turn and, with a soft opening in November 2018 followed by a grand opening in March, he opened the doors of his very own Kelly Brewing Company.

“It was great. We were packed,” said the 30-year-old brewmaster and local business owner who grew up in San Martin. “It’s really cool to see people’s reactions to the beer we make.”

The 5,000-square-foot brewery and taphouse—completely remodeled with the help of his father Dave Kelly and contractor Brandon Kuskie—also has an additional 1,400-square-foot outdoor patio area for live music and additional seating.

“I like Morgan Hill. I like this community and I thought Morgan Hill could use a place like this,” Kelly said. “I found this building and just took a leap of faith and went for it.”

The sleek main bar top is made of Ponderosa Pine, and the tables and chairs are all refurbished and topped with maps of Kelly’s and his fiancee/front house manager Sophie Snook’s favorite hiking and travel spots. It’s truly a family affair, with Kelly’s grandfather having donated a shuffleboard table to the business. There’s also a pool table inside.

Three days a week, Kelly is in the back, brewing a unique style of beer that takes a meticulous purveyor to complete successfully. He uses an open fermentation process, similar to San Francisco-based Anchor Steam but on a smaller scale. Kelly uses a seven-barrel system to produce 200 gallons of beer per day and 600 gallons per week.

“I think it makes a better tasting beer,” said Kelly of why he chose the challenging open fermentation process where he can reuse the yeast strain because of the healthy environment that must be kept at all times. “We’re unique in our brewing process. It’s more labor intensive.”

Ingram began homebrewing in 2007, and he is quick to note that it produced “nothing good” until about the sixth batch. He quipped that he learned everything from “YouTube University.”

Ingram and his wife Nicole are partners with Ingram’s father in Gilroy’s BBQ 152, and craft beer eventually made its way to the restaurant. The business of beer and barbecue naturally led to the opening of Promised Land.

“It made the business a lot more fun,” he said. “We met some good people, made some fine relationships, and that pretty much led us to this.”

Downtown brotherhood

Bartenders Union is not a brewery. Rather, it’s a place with 20 beers on tap, most from California, and owner Dustin Evanger envisions it as a bar where bartenders will go to hang out after their shifts.

Evanger said Bartenders Union’s offerings are constantly changing, pouring various IPAs, blondes, sours and more.

“We try to have an offering for everybody,” said Evanger, who also created the Hill Bar & Grill in Morgan Hill. “There’s so many types of beers being brewed now that people aren’t aware of.”

Evanger purchased the building and former bar at 7421 Monterey St., and he and his crew tore it down to the studs and rebuilt it.

The work has paid off.

“The response has been pretty overwhelming,” Evanger said. “People are coming in here and seeing what we’ve done. We added light, added openness, added cleanliness. People have been very thankful for that.”

It also plays a key role in creating a vibrant downtown. Bartenders Union hosts weekly pool tournaments, Bingo events and trivia nights. Evanger added that he meets with the owners of the other bars and breweries along the downtown corridor on a weekly basis.

“There is a brotherhood here, and we all understand that it is about creating a downtown environment,” Evanger said. “We only get that if I do the best job I can, and he does the best job he can.

“I need these guys to do well and put out a good product, so we can contribute to a more vibrant downtown.”

Scott Forstner contributed to this article.