10 Barrel Brewing Co., based in Bend, is working toward an October opening of its third brewpub, in Denver, its vice president for pub development said Monday.

Renovations to a former bar and music venue on Walnut Street in the River North, or RiNo, neighborhood are underway. Plans approved by Denver building officials in February show a 1,330-square-foot rooftop bar and a restaurant area of nearly 8,000 square feet wrapped around a brewery of 1,600 square feet.

“In Denver, we had a really cool, historic building with a big, old, barrel roof on it,” said Garrett Wales, 10 Barrel vice president of pub development. “You’ve never seen the way we’re really featuring the brewery. We’re putting the beer in the middle. No matter where you’re at, you’ll have a view.”

That concept extends to a mezzanine with seats overlooking brewing tanks and rooftop views of the Denver skyline, according to plans 10 Barrel provided the city. The renovations incorporate the existing roof into a redesign of the 8,000-square-foot interior. The resulting brewpub will measure about 10,000 square feet.

10 Barrel also has similar plans to renovate a former warehouse into a fourth, 10,450-square-foot brewpub, this one in San Diego’s East Village. The location is kitty-corner from San Diego Police Headquarters. A full bar on the roof is part of the redesign. 10 Barrel’s plans in San Diego are moving slower than those in Denver, Wales said. The California location may open in early 2017, he said.

Both locations will feature 20-barrel brew systems. He said the brewery is emphasizing local talent in its hiring. A San Diego native who works in Bend for 10 Barrel, Ben Shirley, will return to San Diego to become head brewer at the pub there, Wales said. 10 Barrel expects to employ 85 people in San Diego and 100 in Denver, he said.

In Denver, 10 Barrel, a property of Anheuser-Busch since December 2014, received no direct grants or tax incentives from local or state government to locate there, said Derek Woodbury, spokesman for the Denver Office of Economic Development. The company may be eligible for enterprise zone tax credits after the brewery is up and running, he said. Wales said the brewery explored similar incentives and tax credits in San Diego. City officials there did not respond Tuesday to calls seeking comment.

Financial backing from Anheuser-Busch accelerated the expansion process, Wales said, adding Denver had always been a target market. The parent company also provided expertise on permitting, licensing and an army of lawyers to handle legal questions, he said. Otherwise, the brewing giant did not meddle much in the details, Wales said.

“Very, very little, especially on the restaurant side,” he said.

10 Barrel’s expansion of its brewpubs into other markets was part of its plan prior to its acquisition by Anheuser-Busch, Wales said. He said there are no further plans for another beyond its hometown. The brewery is expanding its headquarters on NE 18th Street in Bend by 69,000 square feet, twice its existing size, to include more production space, a tasting room and a dining area, the scope of which is still undecided, he said.

“Denver and San Diego are both venturing a long way from home,” Wales said. “The plan right now is to focus on those markets and do it right.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7815, jditzler@bendbulletin.com