Calicraft Brewing Co. opened a new beer garden at its Shadelands home base the weekend of Saturday, Aug. 29, the first phase of an expansion at 2700 Mitchell Drive.

The outdoor space sits in front of a new two-story building that will eventually house a full bar, kitchen and creative headquarters for the Walnut Creek brewery and distillery. For now, drinks come from a bar built inside repurposed shipping containers, and food comes from a rotating lineup of food trucks.

The garden is open.

Calicraft owner Blaine Landberg told Diablo Magazine the opening is Phase 1 of a three-part plan. Phase 2, expected no later than November, will bring a 27-seat interior bar inside the new building. A 3,000-square-foot kids' area is also in the works over the next couple of months, Landberg said, and the crew is installing large flat-screen TVs ahead of the NFL season.

"California is a global brand, and at Calicraft we want to emulate what people want to see with a California brand," Landberg told the magazine. "That means driving forward and further to make us better and as local as possible."

The brewery is developing the surrounding four acres into a park-like setting that borders the site's existing community garden and dog park. The city's project listing for the Shadelands site, filed under Application No. Y22-018, describes the Calicraft building as an 8,975-square-foot, two-story structure with indoor, patio and bar seating, a 50-seat outdoor gathering area and a 320-square-foot shipping container bar.

Phase 3, targeted for summer 2027, would add an on-site restaurant serving sourdough pizzas, salads with local produce and smashburgers. A 21-and-over tasting room for experimental barrel-aged beers and spirits is also part of that phase.

Founded in 2012 in Walnut Creek, Calicraft now operates four taproom locations, including one on Mt. Diablo Boulevard downtown.

The Shadelands beer garden is open Monday from 3 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m., and Friday through Sunday from noon to 10 p.m., according to Calicraft's website.