The Barking Duck Brewing Company, which is Mint Hill’s only craft beer brewery, is set to expand its reach in the ever growing craft beer scene in the Charlotte area.

The dog-friendly brewery is located at 4440 Morris Park Drive, Suite 0, in Mint Hill and the Barking Duck is currently the only craft beer brewery in Mint Hill or Matthews.

The Barking Duck is currently a half-barrel craft beer brewery but they will expand to a three-barrel system next month or in early October. The change will allow the Barking Duck to greatly expand its output, and variety, of craft beer made and currently served in Mint Hill.

The Barking Duck opened in 2014 and owners Jake Reynolds and Josh Carl are also the brewers. You will also find both owners, who also both have jobs at American Airlines, behind the bar serving up a pint of one of their many locally brewed craft beer selections.

Carl and Reynolds were college roommates at Western Carolina University where the two started home brewing beer.

“We got into it because it was cheaper to brew your own beer than to buy it as college kids,” Carl said. “When the beer was good everybody wanted some of it. When we got out of college we started home brewing at my house.”

One thing then led to another and Reynolds and Carl decided to bring their beers to the masses with the Barking Duck Brewery.

And the Barking Duck name?

Part of the name comes from two yellow labs barking while Reynolds and Carl made their home brews. The other part of the name comes from their research at Duckworth’s, which has a large selection of craft beer on tap.

“We took the dogs from brewing the beer and the Duck from drinking it and that is where the Barking Duck came from,” Carl said.

The Barking Duck has brewed around 30 different craft beers over the last three years and they always have six of their beers on tap. They also have guest taps from other Charlotte area craft breweries as well as wine, ciders and non-alcoholic drinks.

The Barking Duck’s signature beer is their Banamber, which is a twist on a regular Amber as the Barking Duck uses Belgian yeast to add a banana aroma and taste to the beer. The brewery makes different batches of beer each week. Other popular Barking Duck beers are the Break Time Session IPA and Big Belly Milk Stout.

“We always brew Banamber,” Carl said.

The brewery is open Thursday and Friday from 5 p.m until 10 p.m., Saturday 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. There are several big screen televisions to watch sporting events as well as many board games. You can also fill up a growler to take the Barking Duck home.

The brewery also hosts a Food Truck Friday event the first Friday of the month and the next one is scheduled for Oct. 6.

The Barking Duck will celebrate its third year of business with an anniversary party on Saturday, Sept. 2 at the brewery. In addition to several new beer releases, there will be food trucks, live music and a cornhole tournament. The event is from 2 p.m.-8 p.m. but the brewery will remain open until 10 p.m.

Currently, Barking Duck’s beers are only available at their location in Mint Hill but the upcoming expansion will allow Reynolds and Carl to start distributing their products to area bars and restaurants. There are even plans to bottle and possibly can their various craft beers.

“We hope to start distributing by the end of October,” Carl said. “We would like to fill Mint Hill and then work out. People have been waiting for us to be on tap at other places other than here. In turn, that will help bring people here to Mint Hill if they see us on tap throughout the rest of the city.”

The brewery first opened behind the Mint Hill Food Lion in 2014 and they moved to their current location in July 2016. The brewery may grow even bigger after the current expansion is complete

“We can expand beyond this three-barrel,” Carl said. “We have the room to do that. We would love to be all over the state. That is our goal. Our goal is to not be this small for long.”