Coming from anyone else, the Biodome-like concept for Moon Dog’s new Preston brewery would be surprising. But from Josh Uljans, his brother Jake and their mate Karl van Buuren? Not so much.

“I got approval through Darebin Council for 725 people,” says Josh, padding into a run-down building the size of a Bunnings Warehouse. “It’s going to be a pretty high-concept venue with a waterfall starting where that door is” – he motions to one wall – “and running into a little river that winds its way into an ornamental lagoon. We’ll also have a rainforest section.”

I first met the Uljans and van Buuren five years ago. They’d just unveiled the bar at Moon Dog, the offbeat brewery they founded in Abbotsford’s back streets in 2010 with a bunch of disused dairy equipment. Even in the flamboyant craft sector, the company has always stood out. If not for its beer, made using weird ingredients such as truffle, chilli and pumpkin, then for its cheeky attitude. The trio once ran a promotion called “Thongs or a Thong”, where buying 12 beers won you a pair of branded Moon Dog thongs or a branded thong (G-string).

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But this gargantuan site in Preston is like nothing the team has ever done before. It puts Moon Dog on the level of big, formerly independent breweries such as Little Creatures, Mountain Goat, 4 Pines and Pirate Life.

“When we first came out here and had a look, Karl said, ‘It’s too big. It doesn’t make any sense. Let’s find something else’,” Uljans says. But then they thought about how quickly Moon Dog has been growing since 2016, after introducing more approachable beers such as Old Mate pale ale and Beer Can lager. The trio has signed a 20-year lease and will stay independent for the foreseeable future. “You don’t get knocks on the door [from buyers],” Uljans says. “You make it known that you want to get out of your business. We’re doubling down here.”

He leads us into a second warehouse, where the brewhouse will live. Again, it’s about as large as a Bunnings. By the end of this financial year, Moon Dog’s headquarters in Duke Street will have produced about two million litres of beer – close to its maximum. The new site should theoretically be able to produce “north of 10 million litres”, though whether the team can package, distribute and sell that much is another question.

Once the new spot is operational, the Duke Street brewery will be passed onto a smaller operator, though Moon Dog will retain the bar and keep running it. “We love our home,” Uljans says. “We can’t get rid of our home.”

We continue into a third warehouse. Another Bunnings, only this one’s missing its roof. This space will be used to house towering fermenters and storage tanks that are too tall even for the previous building.

We keep moving into a fourth warehouse – same size again – where the cool room, canning and kegging lines will be installed, and where trucks will pull up to send Moon Dog beer all over the country.

Surely, I think to myself, this is the end of the tour? We’ve walked through 12,000 square meters of space, 9000 of them undercover.

“Let’s take a look at the sex dungeon,” Uljans says with glee.

“We really couldn’t call it anything else,” says marketing manager Brook Hornung, who’s shadowing Uljans with his Bernese mountain dog, Disco. “You get in there and you’re like, ‘Oh yep, this is definitely a sex dungeon’.”

We step outside, where Darebin Creek is gurgling merrily past, and hook underneath the warehouse into – yep, a bona fide dungeon. We could be on the set of Saw. Relics of the site’s former life as a fabric manufacturer are scattered about: empty chemical drums, framed certificates recognising long service leave, a plastic Christmas tree and a Ferrari flag. Everything is intensely neglected.

In a way, this (comparably) small space will be the most important of the entire site. The team plans to fill it with coolships – open fermentation tanks for brews that’ll be spontaneously germinated by wild yeasts local to the area – and hundreds of oak barrels for aging beer. The occasional private dinner or event will also be held here. As much as Old Mate and Beer Can have brought Moon Dog mass-market success and facilitated the move to Preston, it’s the weird, wild, wonky beers that keep it going creatively. “We can’t just leave that behind. It’s who we are,” Uljans says, with uncommon seriousness.

Back in the first warehouse, we stand around and chat through a few more details. The brewhouse will be visible behind floor-to-ceiling glass. There’ll be live music in the bar, and a kitchen with “a particular angle” that’s not gastropub-style food. Most importantly, the team hopes to open in September, though these things rarely go according to schedule. Especially when you’re talking about eccentric concepts that involve indoor waterfalls, rivers and lagoons.

“I get tingles when I come here,” Uljans says, as we make our way out.

Us too, Josh. Us too.

Moon Dog Preston is due to open in September 2019.