Great things ahead
New breweries bubbling up in metro Phoenix
This summer and fall, metro Phoenix is getting a new batch of breweries. The local beer scene is growing at a remarkable pace. Today, nearly every part of the sprawling Valley has a brewery — sometimes several — of its own. Some are husband-and-wife operations like Huss Brewing Company; others are brands that have gone national, such as Four Peaks Brewing Company. The brewery boom picks up in the second half of the
year, and more breweries are planned for 2019. These are the seven most anticipated openings through 2018.
Desert Monks Brewing Co.
Estimated opening date: Late August or early September.
Where: 1094 S. Gilbert Road, Gilbert.
Details: 480-525-7444, desertmonksbrewing.com. The backstory: Arturo Ruiz, Daniel Rosales-Yeomans, Jose Hinojosa and husband-and-wife Chris and Sommer Decker own this new brewery at Elliot and Higley roads at Gilbert Town Square. Four of them worked together as engineers at a tech firm. All five are homebrewers.
“Our brewery journey together started with a joke during a backyard barbecue and kept going,” Sommer Decker said.
The group filed for incorporation in summer 2016 and spent 18 months looking for the right space. Decker said they’ll be brewing all types of beers with five- to eight year-round brews, four seasonals, four experimental beers and some guest taps.
“We know we are not cool,” she said. “We will just be a great place to enjoy some great beer, enjoy time with friends...and foster community with an inviting and comfortable space.”
Some planned beer styles include a cherry kolschstyle ale, guava-infused blonde ale, Mexican chocolate porter and a smoked hefeweizen. For the non-beer drinkers, house-made craft sodas will be available on top: root beer, vanilla cream soda and strawberry soda. No food will be served, but customers can get takeout from nearby restaurants, and food trucks will visit regularly.
Walter Station Brewery
Estimated opening date: End of summer. Where: 4056 E. Washington St., Phoenix. Details:walterstation.beer.
The backstory: Walter Productions, a Phoenix company known for its whimsical art cars, is opening a brewery at 41st and Washington streets in a former fire station. Two couples are behind the project: Kirk and Mary Strawn and James and Jennifer Erickson. Kirk is the founder of Walter Productions and Jennifer is CEO.
James, an avid homebrewer, is part of the Walter Brew-On-Premises Co-op, a homebrewing club. He got the opportunity to open a brewery in the property that Kirk originally purchased for Walter Productions.
“(Kirk) thought it would be a better idea to use it for a brewery,” James said. “The idea is to supply enough beer for Walter Productions and to open a taproom.”
Walter Productions is revamping Walter Studios at Seventh Avenue and Roosevelt Street to include several bars, a restaurant and theater, with plans to serve Walter Station Brewery beers. At Walter Station Brewery, the taproom will be in the engine room, while the brewing will take place in the front building facing Washington Street. Erickson said the beer lineup will consist of at least six traditional ale and lager styles, made in a 10-barrel capacity brewing system. There are plans to host the art cars out at the brewery and live music on weekends.
The location is on the light rail, but in an industrial area near the airport, so Erickson hopes to draw people from the hotels within a half mile away and an apartment complex under construction at 44th and Washington streets. He thinks that with the Walter name, the brewery will become a destination.
Grand Avenue Brewing Company
Estimated opening date: Late September or early
October.
Where: 1205 W. Pierce St., Phoenix.
Details: 602-670-5465, grandbrewing.com.
The backstory: John Coll owns this upcoming 3,000-square-foot brewery in the heart of the funky Grand Avenue arts district. The site is on Pierce Street, at the intersection of Grand and 12th avenues, in a 1947 warehouse.
“Homebrewing has been my hobby, and it kind of got out of control and developed into this,” Coll said.
The brewery will have a small seven-barrel brewing system, with standards including an IPA, cream ale, Baltic porter and red IPA. He’ll open with about eight taps and eventually increase to 16. Coll plans to have a limited food menu with sandwiches and bratwurst.
The building originally opened as a sheet metal company before becoming a soda syrup company in 1950 for two decades, he said. “The building is pretty neat as it was, with exposed wood trusses inside. It’s going to have a public house vibe,”
Helluva Brewing Company
Estimated opening date: Mid to late September. Where: 3950 W. Ray Road, Chandler.
The backstory: Shawn and Lisa Shepard own this Chandler brewery, opening in the former Zipps Sports Grill location on McClintock Drive and Ray Road. The couple run a mortgage business together, and Shawn is a dedicated homebrewer.
Steve Stone, who used to work at Huss Brewing Company, will be the head brewer. He is a brewing program graduate of the Siebel Institute in Chicago.
The journey to opening the brewery started two years ago.
“It’s been a long and wild ride,” Shawn said. “We did the market research and got the plans together. We live
in Ocotillo... so we’re super excited we found a place in Chandler and we could be close to home.”
It’s a 6,000-square-foot space, with 1,300 square feet dedicated to the brewery. The owners will launch with eight beers on tap: six year-round and two seasonal, including an American wheat and light lager, kölsch; New England IPA; and either a porter or stout. The other 12 taps will be guest taps.
Shawn enjoys using his smoker at home, so the food menu will feature a variety of smoked dishes, such as smoked chicken Caesar salad, smoked and roasted cauliflower bites, wings, burgers and salads.
The brewery name came to the Shepards one night over a bottle of wine. They wanted something slightly edgy, and Lisa said they were going to make a “helluva good porter.” They looked at each other and knew that was it.
Shawn hopes to fill a need in the neighborhood. The closest brewery, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, is still more than 2.5 miles away.
“We wanted something in south Chandler, and Zipps left a little hole in the area,” Shawn said. “More people are into local...and we really want to be a family-oriented brewery where a guy can sit down at the bar after work and feel comfortable.”
Transplant City Beer Co.
Estimated opening date: Early September. Where: 107 W. Honeysuckle St., Litchfield Park. The backstory: Owners Paul Power and Justin Egbert took over the former Litchfield Taproom from Peoria Artisan Brewery (which is still open on Lake Pleasant Parkway) to open Transplant City Beer Co. They have been homebrewing together for five years and decided it was about time to take the leap.
“We think of ourselves as a California-style brewery that is not afraid to try new things,” Power said. “We will be making beer from ingredients that will surprise and delight people, and will hopefully convert a few people who didn’t know they loved beer.”
They plan to launch with eight beers, adding more later. Styles include hazy IPAs and barley wines. TCBC won’t serve food but will welcome takeout from restaurants nearby.
State 48 Brewing Company
Estimated opening date: Early September in Phoenix; November in Scottsdale.
Where: Existing location at 13823 W. Bell Road, Surprise. Opening at 345 W. Van Buren St., Phoenix; and 15600 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale.
Details: 623-584-1095, state48brewery.com.
The backstory: The Surprise brewery is opening two Valley locations this year, according to co-owner Mario Rana. The brewery’s beer list includes Copper Star Kölsch, Lost Dutchman Golden Ale, Rough Rider IPA and White Tank Wheat. The food menu is hefty with shared plates, pizza, sandwiches, burgers, entrees and salads.
In downtown Phoenix, a new production brewery and full-service restaurant is in the works at the 1927 Welnick Marketplace building at Fourth Avenue and Van Buren Street. The 10,000-square-foot space will feature a 20-barrel brewing system and a canning line. Rana said they plan to start canning their beers by early 2019. The restaurant will serve lunch and dinner, and feature a second-level mezzanine with a view of the brewery and bar.
The owners will open State 48 Lager House at the former Harley Davidson dealership in north Scottsdale at Hayden and Northsight roads (the dealership moved next door). There, brewers will make lagers and barrel-aged beers, and also feature a full-service restaurant. Rana said this will be the first brewery in Arizona only focusing on lagers, in styles including pilsner, Helles lager, bock, märzen, dunkel and doppelbock. The two-story space clocks in at about 10,000 square feet.