E-Malt.com News article: USA, AZ: Phoenix Ale Brewery closing, PHX Beer Co. opening instead

Later this fall, Phoenix will gain a new brewery but the Valley will also lose one as well. Phoenix Ale Brewery is closing, and new brewery called PHX Beer Co. will open in the brewery and restaurant spaces the company currently owns and operates, AZCentral.com reported on August 23.

A group of local real estate developers purchased Phoenix Ale Brewery's locations and equipment. The new owners include Carl Perrone, Buzz Gosnell, Niels Kreipke and Chris Rose.

Though the exact timeline for the change is unclear, PHX Beer Co. will take over Phoenix Ale Brewery's production space at 3002 E. Washington St. and the Central Kitchen restaurant at 5813 N. 7th St.

The new owners also plan to open a third location in north Scottsdale.

Adam Wojcik, an Arizona native and 17-year veteran of the beer industry, will lead the new PHX Beer Co. team as brewery director.

"There were a lot of positives to Phoenix Ale Brewery so we wanted to grow on that," Wojcik says. "It's a great brew house with equipment that we wanted to take advantage of."

Under Wojcik's direction, the brewery will release all new beers including a flagship IPA. Other beers to come include Arizona Gold and Orange Grove IPA.

"We have new brewers coming in and we wanted to give them a playground to brew beer that they're proud of," Wojcik says.

Chef Richard Stark founded Phoenix Ale Brewery's Central Kitchen in 2016 and plans to keep fan favorites on the menu while adding new options as well.

The menu will include comfort foods such as mac 'n cheese, wings, pizza and brownies. Many of the food options will also incorporate beer from the brewery.

PHX Beer Co. is set to launch in mid-September, according to Wojcik, but there are a lot of moving parts that have to come together in the transition.

"We are trying to land one plane and take off another at the same time," Wojcik says.

The Phoenix Ale Brewery beer will be distributed until supplies run out at which point bars and restaurants that carry the beer will switch to PHX Beer Co. beer, Wojcik says.



25 August, 2019