E-Malt.com News article: USA, AZ: Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. to open a third location next year

Fans of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. have something to look forward to next year, as the Gilbert-based company is set to open a third location in 2024. Located at 1428 East McDowell Road, the building will house the company's brewing operations along with a new restaurant and taproom, the Phoenix New Times reported on April 24.

"There's a fair amount of approvals we'll need to get and construction that'll need to happen before the space is fully open to the public," Zach Fowle, head of marketing for Arizona Wilderness, says in a statement to Phoenix New Times. "However, the brewhouse and fermenters will all be in operation before the restaurant/taproom side is open, so we hope to be brewing a little earlier than that."

The new location is situated in Phoenix's Miracle Mile district, a historic area that was one of the Valley's most desirable places to shop, eat, and walk in the 1940s and '50s.

The brewery's co-owners, Jonathan Buford and Patrick Ware, purchased a 10,000-square-foot adaptive reuse building that formerly housed a commercial florist.

“We think buying old buildings and refurbishing them is way better for the environment and better for the community,” Buford tells New Times, nodding to the brewery's overall mission of conservation and sustainability.

Since opening its first Gilbert location in September 2013, Arizona Wilderness has won numerous local and national awards, including Best New Brewery from RateBeer.com and Best Brewery from New Times.

As the company expands throughout the Valley, Arizona Wilderness is doubling down on its commitment to sourcing locally. At the new location, the owners are aiming for 100 percent of the menu's ingredients to come from vendors in the state.

“Always working with farmers is a big part of the philosophy at Wilderness,” Buford says.

The new location will also see Buford and his team recapturing carbon dioxide emitted during the brewing process. Once captured, Arizona Wilderness plans to use the carbon dioxide for other brewery operations, like pushing beer through the lines in the taproom.

"We should be able to collect enough carbon dioxide to supply all of our locations, creating an entirely closed loop," Fowle says.

The new location won't include a beer garden, like the sprawling outdoor patio at the downtown Phoenix brewery, Fowle says. It will be more similar to the original Gilbert brewpub, including a restaurant and taproom attached to the brewing space. The new spot is tentatively scheduled to open next fall.



24 April, 2023