USA, AZ: Greenwood Brewing has an opening date now

For local brewer and entrepreneur Megan Greenwood, the road to opening her own brewery started about three years ago, AZCentral.com reported on June 19.

Now, Greenwood Brewing has an opening date.

The new brewery, which is located along downtown Phoenix's Roosevelt Row and connected to MADE Art Boutique, is scheduled to open at 11a.m. on July 18.

Greenwood and her team are putting the finishing touches on the new building, including adding mirrors and decorations, as well as getting ready for their first brew day.

Greenwood says that will be the day her dream finally feels real.

"I won't feel it until we are brewing our first batch on that system," she says. "But that's a day I've envisioned for three years, it's kind of mind blowing."

Greenwood started off as a home brewer, creating small batches of beer in her garage. She decided to turm her hobby into a profession as a way to promote female entrepreneurship and women in beer.

"Confidence, Empowerment, Inclusivity," are core values of the company, and words that are echoed through the company's website.

After deciding to create her company, Greenwood launched her first beer called Herstory Brew. The pale ale became the company's flagship beer and has been available around metro Phoenix on draft while Greenwood borrowed brewing space at a north Valley brewery.

Now, with her very own brewing system soon to be up and running, Greenwood plans to brew the first batch at her new location on June 25. She'll do so with the help of the company's new head brewer Kristin Luparello, formerly of San Tan Brewing and Distilling.

By the brewery's opening date of July 18, the fresh beer will be ready to serve. The team then plans to brew a Kölsch, an IPA and an amber within the coming weeks.

"We'll be brewing back to back to back," Greenwood says, explaining that four of the first eight beers brewed at the new space will be completely new recipes.

"I haven't made a new recipe in years so now we are able to do the fun part," she says. "I never really thought it would happen."

She certainly didn't think it would happen in the middle of a global pandemic, something that she now needed to take into account in designing and opening the new space.

The new brewery totals about 5,000 square feet of space, Greenwood says, with lots of outdoor space that will help customers spread out. She also switched some of her initial plans to make to-go sales easier.

"Instead of buying tables and chairs, I bought a bottling line," Greenwood says.

So on July 18, the brewery will be ready for however customers feel safe to visit. Some seating inside along with a spacious beer garden will welcome customers wanting a freshly poured pint and for those looking for to-go orders, take-home options will be available, too.

Details: Greenwood Brewing, 922 N. Fifth Street, Phoenix. greenwoodbrews.com.

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