Made In Arizona: New Phoenix brewery owned by a woman

PHOENIX - For many, brewing beer is considered a man's job.

According to a 2014 Stanford University study, only 4% of brewmasters are women. In addition, recent studies show many people still think brewing beer is a man's job.

However, a brewery in Phoenix is working to change that perception.

Meet Megan Greenwood: an engineer turned brewer and entrepreneur.

"My goal is to just get beer into the hands of people," said Greenwood, whose Greenwood Brewery just opened in Phoenix.

"There's a few things about the space that I really love. One is we really wanted to have a long wooden bar," said Greenwood.

It's a space Greenwood has been dreaming of for quite a while.

"You can see Roosevelt. You can see down to 7th Street, and then all the way down 5th Street, which is the exact place I wanted to be, was right on 5th Street.

The brewery is built on what women want in a beer, something Greenwood says the beer industry is lacking.

"By doing this, I want to encourage women to get into craft beer," said Greenwood. "I want women to be drinking craft beer, and to consider themselves as a brewer."

Before finding her flagship pale ale, known as "Herstory Brew," Greenwood's story started in her garage, where she became a homebrewer. Now, years later and in the space she built, Greenwood says the whole brewing process really hasn't changed too much.

It's a fully-electric system, where crews will boil the brew, add flavor, and then let it sit for fermentation for about two weeks.

"We always have 8 beers that are fermenting," said Greenwood.

Opening during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic definitely changed some things for Greenwood.

"One largest fear I had on opening day was having a crowd, and normally that's the one hope you have, is having a crowd," said Greenwood.

Greenwood, however, took the challenge head-on.

"Making sure everything is sanitized and everyone has hand sanitizer. That's not a bad thing to do in any situation anyway," said Greenwood.

The space is wide open, mostly outdoors.

"You can bring your dog and sit under the ficus tree, or read a book," said Greenwood.

For those who can't stop by, they can find Greenwood Beers rotating around 75 different Phoenix locations.

Greenwood is determined to find you a beer people can truly enjoy, so they can sit back, crack open a cold one, and appreciate the community they call home.

"We find them a beer here that they do like, and they leave and I'm like, 'you're going to be a beer drinker! We're going to get you to be a beer drinker,'" said Greenwood.

Greenwood Brewing

https://www.greenwoodbrews.com

If you have an idea about a product made in Arizona, you can send an e-mail to madeinarizona@foxtv.com.