Tempe’s Four Peaks Brewery selected a site in south Tempe for a new brewery to handle the demand for its signature beers like Kilt Lifter and 8th Street Pale Ale.
The 56,000 square foot facility will allow Four Peaks to brew an additional 40,000 barrels of beer, or more than 1.2 million gallons per year, Four Peaks co-owner Jim Scussel said. It will be located near Broadway Road and Hardy Drive and is expected to open next summer.
Scussel said there were two options for expanding: renovate a historic building like the current location or build a new facility. Scussel and co-owner Andy Ingram chose the latter.
“We just don’t think we can recreate the magic that Four Peaks has on 8th Street,” Scussel said.
While the new facility will be mainly for brewing, there will also be a tasting room and a small bar, he said.
The new facility will take on the brewing of the pub’s most popular beers, Scussel said. The 8th Street location will focus on seasonal beers and allow the brewers to be a bit more creative.
The Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter is a seasonal beer Scussel said he gets asked about all the time.
“We kind of built a monster with that,” he said. “The new buzz about it is tremendous.”
Besides seasonal selections, aging beer in oak barrels is another way Four Peaks offers its customers variety.
Political science senior Steven Haynes said he tries to make his way to Four Peaks at least once a week. Haynes is drawn by the location and the atmosphere of the 8th Street building.
His favorite Four Peaks beer is their India pale ale, a regular Four Peaks offering.
“If you’re looking for more of a taste, they have an oatmeal beer that’s really good,” Haynes said.
Political science junior Leiki Sharfner is a local bartender and enjoys supporting local breweries like Four Peaks. She has yet to try the seasonal Pumpkin Porter since the regularly offered Peach Ale is her favorite.
Sharfner also enjoys the higher alcohol content of Four Peaks’ beers like Kilt Lifter, which is 6.0 percent alcohol by volume.
“It doesn’t take quite as many to get where you want to be,” she said.
Reach the reporter at ryan.mccullough@asu.edu
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