100-year-old building transforms into new craft beer destination in metro Phoenix
Simple Machine Brewing Co. was first opened in north Phoenix in November 2019 by Marshall Norris and Matt Wright, inspiring a handful of other breweries to join them in the Deer Valley area. Now, the brewery's second location is set to open in April next to Haus Murphy's in historic downtown Glendale. This time, Norris is joined by co-owner Frank Trotti.
When opening the first Simple Machine location, Norris said he started looking in areas that didn't have similar businesses, with the hopes of fulfilling the need for breweries in the northwest Valley. After a few years doing just that at their 7th Avenue and Deer Valley Road location, the pair decided to expand the business to downtown Glendale for the same reason.
The new taproom is housed in a historic building in downtown Glendale and is set to open in late April.
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From barrels in a spare bedroom to his own brewery
Norris began brewing beer at home as a hobby while he worked full-time in a corporate office job. But he said he eventually got burnt out and decided to pursue his true passion, which was beer.
"Six weeks paid vacation was awesome, car stipend, company credit card, all the good stuff. But I hated it," Norris said.
He had a dedicated room in his house for making beer and had three chest freezers: one for ale fermentation, one for water and one for serving.
Norris said he found a brewery that would let him volunteer unpaid and started using his vacation days provided by his main job to volunteer there and gain professional experience. Finally, he was offered a full-time position making beer.
"I took the job. And I've never looked back," Norris said.
From there he continued to work in the beer industry, taking jobs in sales and then canning and packaging before he returned to full-time brewing.
"I know a lot of people that were able to just jump in and open a brewery and they've been doing just fine. I didn't think I was one of those people. I wanted the experience," Norris said.
Trotti met Norris through a mutual friend and immediately knew that he had a serious talent for beer.
"I heard (Norris) was going to get his own place, and I got ahold of him and said 'I'm in'," Trotti said.
Finding the perfect home for the second Simple Machine location
The Glendale space was once home to another bar, but the building was condemned a few years ago after a car drove through it and caused part of the structure to collapse, Trotti said. Rather than tear it down, Norris and Trotti undertook a massive construction effort to salvage the building.
"We've always liked older buildings. So when we walked in and saw, like all the red brick, this building has character, and that's important for us. And (the area) is also super hyperlocal," Norris said.
Norris and Trotti kept most of the building's appearance the same, mostly fixing the damaged areas and making minor upgrades to the bathroom. The bar counter is the same one that was used by the building's previous bar occupant, Room 11, and before that, by Olde Towne Glendale Wine and Beer Bar. The building is over 100 years old and was once home to the Gaslight Inn hotel.
"The building means a lot to downtown, means a lot to the city. The landlords bought it because they wanted to bring it back to life, not because they wanted to tear it down and make it something new, which I've always appreciated," Norris said.
With construction behind them, the taproom is ready to open.
What's on the menu at Simple Machine Brewing Co. in Glendale?
Trotti and Norris aim to have "something for everyone, all the time," Norris told The Republic. That means carrying light and dark beers, sours, lagers, fruit beers and more inside the small taproom.
The bar will have 15 rotating beers on tap as well as plenty of canned beer. Norris is also excited to sell canned wine-based cocktails for the first time at Simple Machine.
The Glendale taproom will serve beers brewed at the North Phoenix location and Simple Machine often does special collaboration beers with community organizations and charities, such as their 13th Essential Pale Ale, which benefits the Mountain Rescue Association.
"(Norris) is an awesome brewer," Trotti said.
The bar will not serve food, but they recommend getting dinner from one of the dozens of nearby restaurants in downtown Glendale and then stopping by Simple Machine for beer and entertainment.
By the end of the summer, the taproom plans to expand to include a small venue for live music inside the bar. Norris said most shows will be free to attend and they will pay all performing artists.
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Visit Simple Machine Brewing Co. in Glendale
Simple Machine is expected to open in Glendale by late April. The new taproom is located next to Haus Murphy's at the intersection of 58th and Glendale Avenues.
Details: 5745 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale. simplemachinebrewing.com.
Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Simple Machine Brewery is opening a bar in Glendale. What to expect
