USA, AZ: Kitsune Brewing Co. to launch its Phoenix brewhouse on October 7

Three years in the making, Kitsune Brewing Co. will open its brewhouse in north Phoenix on Friday, October 7, the Phoenix New Times reported.

Tyler Smith started planning his brewery in 2019. The following year, he connected with Simple Machine Brewing Co., a fellow north Phoenix craft beer destination, where for about a year and a half, he dialed in recipes and created his core beers. From there, he distributed kegs and cans to tasting rooms and bottle shops around the Valley.

“Every day’s been an adventure, but what’s been so cool about it is we’ve been able to get our beer out into the market,” Smith says.

Now, he can't wait to finally welcome customers into his own brewery.

“I’m excited to pour my own beer for people in my space,” he says.

When Kitsune opens its doors, Smith plans to pour eight of his own taps and four guest taps, including beer from mentor brewery Simple Machine. Those who have gotten their hands on one of Kitsune’s cans will recognize the citrus-forward hazy IPA Forager and Fox Diver, a malty brown with a hint of chocolate.

Walking into the new brewery, there’s a clear attention to detail. The taps are framed in a niche of marbled white quartz against matte black tiles. Bamboo plants dot rich walnut-stained tables, and walls are decorated with bespoke art displaying a geisha and the namesake kitsune – a magical multi-tailed fox of Japanese folklore that can serve as a community’s protector.

More important than the aesthetic, Smith wants people to recognize Kitsune as a space that’s open to everyone. The bar is wheelchair accessible. The brewery offers nonalcoholic beer. And Kitsune’s beer labels will be printed in braille.

“I truly believe everyone is welcome in this space,” says Smith, who represents the only Black-owned brewery currently operating in the state. “We’re trying to show you that beer is for everybody.”

Creating that inviting environment is something Smith learned while working at Nike, he says.

“Nike really brought that mindset to me that you create a cool, inviting space that allows people to experience your vision,” he says.

That job is also what took him to Japan, fostering a love for the culture and the cozy, welcoming ramen joints and bars that inspired Kitsune, which Smith is launching in his former stomping grounds. Before traveling the world, he grew up in north Scottsdale and attended Paradise Valley High School.

“This is my neighborhood, these are my people,” Smith says. “My goal has always been to respect the culture and bring a new perspective to the brewing space.”

That journey began in 2019 when Smith and his family decided to return to Phoenix from Portland. Kitsune was in the works, but stymied by the pandemic.

Smith approached the Simple Machine about brewing Black is Beautiful, a stout created in 2020 by San Antonio-based Weathered Souls Brewing Co. to spark conversations about racial injustice and raise funds for local organizations that support equity and inclusion. The project invited breweries around the country to join in and create their own versions of the beer.

Smith joined the Simple Machine team for the brew day and hit it off with head brewer and owner Marshall Norris.

“He is just outrageous,” Norris says of Smith. “I saw a lot of my ambitions in him.”

Smith is also the first to admit he still had a lot to learn. So, he asked if he could bring in two tanks and brew out of Simple Machine.

“He’s very creative as a brewer and he’s got a lot of good ideas,” Norris says. “He took what I had to teach him and he’s expanded on it in his own way.”

The brewery is just the start for Kitsune. Smith plans to launch an adjoining ramen shop in the suite next door around this time next year. He hopes to host pop-up ramen nights in the meantime.

“(Smith) definitely gave me an appreciation for ramen,” Norris says, sharing his own anticipation for the addition of the ramen shop. “I cannot wait for that to happen.”

On Friday, Chilte, a local food truck favorite with an anticipated brick-and-mortar of its own, will host a pop-up, serving birria tacos from 4 to 7 p.m.

The addition of more breweries in north Phoenix is important to the budding craft scene in the area, Norris says.

“It makes a destination.”

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