It seems just about every area of town has a brewery these days. There's SanTan in Chandler, Four Peaks in Tempe, Arizona Wilderness Brewing in Gilbert, and, by the end of summer, Mother Bunch Brewing in downtown Phoenix. For beer fanatics, it's about time.
The new microbrewery comes courtesy of Julie Meeker, a self proclaimed "serious beer nerd" who will also be serving as the brewery's assistant brewer. She'll be working with head brewer William Hampton to bring craft beer to Roosevelt Row.
See also: 10 Best Breweries in Metro Phoenix
Mother Bunch, named after a character in a book about 15th and 16th century alewives, will offer 20 tap handles with about eight to ten featuring the brewery's own creations. The other dozen or so will focus of local brews not readily available in Phoenix -- Meeker is looking to get brews from Tucson, for example.
Meeker, an avid homebrewer, and Hampton have been collaborating on recipes since about October and have a few working recipes already. There's a smoked cherry porter to look forward to, a collaboration between Mother Bunch and O.H.S.O. nanoBrewery, as well as an IPA, single hop pale ale, and seasonal saisons. Last Christmas Meeker tried out a saison with Chinese five spice.
On the food side look for contemporary pub food with a slight French twist. The restaurant and bar will offer both a traditional bar and a chefs counter with seats for about a half dozen people.
Mother Bunch will be located at 825 N. 7th Street, in the historic J.B. Bayless building. The brewery has been under construction since February and Meeker says they'll be open by the end of summer.
For more information and updates on the progress, check the Mother Bunch Brewing Facebook page and Twitter.