After a year of delays, Formation Brewing is ready to welcome customers.
Since the brewery's impending arrival was originally announced, “no doubt we ran into quite a few hurdles,” says Corey Dickinson, the vice president of marketing for the Colorado-based parent company, Wilding Brands.
The latest challenge? Someone stripped the copper out of the brewery’s chiller, which is in the alley behind its two-story brewhouse and taproom on Fifth Street just south of Roosevelt Street. That chiller is used to rapidly cool down beer, a necessity in the brewing process.
The other reason for a longer timeline to open, aside from the usual red tape and construction delays, was that the Denver brewery behind Formation was also taking stock of that market. While Formation was under construction, so was a new partnership to unite several Colorado craft beverage companies as Wilding Brands.
A silver lining of having a collective of breweries in your corner means that losing a chiller is one hurdle that Formation can overcome without having to put off its opening. Instead, the team brewed Formation’s initial lineup of beers in Denver and shipped them down to Phoenix. Formation opens its doors with nine beers on tap.
“It’s a bummer, but we’ll get up and brewing here as quickly as possible,” Dickinson says.
What’s on tap at Formation?
The Phoenix brewery’s four signature beers are Desert Racer Pilsner, Sun Crest Peach Ale, Western Winds West Coast IPA and Cloud Drifter Hazy IPA. A saison, pale ale, hazy double IPA, Mexican lager and an Oktoberfest-inspired Marzen round out Formation’s offerings.The Phoenix brewhouse will be run by Sam Townsend, who comes from the award-winning Fort Collins, Colorado, brewery Funkwerks. It's part of Wilding Brands, along with Denver Beer Co., Stem Ciders, Great Divide Brewing Co. and Station 26.
Having this larger group of craft beer veterans "gave us this opportunity to get more people involved (and) create some more unique recipes both on the food and beer side,” Dickinson says.
Case in point, Townsend and the Phoenix brew team have one of the world's 28 Master Cicerones as a resource. Patrick Combs oversees “liquids” at Wilding, including Formation, and has the beer equivalent of a master sommelier distinction. It's the highest and most challenging certification to receive in the beer industry.
Formation will also pour two guest taps from its Wilding family – Stem Ciders Blueberry Lime and Howdy Beer, what Dickinson calls a “no-nonsense American lager.” The bar has a small selection of wine and cocktails, too.
Once the Phoenix brewhouse is up and running, the team is eager to collaborate with other Valley brewers.
“The Phoenix beer scene is so amazingly welcoming,” Dickinson says. “It does kind of remind me of years ago in Denver, and I miss that camaraderie.”
Formation is a hulking 10,000 square foot, two-story space. Its patio, beckoning for cooler days ahead, is packed with picnic tables and black Adirondack chairs clustered around roaring fire pits. That patio seamlessly connects to the interior space through a wall of glass garage doors. Inside, a sunken lounge centers the room, with tables encircling it. From the bar, guests can see the tops of Formation’s 10-barrel brewing system.
Head upstairs and you’ll find even more tables, a dedicated bar and two massive sofa sectionals angled toward big screen TVs. This eagle’s nest is made for game days or private events, Dickinson says.
Formation is crafting more than beer. Its kitchen serves bar snacks, salads, bowls, burgers and sandwiches. Nosh on the Crispy Desert Tanglers, a mix of fried nopales, poblanos and onions, served with a chipotle ranch, or share a platter of smoked pork nachos.
Larger plates include a chopped salad, chorizo-and-smoked-corn bowl or a spicy fried chicken sandwich called El Fuego. The kitchen will also roll out Detroit-style pizzas in the future.
The brewery’s soft launch starts on Friday, with a grand opening slated for Nov. 8. Dickinson says the team is already planning events to make the most of the large space and encourage people to pop by the newest of five breweries all within a short walk along Roosevelt Row.
“I think that there’s such an opportunity for all of us to succeed and continue to create a brewery district where people can bounce around,” he says.
Here’s a look inside Formation Brewing:
The Phoenix taproom is 10,000 square feet, with spots to sit at the bar, tables or in a sunken lounge.
Sara Crocker
Formation Brewing
Now open
925 N. Fifth St.
