Greenwood Brewing Co
The first things you might notice about Megan Greenwood are her sheer exuberance and persistent smile—indeed, she is a woman with many reasons to be joyful. Since moving to Arizona in 2012, she has ditched corporate America and become a homeowner, a business owner, a wife, a mother and—not least of all—an award-winning craft beer brewer.
Greenwood is in good company by joining a select group of female brewers and taproom owners in Phoenix, with her eponymous enterprise housed in an adaptive reuse space in the downtown Roosevelt Row Arts District.
Raised in Iowa, where, she says, “drinking beer is part of the culture,” her transition from industrial engineer to craft brewer was accidental but serendipitous. In 2010, she was the first person to sell and install public electric vehicle charging stations in Boston. She pitched her then-employer to start a renewable energy division; they did so and moved her to Arizona to run it. The mortgage payment for her Chandler home equaled the monthly rent for her 300-square-foot Boston apartment, but Greenwood still felt “house poor” so she found a roommate. He became a good friend and, observing her passion for beer, gifted her a home brewing kit for her birthday in 2014.
“It was a little bit more than a hobby—and I loved it.” So much so, she built a climate-controlled microbrewery in her garage and brewed beer in her every spare minute.
At her day job, working with brands like John Deere and Whirlpool, most of Greenwood’s colleagues and customers were men, and off-site conversations about lead times and pricing took place in bars and restaurants. Even with her love for and knowledge of beer, Greenwood sometimes felt intimidated and “unseen” as a woman enjoying beer.
Greenwood saw an opportunity to be a catalyst for change in the way beer was marketed to women. When she shared her idea to become a commercial brewer with her roommate and a neighbor—both men—they were not enthusiastic. Her parents were not in favor either, perhaps recalling their own challenges as small-business owners operating a chain of local grocery stores in Iowa, and wishing she would stay on the safe, secure corporate track.
Megan Greenwood was undeterred. She looked up the local Pink Boots Society—an organization of female brewers—and it seemed providential they were having a meeting the very next day. Encouraged to attend, her primary goal was to meet someone with excess fermentation capacity. She met the taproom manager for Freak’N Brewing Company in Peoria and learned they had unused fermenters. Soon after, Greenwood began operating as a DBA under their license. By the end of her first year, over 100 local venues were carrying her beer, including Culinary Dropout, Pita Jungle and First Draft Book Bar at Changing Hands. At that point, Greenwood was a veritable one-woman show: contract brewer, kegger, salesperson, marketer and delivery driver, in addition to working her full-time engineering job.
Distribution had been Greenwood’s only goal; she hadn’t envisioned opening a taproom. Enter Changing Hands co-owners Cindy Dach and her husband, Greg, who had a property at Fifth Street and Roosevelt and saw it as an ideal location for a brewery/taproom. They approached Greenwood and she was thrilled.
Although she was already operating successfully, upon sharing her business plan and designs with a potential lender, the loan officer told Greenwood, “That’s adorable, but you need to develop Proof of Concept.” So, she created a 200-person survey dubbed Elegant Beer Drinker, where 80% of women respondents named “good vibes” as the number one criterion when choosing places to go.
“It has to feel good; it has to smell good,” she explains.
Her bright, welcoming taproom does both. It is a charming, inviting setup—the taproom in an expanded 1901 Craftsman home and the brewhouse in an adjacent new build. The taproom feels comfortably elegant, with its alder wood bar, white marble backsplash, dramatic brushed-gold light fixtures and custom-made barstools in forest green leather. They have back supports, they swivel; what’s not to love about a sexy, comfortable chair? A subtle, “green” aroma hangs in the air, thanks to a top-secret herbaceous spray that is part of the cleaning routine.
With funding approved, construction began in late 2018 for a grand opening in March 2020—a month most of us remember as a time the world turned upside down. Deciding the initial design concept was too masculine and not very thoughtful, Greenwood turned to Mackenzie Collier Interiors, which revamped the design in just 10 days.
Greenwood Brewing Co. finally opened in July 2020, initially with “to go” sales, then adding outside seating, until the pandemic began to wane, and guests were welcomed in the taproom.
“One of our brand pillars is empowerment. We have this space; what can we do to elevate women and encourage women? I had a woman in tears because we are putting up her art and she’s never had a show before, never had a gallery take her art before. She was just so excited.”
Greenwood cares deeply about community. In addition to the gallery wall, the brewery hosts Women’s Makers Markets, where local artists and artisans are invited to sell their goods. She recently welcomed a local Girl Scout troop to sell cookies in front of the taproom and promoted sales with a cookie-and-beer pairing; her all-female comedy show sells out every year; trivia and adult spelling bees are regular events. A local cattle farmer picks up her spent grains for feed and delivers hay bales when she needs them for events like Oktoberfest.
Almost a unicorn in the craft brewing world, Greenwood educates me: “Women own fewer than 3% of USA breweries, and fewer than 4% of breweries have a female head brewer.” Last year, she and Head Brewer Kristin Luparello traveled to Boston to compete for a Sam Adams mentorship; Greenwood Brewing was one of just five breweries selected to receive complimentary educational and mentoring services to continue building the brand. Also in 2023, she moved from self-distributing to signing with Hensley and estimates current distribution at more than 200 retailers—most AJs, Whole Foods, Sprouts and Costco locations—and over 200 restaurants. Still, she is poised to grow. Greenwood envisions more taprooms dotted across the Valley and perhaps Tucson and Sedona locations.
On a brisk spring morning, I arrive to find her leading a lively pre-shift meeting—the day’s notes written in purple dry-erase marker on the marble backsplash. Then the entire team pitches in to set up the gardens for service before returning to their respective duties. There is a buzz of excitement when Greenwood learns Milwaukee Stadium/American Family Field has agreed to carry her beer; this honor joins the three trophies Greenwood Brewing scored at the 2023 Arizona Craft Beer Awards, its placement on multiple Valley “best of” lists, and a 2024 Phoenix Business Journal Award for Outstanding Women in Business.
The stage is set: the marble wiped clean, the music switched on. The sun has come out and the taproom’s first customers are two solo men and a couple with two small children. Megan Greenwood may have crafted the brews and ambience to appeal to women, but the “feels good, smells good” vibe draws in everyone, and all are welcome.
A Quartet of Her Favorites
Herstory Pale Ale: It was already on tap at Changing Hands’ First Draft Book Bar when co-owner Cindy Dach told Greenwood of her dream for a brew pub located on a Roosevelt Row lot she and husband, Greg, owned. Greenwood had envisioned distribution only for her craft brews, but was excited at the possibility of her own brick-and-mortar.
First Love Belgian Tripel: One of several beers that evolved from her home brewing adventures; this was her very first. She says, “the super unique yeast creates esters which make for a thicker beer, a creamy mouthfeel and a banana-clove essence.”
Purpose Pilsner: Most hops are sourced from the Northwest, but Greenwood says a true Czech Pilsner can be made only with hops grown in the Czech Republic—in this case, Saaz hops. She sources grains from Proximity Malt, a small Colorado operation that is local, sustainable and non-GMO.
Rosemary American-style Pale Ale: This brew grew from the experimental garden series Greenwood made in the 25-gallon home brewery in her Chandler garage. Basil, thyme, cilantro and lime yielded interesting results, but rosemary was the hands-down favorite. She sources fresh rosemary from various Valley nurseries, most recently Dig It! Gardens.
