Newly opened Kitsune Brewing Co. is a passion project turned into a dream job

Kitsune Brewing Co. was founded last year in October near Bell Road and 32nd Street. Tyler Smith and his wife, Rebecca, followed his dream and now develop craft beers to locals in the Valley.

A friend introduced Smith to home brewing and he’s being doing it for the past 15 years. Throughout his life, he’s had corporate jobs at companies like Nike and PetSmart.

"Right before I was about to take another job and move my family, my wife asked me if that would really make me happy or if I wanted to take my home brewing to the next level,” says Smith.

Provided to ABC15 by Kitsune Brewing Co.

Unfortunately, COVID hit when they chose to run their own brewery. But luckily, Smith found Marshall Norris of Simple Machine Brewing Company, who allowed him to use the space for his brewery. Over a year later, Smith opened Kitsune Brewing Co. with his wife on October 7th, 2022.

The brewery is inspired by Japanese culture and many of the names and imagery pay homage to it. The company currently has approximately 15 craft brews on tap. Smith is dedicated to creating unique brews that people will come back for. For instance, Smith developed a beer in gray appearance called “Dirty Snowflake.”

Provided to ABC15 by Kitsune Brewing Co.

Kitsune Brewing Co. also engages with the community and has numerous events at their location. Such events include trivia nights on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., food trucks outside for guests, collaborations with other breweries, bingo every Thursday and happy hour from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

Smith hopes to distribute his brews at local bottle shops and open a ramen shop next door in the future. “Hopefully, we will be successful enough to need more space,” he says about their future growth.

A special deal for Barrett Jackson and WM Phoenix Open attendees will be featured at Kitsune. Anyone who shows their day-of ticket stub or wristband can receive $1 off one pint of their choice.