24 Aug 28th-Sept 3rd, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Craft Capacity Powerhouse Phoenix breweries merge to form new beverage company. BY SARA CROCKER T wo of the Valley’s most notable craft breweries have joined forces. Huss Brewing Co. and PHX Beer Co. announced their merger on Aug. 13. The team-up pairs Huss, the state’s second-largest craft brewery, with the 12th largest, based on barrel production esti- mates compiled by the Phoenix Business Journal. The two brewers have united under a new parent company called Zonafide Beverages, LLC, which has a projected annual production of nearly 30,000 barrels. Leah Huss, who launched her epony- mous Tempe brewery with her husband Jeff in 2013, says the timing was right for this merger. “We’ve always been open to change and partnerships,” she says. “I think that also is the nature of this industry, is that people are willing to work together, want to work together.” The beers and their brands – Huss Brewing, Papago Brewing Co., PHX Beer Co., Sonoran Brewing Co. and Chestnut Sports Club – will retain their independent identities. Under the partnership, all brewing will move to Huss’ Tempe facility, with Jeff Huss overseeing production as brewmaster. With that consolidation of facilities, PHX Beer Co. has closed its downtown Phoenix location on 30th and Washington streets. The taproom and brewhouse poured its last pints on Friday, says Steve Robbins, the brewery’s president. The other locations of Huss and PHX Beer Co. remain open. Huss has taprooms in downtown Phoenix and at its brewery in Tempe. Huss is also Arizona State University’s official craft beer for the 2025-26 season “and beyond,” and will debut a bar called Huss Hideout at Mountain America Stadium for the Sun Devils’ fall football season. PHX Beer Co. has a restaurant in Scottsdale and an outpost in Terminal 3 of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The airport is already a place where customers can likewise find Huss beer on tap, Robbins says. Visitors to Huss and PHX Beer Co. locations going forward can expect to see more of these brands featured at their respective bars and restaurants. Under Zonafide, Robbins will serve as president and CEO. With the Tempe facility’s large brewing capacity, Huss and Robbins say the team can explore other beverage options, such as expanding Sonoran’s sodas beyond root beer or exploring nonalcoholic options. “There’s a saying out there that goes, adapt or die. Like, we’re literally there,” Robbins says. “Craft beer has been there since it started. You can’t just sit on your hands and hope everything is going to be OK tomorrow. You have to work really, really hard.” PHX Beer Co. and Huss Brewing Co. have combined forces to create Zonafide Beverages, LLC. (PHX Beer Co.) >> p 26 ▼ Food & Drink
