Grand Canyon Brewing to expand with new brewhouse & taproom

Grand Canyon Brewing is expanding with the addition of a new 40-barrel brewhouse and tap room just two miles down Route 66 from its current location in Williams.

The tap room (pictured) will have a soft opening Friday and an official grand opening next Thursday, July 28.

The 20,000-square-foot facility is expected be fully functional by November. Moving from a 15-barrel system to a 40-barrel system will increase production to 20,000 barrels of beer by 2018 and 40,000 barrels by 2020.

“With the addition of the new brewery we will be able to double our brewing capacity over the next two years, helping us to meet demand locally while tapping into more global markets,” owner John Peasley says.

Beside Arizona and Nevada, Grand Canyon currently sells its beer in South Korea. With the expansion, the brewery is setting its sights on China, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Australia.

Once the new brewhouse is operating, Peasley plans to sell the current 15-barrel system and replace it with a 7-barrel system for making small-batch and specialty beers, including a ‘‘Shotgun Series’’ of four different seasonal double IPAs.

Grand Canyon’s current offerings include Sunset Amber Ale, Horseshoe Bend Pale Ale, American Pilsner, Black Iron IPA, Expeditions Wheat Ale, and Coffee Bean Stout.