The building that will house Screwbean Brewing was previously a furniture store and originally at Chinese Market.

 Rick Wiley, Arizona Daily Star

A new brewery is expected to open this fall in what was once a Chinese-run market, just south of the University of Arizona.

Screwbean Brewing is working its way through the permitting process but owner Matthew Taylor hopes to have it up and running by October at 103 N. Park Ave.

The address has been home to many businesses over the years, including the Lim You Market, which served the community from that location for several decades starting in the late 1920s, according to Star archives.

The name Screwbean comes from the screwbean mesquite tree, one of the species of mesquite trees native to the Sonoran desert.

The brewery will be running a seven-barrel brewhouse with six to 10 beers on tap at any given time.

The owners ofΒ Screwbean BrewingΒ are planning for patio dining in front of the building on Park Avenue.

The taproom will also double as a cafe space, with a full coffee and espresso menu in the mornings.

β€œWe hope to be a real local kind of gathering place during the day, as well as in the evenings,” Taylor said.

Taylor, a native Tucsonan, was working as a math teacher at Sky Islands Public High School when he decided on his new career path two years ago, not long after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

β€œPandemic teaching was very difficult,” Taylor said. β€œTeaching virtually was just no fun for anyone.”

An avid homebrewer, Taylor sought to take his passion to the next level. He hired a couple of brewing consultants and began looking for a property.

After an exhaustive search, he found himself at 103 N. Park Ave., which most recently served as the Good Eye Living furniture and home goods shop.

β€œWe were actually almost about to sign a lease at another location when this space came on the market,” Taylor said. β€œIt is a beautiful building in an underutilized area.”

The add-on structure (once a student apartment) behind Screwbean Brewing, 103 N. Park Ave., will become the brewery operation.

Taylor said the brewery will run the gamut when it comes to beer options.

β€œI really like easy drinking beers,” he said. β€œWe’ll have lots of lagers and Pilsners and blonde ales; IPAs, Hazy IPAs, stouts, ambers.”

Pre-packaged snacks will also be available.

The non-load bearing walls will be demolished to make way for brewery tanks and operation.

This will be the first brewery to launch since MotoSonora Brewing Company, 1015 S. Park Ave., opened its doors in the spring of 2020.

Taylor would like to see Screwbean Brewing eventually become a go-to spot for the community.

β€œWe hope to have strong neighborhood support,” he said. β€œThat is a big part of it.”

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