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Iron John’s Brewing to reopen its downtown taproom & reveals updates about its Broadway location

The Julio Rye IPA (Photo credit: Jackie Tran)

Iron John’s Brewing to reopen its downtown taproom & reveals updates about its Broadway location

Jan 28, 20222 min read

Over the past few years, the brewery has been making moves since it opened up its original location on Plumer Avenue. The team moved into a new downtown taproom in 2018, opened up another spot inside the Maracana Indoor Sports Complex, and now they’re renovating the former Monkey Burger spot on Broadway.

Julio Rye IPA at Iron John's Brewing Company Congress Tasting Room (Credit: Jackie Tran)
Julio Rye IPA at Iron John’s Brewing Company Congress Tasting Room (Credit: Jackie Tran)
Thirst things — I mean — first things first

Iron John’s Brewing Company has had its downtown taproom at 222 E. Congress St. temporarily closed for more than a year. The brewery recently announced that it’s reopening that location at 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 10.

The space at 222 E. Congress St. previously housed Tucson Olive Central. Outlets and Wi-Fi are available for customers to get comfy and hang out with their beer, and they’ll have at least seven beverages on tap.

Iron John's Brewing Company Congress Tasting Room (Photo courtesy of Iron John's Brewing Company on Facebook)
Iron John’s Brewing Company Congress Tasting Room (Photo courtesy of Iron John’s Brewing Company on Facebook)

The new hours of operation will be 5 p.m. – midnight Thursday – Saturday, 1 – 6 p.m. on Sunday, and closed Monday – Wednesday.

Burgers and beers on Broadway

A couple of years ago, right before the pandemic struck, the team behind Iron John’s joined forces with Monkey Burger, and then made plans to absorb the burger joint. Iron John’s Taproom and Kitchen will be the new name and is located over at 5350 E. Broadway Blvd. #128.

Iron John's Brewing Company
Iron John’s Brewing Company’s taproom & restaurant rendering (Photo courtesy of Iron John’s Brewing Company)

Things are finally coming to fruition now. Iron John’s recently shared photos of the interior of Monkey Burger gettin’ gutted out — announcing that they’re aiming to be finished by summer of 2022.

Iron John’s shared the following update on Facebook:

“The transformation from Monkey Burger to Iron John’s Taproom and Kitchen is currently underway. Not shockingly, we have experienced several supply chain-related delays since the demo began.”

Therefore, the Monkey Burger site on Broadway will become another Iron John’s restaurant and taproom, which already has a full kitchen. The plan is a new and improved menu, beyond what Monkey Burger had. They’re interested in adding pizza to the menu and getting a delivery system set up.

So, there you have it. That’s the latest on Iron John’s Brewing Company and what you can expect in the coming days and months. In the meantime, stop by the taproom in the 28,000 square-foot building on 18th Street.

Beer pour at Iron John's Brewing Company (Credit: Jackie Tran)
Beer pour at Iron John’s Brewing Company (Credit: Jackie Tran)

Iron John’s Brewing Company 18th is located at 555 E. 18th St., Iron John’s Brewing Company Downtown is located at 222 E. Congress St. (opening on Thursday, February 10), and Iron John’s Taproom and Kitchen will be opening in summer 2022 at  5350 E. Broadway Blvd. #128. 

For more information, visit ironjohnsbrewing.com or follow Iron John’s Brewery on Instagram.

Article written by:

Matt Sterner

Matt Sterner

More about Matt

At a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.

He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.

If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.

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