Arkansas Trails Brewing has always been about more than just beer.
The building itself carries a lot of history. Long before it became a brewery, it was home to Garrison Engineering, where ATB owner Adam Jones’ grandfather spent decades machining parts, sketching ideas and building things by hand. It was a working machine shop, but it was also where Adam learned how much thought and care can go into making something well.
That history became part of the foundation for the project.
From the beginning, the goal was never to erase what was there. It was to reshape it into something new while keeping the spirit of the place intact. A building that once housed tools, fabrication, and problem-solving is now becoming a gathering place centered around community, conversation and craft.
One of the cooler moments in the process came with the creation of the “Phase” beer.
Seeing the name show up on the menu was surreal in the best way. Not because it’s about branding or recognition, but because it reflects the relationship between the project, the building and the people behind it. The beer itself references transition and transformation, which is really what this entire project has been about from the start.
Taking an old machine shop with deep personal history and turning it into something people can gather around without losing what made the place meaningful in the first place.
Projects like this don’t happen every day.
They remind you that architecture is not just about creating something new. Sometimes it’s about understanding what’s already there, respecting it and giving it a new life that still feels connected to its past.
Watching Arkansas Trails Brewing take shape has been one of those experiences.
