A new downtown bar and restaurant aims to bring the best local craft and major-brewed beers together in one place.

World of Beer celebrated the grand opening of its Tucson location Thursday. With more than 500 beers to choose from and a menu that runs the gamut, restaurant management said the idea behind the new location was to target Tucson’s college market and promote the local breweries.

“The first Arizona location opened in Tempe on Mill Avenue, and it’s been a huge hit with the college market and with craft beer fans,” said Jen Pruett, a public relations associate for World of Beer. “So, similar to the ASU target market, obviously Tucson is near the U of A, so we’re definitely looking to be the hotspot for college students.”

If the large selection of beer alone wasn’t enough to get the university community out to the downtown area, World of Beer has offers set aside just for local college students and faculty. World of Beer University offers $2 off select draft beers every Wednesday night for students and faculty at the UA and other colleges who show their school identification, said Justin Kent, the Tucson location’s general manager.

As one of the first World of Beer locations to have a full kitchen, the bar offers a variety of menu items to choose from, including classic bar favorites like grilled cheese and Reuben sandwiches and noshing items, like tater tots and onion rings. Each item includes a suggestion for a beer that might go well with it.

As far as Kent’s concerned, the bar’s location is what will keep people coming in. Situated at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Congress Street, just across from Hotel Congress, World of Beer sees its fair share of midday traffic even during the weekdays.

“We picked this intersection because it’s busy and you have Fourth Avenue down there, so you have the college students. But you also have the eclectic downtown people that are going to come and enjoy the craft beer,” Kent said. “And then we have sports on TV all the time, so we might get the sports enthusiasts.”

Kent added that while the bar is geared toward the 21-and-older crowd, the restaurant is open to all ages until 7 p.m.

Despite World of Beer’s status as a nationwide franchise, restaurant promoters said they were interested in working with the local breweries to sell their products as well.

“More than anything, we want to help promote and showcase those breweries by doing tap takeovers,” Pruett said. “If you’re maybe new to Tucson or to the craft brewery scene in Tucson, maybe World of Beer is a more well-known place where you might come and try a variety of beers from all the local brewing companies.”

Kent said the response has been largely positive since the location held its soft-opening for family and friends of employees Tuesday. The turnout, he said, showed up nearly an hour early.

“We opened at what was supposed to be 8 o’clock, but we had a lot of people showing up at 7:15, so we decided to open early and just wing it,” Kent said. “Everyone did great.”

World of Beer’s Tucson location is at 350 E. Congress Ave., Suite A. The location is open every day from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Follow Kyle Mittan @KyleMittan