Hospitality is often associated with the American South. Walk up to a total stranger in the south, as they say, and you will be welcomed like family. Living in the South I can certainly vouch for this tendency but I can also say that hospitality is alive and well in other part of the nation. And one place where hospitality shines is Utepils Brewing, a craft brewery located at 225 Thomas Ave N. in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Velkommen!
Utepils Brewing is a welcoming establishment. The moment you arrive, you are greeted by a large parking lot, practically assuring you that there will be no problem finding a place to park. This is a refreshing change from so many other breweries, many of which require parking a good distance away and often in metered spaces or in paid parking lots. The parking is free at Utepils and that means a no- hassle experience and a short span of time between getting your vehicle situated and walking inside.
The interior of Utepils features a large gathering space with tables and a long bar. Double stacked windows and high ceilings give Utepils a spacious look and feel and the hanging lights are decorative. Artwork on the walls adds to the brewery’s aesthetic appeal.
To keep you entertained while you drink, Utepils supplies board games and a billiard table. There is television, but the number of sets is few. The feeling here is one of camaraderie and unity, with a people- centric atmosphere that makes watching television less important.
Let’s Try Some Brew
When I visited Utepils, I sampled five of the house beers. Here is a list of the beers I tried, in alphabetical order, followed by the style and my Untappd rating for each:
- Alt 1848, Altbier, 3.75
- Copacetic, Kolsch, 3.5
- Ewald the Golden, Hefeweizen, 3.75
- Glocal, IPA, 4
- Pils, Czech Pilsner, 3.75
Overall Average Rating: 3.75
The beers at Utepils tend to focus on German and Eastern European styles and all of them are noteworthy. I liked the Glocal IPA the best, but only by a small margin. All of the beers I tried were interesting and memorable. It really is a matter of personal taste preference as to which one is best.
Takk og kom igjen!
Utepils Brewing is a friendly, hospitable place with fine beers and an extremely cool interior. Utepils, I discovered, is a Norwegian word that means “Outdoor Lager”, “Cold Beer”, etc. Sources I checked have slightly different meaning translations, but beer is the common element in every translation I found and the one that matters most.
I visited Utepils as part of the Great Beer Now Twin Cities Brewery Tour 2017 and I had never heard of this brewery before. I decided to go after talking to a representative from the Minnesota Brewers Guild. I ask her for some recommendations and Utepils Brewing was the one she endorsed most highly. With such a strong voice of confidence from the Minnesota Brewer’s guild, I knew Utepils Brewing would be a good place to visit so I added it to my agenda.
I spent a good deal of time at Utepils talking to personnel and then touring the brewhouse. Unlike other chit- chats I’ve had over the years, this one was more personal. Both members of the Utepils Brewing team sat down and joined me for beer and small talk and I learned a great deal from Director of Operations, Jeff McClure. We discussed Utepils Brewing and its foundation, brewing philosophy, place in the community, etc., along with other bits of craft beer industry trivia.
With the emphasis on German beer, the styles offered at Utepils Brewing lean toward the lighter end of the color spectrum. There are no porters, stouts, brown ales, or other darker brews. No, the beer you find at Utepils invokes the old world, with pilsner, hefeweizen, and altbier taking center stage. I certainly didn’t mind, as I love all beer in all forms. And I don’t think anyone will mind, really, especially when they witness the coolness of the taproom first hand. Sitting right next to actively fermenting beer, you feel a special coziness that other breweries cannot match.
I’ve visiting many breweries in my many years as a beer writer but few have been as warm and welcoming as Utepils Brewing in Minneapolis, MN. Friendly, approachable personnel define the very meaning of hospitality and what it is supposed to represent and they restore your confidence in business/customer relations. Pay a visit to Utepils Brewing the next time you’re in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. And tell them Great Beer Now sent you.
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