New, large brewery set to open in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - It’s been a long winter (at least Minnesotans like to say that). But warm sunshine will return, along with the opportunity to enjoy an outdoor beer. It’s a concept with a name — and brewery: Utepils.

Utepils is the latest brewery, and taproom, to enter the Twin Cities craft beer scene. The 18,000-square foot facility sits along Bassett’s Creek, near Theodore Wirth Regional Park, in western Minneapolis. It will soon have an 11,000-square foot beer garden, too.

“Utepils is the anticipation and longing for the first beer enjoyed in the sunshine with friends after a long, cold, dark winter. Norwegians came up with it. We all know the feeling,” said Dan Justesen, the founder of Utepils.

There are 105 craft breweries in Minnesota; that’s five gallons of beer for every drinking-aged adult, according to the Brewers Association. Justesen believes there’s plenty of room for more.

“What’s normal for human beings for 8,000 years is that we love flavorful products, we love good beer, we love good food. That’s what’s normal. So we’re just recovering from a weird period of time in history,” Justesen told Fox 9.

Justesen’s brewery features classic Europen-style beers, brewed in tanks imported from Europe, on tile from Europe. In all, the equipment comprises the sixth largest barrel system in the state.

“I hope we offer something that’s classic in terms of the styles we offer. We want the bright, blonde beers, which we think is a great beer you can have a story over,” Justesen said.

“I always tell people. We don’t sell beer. We sell fun. We sell an experience,” Justesen told Fox 9. “My whole goal is that stories are happening. And nobody is talking about the beer, other than saying, ‘that’s awesome. I’d like another one'.”

The grand opening for Utipils is Feb. 18. The beer will soon be found in bars and stores.