Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Justesen.
Hi Dan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Having been a part of the MN brewing scene since 2004, I saw the coming growth of the craft beer market in MN and thought why not? So in 2014, I sold my previous small brewery and gathered a team of industry professionals, raised investor funds, and found the amazing site Utepils Brewing now occupies.
I knew enough about brewing that I understood I needed a passionate highly skilled brewer to produce the European style lagers and ales that I felt were missing from the choices in Minnesota. It was important also to find just the right place to draw patrons from across the metro to enjoy the beer, the ambiance of the our creekside brewery Beer Garden surrounded on all sides by Minneapolis Parks.
Working with our brewer, Eric Harper and my wife Deb makes this truly a family operation.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Building a brewery is a complex task; we are manufacturing, retail, and distribution all in a small company.
From the beginning we had what we refer to as the big challenges as Dramas. Such as finding out the railroad wanted to run 2 mile long trains over our driveway and past our Beer Garden became Drama #3. I’m not quite sure what number Drama was finding out the soils beneath our facility were too soft to hold our equipment and we had to spend $200k to add piles underneath.
COVID of course was a massive challenge to keep Utepils alive. Only via the all out efforts of team and taking on more debt were we able to stay open, bring back our full staff, and expand since then.
As drinking habits change, we also have to adapt. While we always created events and programming to draw in customers beyond the local neighborhood, today it is even more of a strategy. We’ve also embraced the legalization of hemp based beverages with our line of Bandwagon Sparkling Waters. Draw from our artesian well, they provide the buzz without any sugar, salt, or caffeine. Additionally we produce product for other brands.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Utepils Brewing, recently ranked as the 13th largest in MN, is focused on crafting traditional, authentic lager & ale styles created in Europe. We felt styles that thrived in a billion person test market for hundreds of years had something “just right” We could brew them fresh here in MN because beer is best when its fresh.
We invested in high quality custom designed equipment to produce those styles to perfection. Our location is right on the banks of Bassett Creek on the edge of downtown Minneapolis yet surrounded by Minneapolis Parks. Those parks and the cycling trails bring sports enthusiasts from across the metro to enjoy the unique features and our beer as they laugh with friends over stories of their adventures.
Our beers cover a broad range of styles from Bavaria, Czech Republic, Ireland, and Belgium with an occasional release tied to France of Italy. Of course, we also brew hoppy American styles as we’re in Minnesota. Recently we’ve expanded with our Bandwagon Sparkling Waters created from hemp and producing products for other clients.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My happiness comes from seeing the smiles on our customers and the pride our staff displays in their work & interactions with those customers. I always say that “we brew beer but we sell experiences.” That is easiest to see in our Taproom yet its true of the beer they enjoy out “in the wild” as we call it. If you offer your guests an Utepils and they smile, you smile too inside.
It is also thrilling to see our brewing team win awards from the World Beer Cup to Brewers Assn (USA) to eight awards in the MN Brewers Cup. And, I love reading reviews sharing how much they love our staff.
You’ll find Deb and I dancing at the big concerts we throw a few times each summer; Live at Utepils with nationally touring acts on eight sold out shows in a row.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.utepilsbrewing.com
- Instagram: utepilsbrewing.com
- Facebook: UtepilsBrewing
- Twitter: UtepilsBrewing
- Youtube: UtepilsBrewing
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/utepils-brewing-minneapolis-2?osq=Utepils+Brewing
- Other: Threads: UtepilsBrewing Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/utepilsbrewing.com Untappd: https://untappd.com/UtepilsBrewing
