I know what you're thinking. What's a Utepils, and how do you pronounce it? Well, Utepils (pronounced ooh-ta-pilz) is a Norwegian word that means "outdoor lager." It's also the name of a brewery in an industrial section in the western part of Minneapolis. Utepils opened in early 2017, and despite the Norwegian name, brews up a lot of German style beers.
Atmosphere- Utepils classifies their taproom as a "fernweh," or the feeling you get when you're walking in to a place you've never been before, but to us, the inside had the feeling of a ski chalet. It was very open. It actually looked bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside.
The Beer-We decided to try a flight of their flagship beers this time, and then sample a couple of others after.
Pils-Czech Style Pilsner 5.0 % ABV, 37 IBU
Sami: It had a good mouth feel. It was smooth and hoppy.
Will: This was a good start. This is a very good, easy drinking beer.
Coapcetic-Kolsch Style 4.9% ABV 25 IBU
Sami: It wasn't the best Kolsch I've had. To me, it was a little too dry, and not as smooth as other Kolsches I've had.
Will: It was a tick on the dry side to me, but I still enjoyed drinking it.
Ewald the Golden-Bavarian Style Hefeweizen 5.2% ABV 14 IBU
Sami: There was something little funky to me. I thought the taste would grow on me, but it didn't.
Will: It smelled good on the front end, but it didn't match up on the back end. The taste was just ok.
Glocal IPA-Belgian Style Ale 6.5 ABV, 64 IBU
Sami: It was very hoppy. It reminded me of a West Coast IPA, because it was in your face.
Will: Some IPA's can hide the IBU. This one didn't. It was in your face. It wasn't too bad.
Alt 1848-Dusseldorf Style Altbier 5.4 ABV, 50 IBU
Sami: It was too malty and too bitter for me. I didn't enjoy this one too much.
Will: Definitely pretty malty, but I enjoyed drinking this one.
Ewald the Wildman-Dry Hopped Hefeweizen 5.6%ABV, 43 IBU
Sami: I really enjoyed this one. I can definitely taste the banana in it. This was pretty dank and hazy.
Will: I was surprised with this one. I think the extra level of hoppiness in this made it taste better.
Ewakd the Brilliant-Krystallweizen 5.2 ABV 14 IBU
Sami: What can I say about this beer? It was brilliant. It was clean, with a great mouth feel, and very easily drinkable.
Will: She stole my joke. It was brilliant. I could definitely have more than one of these.
Ewald the Dark- Dunkelweizen 5.2% ABV, 14 IBU
Sami: I was really surprised by it. Even though it was dark, it didn't taste dark. It was delicious.
Will: I liked this one too. It was pretty smooth, and easily drinkable.
The Rankings
Sami Will
1. Pils Copacetic
2. Ewald the Brilliant Pils
3. Ewald the Dark Ewald the Wildman
4. Ewald the Wildman Ewald the Brilliant
5. Copacetic Ewald the Dark
6. Ewald the Golden Alt 1848
7. Glocal IPA Glocal IPA
8. Alt 1848 Ewald the Golden
The Verdict-The location is good, as it's not in a very busy area. If you're looking for a place that focuses a lot on a different variety of beers, then Utepils would be a great place to go, because even though a lot of beers are Hefeweizens, they are all different, so they have a different kind of beer for everybody.