Utepils Brewing, Silver Award Winner at the World Beer Cup 2023

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

World Beer Cup 2023 Winners! Brewers Association President & CEO Bob Pease presents Eric Harper and Dan Justesen of Utepils Brewing with their Silver Award for Helles

Eric Harper, Utepils' Brewmaster, enjoying a giant pretzel at Oktoberfest in MunichTo win a Silver Medal at the World Beer Cup Competition is a major accomplishment. That’s just what happened for Utepils Brewing this year with their entry in the Helles competition. We talked to Eric Harper, Master Brewer, about Helles beer, his start in the beer brewing business and the brewery taproom offerings at 225 Thomas Ave N (in the Harrison Neighborhood). Keep reading – you also learn a new Norwegian word.

Q:  Congratulations to you and Utepils for winning the silver medal at the World Beer Cup Competition in Nashville earlier this year. Your winning entry was Helles, a Munich-style Helles beer. Could you tell us more about Helles and Munich-style Helles beer?

A:  Munich-style Helles is a pale, golden lager. It's slightly sweeter and fuller bodied than a Pilsner. The style was first created in Munich, Germany in the late 1800's as a response to Czech Pilsner's rising popularity. I'd say it's the beer most commonly associated with the famous beer halls and beer gardens of Bavaria. For our Helles, we import malted barley from a family maltster in Bamberg, Germany, and use just a touch of hops from Germany's Hallertau region to try and create the most authentic version of the style as we can.

A perfectly poured glass of Utepils Brewing's award winning Munich-style HellesQ:  Please tell us about your experience at the competition. Is this your first time competing?

A:  We've entered beers into the competition twice before, but never won. This year there were over 10,000 entries from 51 different countries in the competition. We had to ship our entries back in March. They were then judged by an international panel over multiple days. The awards were announced May 10th in Nashville at the conclusion of the Craft Brewers' Conference, the largest educational brewing conference and tradeshow in the U.S. It was super exciting to be in a giant convention hall, full of brewers, and hear your name get called! I'm extremely proud of my team and the work they put into brewing our beers, and am really happy to share this award with them.

Q:  How may we experience your Helles beer?

A:  Our Helles beer is available at retailers across the state in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans and 12 packs of 12 oz. cans. It's also on draft at a number of local bars and restaurants, and of course is available in our taproom. We have a neat beer finder on the website that will let you search for locations serving our beer, as well as filter results by beer style.

Q:  The beer finder tool is awesome! When and how did your interest in brewing beer come about?

A:  I started home brewing when I was in high school. A friend's parents had all of the equipment, and they thought it would be a fun hobby for us to try out. I kept brewing during college, but really just became more and more interested in the huge variety of beer and breweries that exist. At some point I decided I wanted to pursue a career in beer, so I started taking courses that seemed applicable. After finishing my undergrad degree, I went on to a dedicated brewing program at UC-Davis.

Q:  What does the word Utepils mean?

A:  Utepils is a Norwegian word that translated literally means "outside beer." The Norwegians might use it any time they talk about enjoying a beer outside, but we like to say, "Utepils means the first beer enjoyed outside after a long, dark winter."

Utepils Brewing's inviting taproom, located on the banks of Bassett Creek in Minneapolis

Q:  What do you recommend we try when we visit your taproom?

A:  The Helles, of course, but my other favorite beers are our Czech-style Pils and Ewald the Golden, a Bavarian-style Hefeweizen. If you're looking for something hoppier, Hoppestokk is a dry hopped lager beer that's also really excellent.

Q:  The best of luck with future competitions. How may we follow your news? 

A:  Thanks! Social media is probably the best way to keep up with what's happening at the brewery. We're always posting news and events to Facebook and Instagram. For more general info, and where to find our beers, the website is the best bet.