Brutus on Brewpubs - Utepils
I had spent all week writing historic contexts for Golden Valley, and needed to get out and drive around the area a little to place things.
Brutus needed to get out of the house.
I had never been to Utepils but love that the name itself is apparently a Norwegian word that encapsulates "the longing and anticipation for the first beer enjoyed in the sunshine." And they have a newly expanded beer garden so I knew there would be good outdoor space.
They prefer that you reserve in advance online, but they could not guarantee we would have an outdoor space if we did that (which is a non-starter for me right now, I won't be inside, and besides they don't allow dogs indoors). They said they would take walk-ups if there was room, and were "under capacity." So we headed over.
The seating was not well organized. There was supposed to be a check-in spot at the door, but it was not staffed, so Patrick had to check in with the bartender inside while I waited with Brutus. He got 2 tickets for beers (you buy a 90 minute slot with one drink ticket for $6 each), and then we were sent back to find out own spot. There was no minimum charge, which was also nice. There was no attempt at contact tracing.
We did find a nice table in a sideless tent, nicely spaced from others. Each seating area (both tables and adirondack chair areas) was nicely distanced, and there was an open-air outside place to get beer with social distance markers for the line and a menu board so you didn't need to have individual menus. The sign said "ask for a disposable cup if you prefer one," but disposable was the only option (which was fine). A peek into the beer hall showed it was very attractive, and there were several people sitting inside. There was a food truck that you could walk to in the front lot, which was inexplicably shooting off firecrackers though it was still daytime. Staff members kind of lackadaisically cleaned seating areas between patrons.
The whole outdoor setting was lovely, and the beer was delicious. There were shaded areas under the trees, a lovely fire pit, seats overlooking the creek, and a tented area where we were. Brutus, however, gave it low marks for a distinct lack of cookies.
I think in general we gave it a 3 out of 5. Brutus for the lack of cookies, though he liked the atmosphere. Me for the lack of good COVID-19 controls, though I also loved the atmosphere. I'll go back, but maybe hit other places first.
Brutus needed to get out of the house.
I had never been to Utepils but love that the name itself is apparently a Norwegian word that encapsulates "the longing and anticipation for the first beer enjoyed in the sunshine." And they have a newly expanded beer garden so I knew there would be good outdoor space.
They prefer that you reserve in advance online, but they could not guarantee we would have an outdoor space if we did that (which is a non-starter for me right now, I won't be inside, and besides they don't allow dogs indoors). They said they would take walk-ups if there was room, and were "under capacity." So we headed over.
The seating was not well organized. There was supposed to be a check-in spot at the door, but it was not staffed, so Patrick had to check in with the bartender inside while I waited with Brutus. He got 2 tickets for beers (you buy a 90 minute slot with one drink ticket for $6 each), and then we were sent back to find out own spot. There was no minimum charge, which was also nice. There was no attempt at contact tracing.
We did find a nice table in a sideless tent, nicely spaced from others. Each seating area (both tables and adirondack chair areas) was nicely distanced, and there was an open-air outside place to get beer with social distance markers for the line and a menu board so you didn't need to have individual menus. The sign said "ask for a disposable cup if you prefer one," but disposable was the only option (which was fine). A peek into the beer hall showed it was very attractive, and there were several people sitting inside. There was a food truck that you could walk to in the front lot, which was inexplicably shooting off firecrackers though it was still daytime. Staff members kind of lackadaisically cleaned seating areas between patrons.
The whole outdoor setting was lovely, and the beer was delicious. There were shaded areas under the trees, a lovely fire pit, seats overlooking the creek, and a tented area where we were. Brutus, however, gave it low marks for a distinct lack of cookies.
I think in general we gave it a 3 out of 5. Brutus for the lack of cookies, though he liked the atmosphere. Me for the lack of good COVID-19 controls, though I also loved the atmosphere. I'll go back, but maybe hit other places first.
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