EP-421 Kevin and Britt Templin of Templin Family Brewing
Brewing is famously a science and an art. There are loads of technical aspects a skilled brewer should nail down to create something special, but there\u2019s also a point where you just have to give up some autonomy. Or, at least accept it\u2019s OK to play a little for some R&D. One of the most important things people in American craft beer have learned in recent years is how this also applies to their customers. A diverse menu that may expand beyond just beer is becoming table stakes and creativity in what kind of styles and flavor experiences you offer\u2014in or outside of beer\u2014can matter more than ever. You can control your taplist, but you also have to be flexible to what you hear and learn from people sitting at your bar.
In this episode, we explore this idea and what it means to grow a business and expectations with Kevin and Britt Templin of Salt Lake City, Utah\u2019s Templin Family Brewing, also known simply as TF Brewing. Since opening in 2018, TF Brewing has become known for its lager program, including its award-winning flagship, Granary kellerbier. The brewery has also earned recognition at the World Beer Cup, where in 2024 it won gold medals for its coconut-guava berliner weisse and Squirrel Juicy IPA. There are other medals from the Great American Beer Festival and WBC, but that hasn\u2019t stopped Britt, Kevin, and their team from expanding their menu and listening to what customers are telling them they\u2019re interested in drinking. The science of their beers has been stellar and the art of refining what that means for drinkers continues to evolve.
You\u2019ll hear us talk about what it takes to feel OK about making these changes\u2014which for TF Brewing has included a new wine program and successful cocktail menu\u2014along with what it means to be a growing brewery in 2024. The value the Templins place on their staff and how those people help the brewery succeed is high. By the time this conversation wraps, you\u2019ll have an understanding of how \u201cfamily\u201d isn\u2019t just in the name of the business, but how they want to make people feel. Even in that, there\u2019s a science to running a brewery that\u2019s a business, but an art to creating a space that promotes imagination, community, and closeness.
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