Level Crossing Brewing Company
Address: 2496 South West Temple Street
550 South 300 West, Suite 100
Telephone: 385-270-5752 (South Salt Lake)
385-295-4090 (Downtown)
Website: levelcrossingbrewing.com
District: South Salt Lake (see map)
Downtown
There’s never a day I walk into the brewery and do not smile - no matter what’s going on in life, when I walk through those doors, I light up,” beamed Mark Medura, owner of Level Crossing Brewing Company.
Mark was born in northeast Pennsylvania and raised in a family that valued both hard work and creativity. His father, a dentist, was self-employed, and Mark remembers watching him shovel snowy sidewalks early in the morning, don a suit, and head off to drill teeth. That work ethic left a lasting impression. But Mark’s own path would take a different form - one rooted in community, music, beer, and a relentless desire to create something meaningful.
Mark moved to Utah in 2003, drawn by the mountains - where his older brother had chosen to reside - and the pull of a slower, richer life. “It was the West, the open space, quality of life - I just knew I needed a change.” At the time, he was managing dental offices, but he laughs now at the thought: “I don’t miss that. Not one bit.”
The real turning point came when he landed a job at High West Distillery in Park City as a founding employee. It was there that he fell in love with the beverage industry and caught what he calls the “entrepreneurial bug.” Over the years, he helped grow High West from nothing to a $30 million revenue company. When it sold in 2016, Mark found himself at a crossroads. But instead of hesitation, he felt clarity. “I always knew I wanted to work for myself. I’d been passionate about beer, hospitality, entertaining - just being around people. This was it.”
Mark spent the next year traveling to a variety of cities including Portland, San Diego, Denver, and back to Philly, visiting breweries, asking questions, listening to stories, and soaking up as much wisdom as he could. Even strangers in the brewing world were eager to share what they had learned - walking him through their setups, going out to dinner, telling him what they would have done differently. That experience only deepened his conviction.
By early 2017, Mark was formally laying the groundwork for what would become Level Crossing. His vision was clear: this would not just be a brewery. It would be a gathering space, a place that felt deeply personal and thoughtfully designed. “I knew I didn’t want just a production facility. I wanted a taproom, a full hospitality experience, and a space that reflected the stories behind everything we made.”
It took about a year to find the right building. Mark visited dozens of properties, searching for something with the right square footage and, crucially, the right ceiling height for the brewing tanks. Then one Friday night, a listing popped up on LoopNet. He texted his real estate agent immediately and had the building under contract by Monday. “I knew if I didn’t act fast, I’d lose it. And I almost did.”
The structure had once been an HVAC supply warehouse, full of metal parts, duct elbows, and hidden corners. Mark and his crew hauled most of it to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore. “I wanted it to go to something useful, not just a landfill.”
Construction began in March of 2018. As Mark stood alone in the cold, empty space, piles of dirt around him and the floor trenched out, the reality hit. “There was no turning back. It was all in.”
Mark personally designed the entire layout - the walls, the furniture, the flow of the space. Alongside a close friend, he built the bar tops, the windows, and the furniture. “It was a labor of love,” Valerie Gale, his partner, added. “He is in every detail of this place.” Even much of the artwork and photography on the walls comes from Mark’s own personal collection. “These pieces have followed me for years,” he said. “They’re part of my story, so it only felt right to bring them into the space.” His curated mix of vintage pop art and music photography gives each location a distinctly lived-in, soulful feel.
Among the most striking features of the South Salt Lake space is the 1946 Chevy truck, Dallas Alice, sitting behind the stage. Mark had been dreaming of a stage that would double as a conversation piece, and one day while driving on I-15, he spotted the abandoned flatbed in a gravel lot. He tracked down the owner, a young man who had planned to restore it but never got around to it. “When I told him it would be the stage for local and touring bands, he was thrilled.” They hauled the truck into the unfinished building with a forklift and built the stage right on its back. It does not run, but the engine is still inside, and the stories it holds are now part of Level Crossing’s fabric.
And behind that stage? A mural by none other than Jan Haworth, the co-creator of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover. She now lives in Salt Lake City, and after some persistent outreach, Mark convinced her to create a mural for the brewery. “We’d both be up on scissor lifts, her painting the mural, me laying brick on the other side of the wall. She’d tell stories about the Beatles, Bob Dylan just showing up. It was surreal.” Jan also created the artwork for Level Crossing’s second location and remains a cherished friend and collaborator. “She’s a force of nature. An incredible woman.”
The original Level Crossing Brewing Company opened its doors on March 30, 2019. Valerie entered Mark’s life long before Level Crossing became a reality. They first met while working at High West, crossing paths during what she described as a “bit of a dance.” The timing was never quite right, and life kept pulling them in different directions. But just before COVID hit, they reconnected. “It was happenstance,” Valerie said with a smile. “But this time, the timing was right.”
When the pandemic forced Level Crossing to close only a year after opening, their renewed partnership became even more essential. “March 18, 2020. I remember it because it was Mark’s dad’s birthday,” Valerie recalled. “It was terrifying. We didn’t know if the business would survive.” But Mark was already thinking ahead.
“When the NBA canceled their season, that’s when I knew it was serious,” he said. “I started researching, making contingency plans, figuring out what we’d need to do to stay open - even if it meant just barely.” He pushed for an expanded license to use the parking lot as outdoor seating, rented a giant wedding tent, and pivoted to takeout beer and food. “I was proud of how we responded,” Mark said. “I used the PPP loan to keep my staff. Paid them better hourly wages since the tips were gone. I didn’t want to lose my team and have to start over.”
Once the world began to reopen, people came flooding back, hungry for a return to community. “We kept that outdoor patio going for years,” Mark said. “And in a strange way, it helped us grow.”
With the business thriving again, the idea of a second location came into focus. At first, Mark explored the idea of expanding distribution out of state, but quickly realized the margins and risk were not worth it. “All the value was here in Salt Lake. Why not double down and invest in the community that’s embraced us?”
After scouting different types of spaces, they found the perfect match in Salt Lake’s Post District. The developers already knew Level Crossing and were eager to bring them in. The new location opened in June of 2023 and has a more urban, intimate feel, while still carrying Mark’s unmistakable design touches - music memorabilia, pop art, and soulful storytelling in every corner. “You walk in, and you just know it’s Level Crossing,” Valerie said. “The pop art, the colors, the vibe. It’s all there.”
And then there is the beer - the very heart of it all. Mark met head brewer Chris Detrick through a mutual friend from High West. At the time, Chris was an award-winning home brewer and photojournalist for the Salt Lake Tribune. Mark visited his home garage setup and was blown away. “It was spectacular,” he said. “Everything was immaculately built out - commercial sinks, polished floors. And when I started tasting his beers, it was love at first sip.” Chris has been with Level Crossing ever since, helping them earn more than 100 brewing awards, including medals from the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. Each brew is crafted with care and named with meaning. Take the Eternal Pursuit, part of their Red Feather series: inspired by Chris and his brothers’ pilgrimage to Belgium in search of the world’s best beer. Or the Red Feather itself, a nod to Mark’s Polish grandmother, who always left an empty place setting at the holiday table just in case a neighbor or a traveler might stop by. “It symbolized that there was always room at the table,” Mark explained. “That’s the spirit of Level Crossing.”
Even the name “Level Crossing” is rooted in memory: a railroad crossing near the Susquehanna River, where his family used to gather for reunions. “It was my happy place,” Mark said. “So, I built a new one, right here.”
At both locations, food is just as thoughtfully approached. Mark, a self-proclaimed pizza snob from Philly, designed the menu around simplicity done exceptionally well. “Pizza and beer. It’s like peanut butter and jelly,” he said. Their Neapolitan-style pies have won multiple awards, and the Super Bowl specials like the Philly Special (cheesesteak-inspired) and Kansas City Referees’ BFF (a playful brisket nod) add a touch of humor and hometown pride.
But beyond the beer and the food, Level Crossing is about connection - and music plays a central role. The original location hosts open mic nights on Wednesdays, with a stage built onto the back of that 1946 Chevy truck. “It’s not just karaoke,” Mark laughed. “These are incredibly talented musicians - some just starting out, some seasoned. It gives people a voice.”
Even in their off-site projects - like launching the first downtown beer garden at the Salt Lake City Farmers Market - Mark and Val are always pushing forward. “Someone told me it would be too much work, and that just made me more determined,” Mark said, grinning.
From the stories behind every beer to the glow of music echoing through the taproom, Mark and Valerie have built something enduring and deeply human. “Everyone who comes through our doors becomes part of the story, even if it’s just for a moment.”
