Templin Family Brewing
“Everything has to be world-class: the beer, the service, the space.” That simple yet powerful statement from owner Kevin Templin captures the essence of Templin Family Brewing. From the moment one steps through the doors, there is a sense of passion and precision that define everything they do. The warm, welcoming atmosphere, the finely crafted beers, the sense of community - none of it is by accident. It is the result of years of dedication and hard work.
Kevin Templin’s journey to founding Templin Family Brewing (TF Brewing) started on the East Coast. Born in Ohio, he spent his childhood moving up and down the coast before his family settled in Florida. But it was a fateful trip to Vermont in 1990 to meet a friend hiking the Appalachian Trail that changed his trajectory. Kevin continued north to Maine where he spent winters skiing. His brother, who was working at Alta, started calling with reports of deep Utah powder. One day, a year or so later, Kevin bought a one-way ticket west, and his life was never the same.
His introduction to Alta was anything but conventional. The day he arrived, his brother took him up in a snowcat to a mid-mountain restaurant where Kevin was going to spend the night. The next morning, the manager woke him up, handed him a shirt, and told him to get to work. “I had no idea what I was doing,” Kevin recalls with a laugh. “Bussing tables, cleaning dishes, taking out the trash.”
Alta became home. He spent years working on the mountain - making snow, running lifts, grooming trails in snowcats. It was there that he met his wife, Britt, who was working at a nearby restaurant. They built their life together in the mountains, skiing by day and working in the evenings. But Kevin’s passion for brewing was already taking shape.
In 1995, he started volunteering at Desert Edge Brewery in Salt Lake City. “I worked for free for three or four months, and then they finally put me on the payroll,” he says. That experience led to helping open other breweries in town before he landed at Red Rock Brewery in 2000, where he stayed for nearly two decades. There, he and Britt had a vested interest in the business, helping to shape Red Rock’s reputation for quality and innovation. But eventually, they knew they wanted something of their own.
“If we were going to do it, we had to do it,” Kevin says. In 2013, they began planning. In 2018, they took the leap. The sudden passing of Kevin’s sister served as a stark reminder: “You never know how long you’ve got.” With $5,000 to his name and a well-crafted business plan, Kevin resigned from Red Rock, and TF Brewing was born.
Finding the perfect space took time. They scoured Salt Lake City looking at more than twenty different warehouses before landing on their current location. It had been Warburton's, a family-run auto mechanic shop for years, until the owner passed away. Kevin wasted no time. “The next week, we were moving in,” he recalls. Every detail was planned: contractors lined up, equipment secured, and a vision in place. “I didn’t want to figure it out as I went. I wanted to hit the ground running.”
The transformation was immense. The building was cleared out, power-washed from floor to ceiling, new concrete laid. The brewery floor was installed, slopes and drains designed to perfection, every city code and regulation meticulously met. “It took six months, but we got it done.”
When TF Brewing opened, "It was an instant success - we partied. It was fun,” Kevin remembers. But beyond the celebration, something special was taking shape - a brewery defined by family, community, and an unrelenting commitment to quality.
TF Brewing specializes in European lagers and Northwest IPAs. “Our heart is in European lagers,” Kevin explains. When they make a German pilsner, every grain, hop, and yeast strain comes from Germany. “We have family friends in Franconia who own malting facilities. We’ve worked with them for twenty years. They’re reliable.” That dedication to sourcing, process, and precision is what sets TF Brewing apart. “The beer can never be good enough,” Kevin insists. “Not that it isn’t world-class, because it is, but you always have to keep refining, adjusting, making it better.”
The focus on improvement extends to every aspect of the business. says Brittany Watts, VP of Branding & Operations. “We just care so much.” Brittany, who joined TF Brewing from Red Rock and has been with the team since day one believes, “It’s an immersive experience, a sensory experience. Everything is intentional, from the moment you walk in, to the way the beer is poured, to the glassware you hold in your hand.” The brewery’s commitment to excellence does not just attract beer lovers; it brings in a diverse and dedicated group of people. “You’ll see cowboys sitting next to dreadheads, lawyers next to skateboarders. We have an eclectic mix, and that’s what makes this place so great.”
Kevin emphasizes that the brewery is not just about great beer. It is about community. They host dog adoptions, raising over $20,000 last year for dog-related charities. “Britt is a huge dog person,” Kevin shares. TF Brewing is a family business in every sense of the word. Kevin’s son and daughter work here, as do his brother, niece, and nephew. Even his eighty-five-year-old father worked behind the bar for a while, pouring beers one hour a week. “Everyone wanted to be served by him,” Kevin laughs. “He still comes in to drink, though.” According to Kevin, however, it is his wife that is the boss. "She runs the show."
The brewery also prides itself on being an inclusive space. “Not everyone drinks beer,” Kevin notes. “So, we have a full bar. We even make our own wine now - Templin Family Wines. It was Britt’s idea. She said, ‘I want you to make wine,’ so I did.” Their wines, all-natural and spontaneously fermented, have also become a hit. Food is another integral part of the TF Brewing experience. A rotating lineup of food trucks keeps things fresh, while the brewery also offers charcuterie boards, German pretzels from local bakery Vosen’s, and other small bites. “Food keeps people here longer,” Kevin explains. “It also delays the intoxication process, which is important.”
The brewery’s location, just ten minutes from the airport, has made it a go-to spot for travelers. “We see people with luggage all the time,” Kevin says. “They get dropped off here before their flight, hang out, then hop in an Uber to the airport.”
Looking ahead, Kevin is clear on one thing: they will not compromise on quality. “We don’t want to make the most beer; we want to make the best beer.” That means staying regional, ensuring freshness, and keeping everything tightly controlled. “We could expand to the East Coast, but then we’d lose control."
As Brittany puts it, “We hold ourselves to the highest standards because we believe in what we’re creating. And that’s why people keep coming back.” Kevin smiles, nodding in agreement. “At the end of the day, it’s about people. The people we work with, the people we serve. That’s what makes this place special.”
