At Templin Family Brewing in Salt Lake City, there is no draft beer stronger than 5 percent ABV. That’s not by choice—Utah’s alcohol laws are an antiquated confusion—but cofounder and brewmaster Kevin Templin has been making the most of it for nearly three decades.
“I think it’s an advantage for lager beers,” he says. “And there’s no wiggle room in those beers. The product can’t vary too much when you’re talking about these classic styles that have to be really precise. And I think it just makes us better brewers, to be honest with you.”
In fact, the ABV limit on draft beer used to be lower—it was 4 percent until 2018, the year Britt and Kevin Templin opened their brewery and taproom in Salt Lake City’s industrial Granary District. And while such laws are far from ideal, they’re also a crucible that’s helped to shape some great brewers. (As Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver told The New York Times in 2009, “Utah craft brewers can coax a lot of flavor out of a relatively low amount of material.”)