How it Started
In the beginning, there were two breweries in Utah: Wasatch Brewery and Squatters Craft Beers. And by “beginning” we mean the 1980’s.
1986
First Brew Pub in Utah
In 1986, Greg Schirf opened Wasatch Brewery, the first brewpub in Utah. Schirf traveled from Milwaukee to Utah to find a serious lack of craft beer and decided to make some changes. At first, Schirf could not legally sell beer directly to his customers who were really craving a cold one. So, in 1988, Schirf proposed a bill to the Utah legislature making brewpubs legal in Utah and opened the first of many to come at the top of historic Main Street in the resort town of Park City.
1989
Craft Beer Revolution of SLC
Thanks to Schirf, brewpubs began to bubble up all over the Beehive State. Squatters Craft Beers was one of the first, established in 1989 by longtime business partners and friends, Jeff Polychronis and Peter Cole. They noticed that brewpubs were the place to be in the Pacific Northwest and hoped to develop a similar culture in Salt Lake City. Squatters took off in Downtown SLC and the craft beer scene grew into a thriving and collaborative community.
2002
This is the place
So, when Schirf leased a warehouse in Salt Lake City, it just made sense for him to connect with fellow craft beer revolutionaries Polychronis and Cole to join forces and help each other grow. In 2002, Wasatch and Squatters formed the Utah Brewer’s Cooperative and began sharing the warehouse space where both breweries continue to produce their award-winning and delicious beer to this day. As someone once said, “this is the place.”