USA, ID: Utara Brewing Company up and running in Standpoint

Handcrafted brews, beer cocktails and Indian cuisine are what patrons can expect when they enter the new brew pub on Pine Street, Standpoint, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported on September 21.

David Kosiba and his wife, Christina Stecher, opened Utara Brewing Company on June 23 after nearly a year of construction on the 1908 building. A brewery has been a dream of Kosiba’s for some time as, among his brewing experience, he was the head brewer at Laughing Dog Brewing from 2010-2013.

“I learned a lot out there,” Kosiba said.

Kosiba said he planned to open a brewery within 18 months of leaving Laughing Dog. While it took a little bit longer than he planned, the brewery is up and running with six employees including him and his wife. One thing he knew for sure from his previous experience was that he wanted to keep his operation small, but he does have some plans for the future.

While they kept as much of the original building structure as they could, Kosiba said the inside has been completely remodeled and rewired. The couple and their employees now serve handcrafted beer from the small-batch, seven-barrel system on site. The building, which was most recently Lightning Lube, was once the city’s first blacksmith shop, Kosiba said. While the interior has been remodeled, phase two, he said, includes completion of the kitchen as the plan is to offer a full lunch menu of Indian cuisine. Next spring, they will be working on a beer garden and stage in the back, and a smaller beer garden off the west side of the building toward the street. He is also looking at some grant money to do some improvements on the exterior of the building.

“We’ve got our priorities set, which is right now, just brew beer,” Kosiba said.

They had three flavors on as of Monday, with an IPA to be released by next week, if not this weekend. The three flavors on tap include a California common, a pale ale and a “super chocolatey” porter.

Plans are in the works for six core beers, he said. In addition, Utara is doing the brewing for Westwood Brewing in Rathdrum, as Kosiba has been their brewery consultant for about two years.

As they worked toward opening Utara, Kosiba said they questioned whether Sandpoint could support another brewery.

“The support for this brewery has been amazing,” Kosiba said. “We were really questioning whether Sandpoint could support another brewery, and we are kind of looking forward to this new era of brewing in North Idaho with a lot of competition, but camaraderie at the same time. I think we are all pretty cognizant that there are other breweries in the area, and as long as we try to do something a little different and all support each other, I think that’s really important for the industry.”

Doing something “a little different” is one reason why they decided to go with Indian food. Until the full menu is up, they do have a variety of appetizers available, though they have no plans of becoming a full service restaurant, he said.

Utara also has a mixologist expert, Adina Sailor Gruzleski, who crafts Utara’s beer cocktails Thursday-Saturday. While beer is the main ingredient, Gruzleski said she uses handmade syrups and well-curated cordials. She makes her own fruit ingredients such as porter cherries, which are cherries soaked in Utara’s porter with bitters and “other secret spices” added, she said.

“The menu will change regularly, but it is something really different, really delicious,” she said. “It’s good for people who aren’t big beer lovers, but they want to come with big beer lovers — they have an option as well to have a cocktail. It is also great for afternoon drinking, because it is low ABV, low alcohol … and they complement food very well.”

Utara is open seven days a week, from noon-9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, noon-6 p.m. on Sundays, and 3-8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

20 September, 2018