Matt Utter became a beer brewer by way of a Mariemont High School trip to Munich.
"Fell in love with the country, people and the beer," he told The Enquirer.
He loved it so much that after graduating high school, he took an intensive German course and returned to Germany for 10 years. Originally an aspiring electrical engineer, the brewers he met there persuaded him to pivot to brewery technology and beverage production. He honed his skills, eventually home to become the head brewer at Christian Moerlein, which was followed by a job planning beer festivals.
It all led to him founding HighGrain Brewing in Silverton in 2019 with Josh Jansen, whom Utter met when they both worked at Christian Moerlein, and Brian Liscano, Utter told The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast.
The HighGrain brand is known for sustainable brewing in everything from the ingredients it uses and the buildings where the beer is brewed.
The Silverton location is humming along as a destination for people who live in the neighborhood and foodies alike.
The trio recently announced it was expanding to a second location in the former Brentwood Bowl in Springfield Township. The brewery will feature a large, covered outdoor space. And, for the history buffs: That Brentwood Bowl sign will stay out front or move indoors. Utter said he hopes the new site will be open by late fall.
Part of the strategy, Utter said, is creating a place where "it's easy to drive and get good liquid." Breweries that used to be clustered downtown are now spreading to suburbs like Silverton and Springfield Township.
Listen to The Enquirer's "That's So Cincinnati" podcast on Apple, iHeart or your favorite podcast platform.
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