When Kevin Templin is asked to describe who he is—he starts with dad. Then brother. Then son. And finally, “brewer, I guess.”

Not to take anything away from the first three identifiers but Templin is most definitely a brewer—and an extremely successful one at that.

The founder and head brewer at Templin Family Brewing (or T.F. Brewing, for short) booked a one-way ticket and arrived in Utah in the early 1990s to ski. Now, 30 years later he is one of the state’s most-decorated brewers at one of the state’s most popular and well-regarded breweries.

Templin, an East Coast transplant, worked as a “professional ski bum” for about four years before landing at Desert Edge Pub & Brewery. He helped a few long-gone breweries get off the ground before starting a nearly 20-year career at Red Rock Brewing in 2000 where he brewed countless award-winning beers.

Then in 2018, Templin opened T.F. Brewing in what once was an auto repair shop at 936 South 300 West in Salt Lake City. He always knew he wanted to own a brewery. “The ultimate goal was to have our own family thing,” he says. “So, when I retire, I can hand the keys to my nephews and kids and say, here you go.

“Don’t mess it up,” he adds with a chuckle.