April 2019 Luncheon

Urban Growler® Brewing Company was opened in July 2014 by Master Brewer Deb Loch and co-head honcho Jill Pavlak. These two combined their complementary skills and passions to create great beer, food and space for everyone.

Deb and Jill traded their successful, steady income careers in corporate America and sales to pursue their passion in brewing and business. Call it crazy (at least their parents did) but somehow, with a lot of help – from a lot of just-as-crazy people – they turned their dream into a brewery.

So how did it all happen? Well, we’ve all had those thoughts, “There’s got to be something better…” and the old adage, “Someday I want to …..[fill in the blank].” In 2008 Deb and Jill decided, “Someday is NOW” and the idea of Urban Growler®  brewery was conceived.  Jump ahead 6 years, thousands of miles traveled visiting taprooms all over the country, jobs in the industry, brew school, over a year raising funds via t-shirts sales, founding memberships, tours of an empty brick shell and beer tastings...finally, enough money was raised (12 banks denied them funding) and Urban Growler® Brewing Company became a reality.  When Urban Growler® Brewing Company opened in July 2014, it was the first women owned brewery in the state of Minnesota. It was an emotional day surrounded with family, friends, and 100’s of complete strangers that had been pulling for these two. 

Urban Growler’s mission is to bring people together through beer. The brewery, taproom, beer garden and outside retail sales help establish community among all beer drinkers. Deb brews traditional beers like CowBell Cream Ale® but also gets creative with the Plow to Pint® series, where local ingredients and the farmers that produce them are featured.