Strap Tank Brewing Co. holds the distinction of being the first craft brewery in Utah County. Located in Springville, head brewer Michael Dymowski is turning out 11 craft beers served in the 10,000 square foot, 300-seat restaurant. Although you can find Strap Tank beers at a few beer-centric bars in Salt Lake and Park City, the best selection is on tap in the pub itself.
“My favorites are always the underdogs, and as such, our Sgt. Holtz dry stout is the sleeping favorite,” says Dymowski. “Unlike most stouts, the body is light and people often find this to be the most drinkable stout they’ve ever come across.”
Strap Tank is the vision of developer and Salisbury Homes owner Rick Salisbury and his wife Vicky, who have called Springville home for more than 50 years. Rick’s passion for motorcycles is the driving theme of Strap Tank Brewing, so named in honor of the 1907 Strap Tank Harley-Davidson motorcycle which featured nickel-plated steel straps that anchored the gas tank to the frame. The world’s best unrestored example of the strap-tank model resides across the street from the brewery at Legends Motorcycle. Guests of the pub are encouraged to view it and dozens of other rare and vintage bikes on display there.
The Salisbury’s mission for Strap Tank is to make it a family-friendly member of Springville’s “Art City” community. “As a small brewpub, we are focused on our community and providing the best beer we can for ourselves and our guests,” continues Dymowski. To this aim, he is pleased that he’s able to focus on building relationships with his suppliers to deliver a quality product to customers.
“I’m able to secure good relationships with family farms for my materials, like Mountain Malt out of Idaho who not only produces amazing malt, but I get to shake the owner’s hand and go skiing together, which is hard to put a price on,” he explains. “We can really dig deep and get to know one another and make it a fruitful and fun relationship.”
Opened in May 2016, Strap Tank brought Dymowski and his recipes to Utah from Austin to open the brewery. “The creativity and flexibility is really enjoyable here,” but his introduction to the state’s predominant culture has been eye-opening. “I’ve had a healthy relationship with beer my whole life,” he says, explaining he began brewing at age 15.
“It’s been interesting to be in a community where some members view it as a social ill. Beer’s history is thousands of years old—offering nutrition, flavor, health, energy and even religious experience. It’s fun to show non-drinkers and drinkers that enjoying a beer doesn’t have to lead to being drunk, and there’s an amazing array of flavors once you embrace exploration.”
Strap Tank is located at 596 S. 1750 West, Springville, Utah 84663.
