Differentiating between Wasatch-Squatters and Salt Lake Brewing Companies 

• Mike Riedel

In April of this year, Monster Energy Beverages announced that they would be shutting down their operations in Utah, citing that they were opting to "not renew the property lease" on one of Utah's largest and longest-operating breweries, the Wasatch-Squatter Brewery at 1763 S. 300 West in Salt Lake City. This leaves a lot of people scratching their heads, as the Wasatch and Squatters Brands adorn many restaurants and bars around northern Utah. Here are the basic facts about what you will be seeing from the Wasatch and Squatter brands going forward.

First, a little history: Wasatch Beers (Schirf Brewing) was founded in Park City in 1986 by Greg Schirf, and was Utah's first craft brewery since Lucky Lager (Formerly A. Fisher Brewing) closed up shop in 1967. Squatters Brewing (Salt Lake Brewing Co.) was created in 1989 by Jeff Polychronis and Peter Cole, and was Salt Lake City's first modern brewpub.

Fast-forward to 2000, when Wasatch and Squatters merged operations to create the Utah Brewers Cooperative (UBC). While under the UBC, the companies retained their separate brand names while pooling resources for production and packaging. Both breweries retained their original, individual locations, and operated them independently from the UBC.

Nearly a decade later, looking for an infusion of cash, the UBC sought investment from Massachusetts-based Fireman Capital. Eventually, the two breweries were fully acquired by Fireman in 2012. After the acquisition of the UBC, Fireman acquired six other national craft breweries—including Oskar Blues and Cigar City—and created the beer consortium CANarchy. In January 2022, CANarchy was sold to Monster Energy Drinks to become Monster Brewing LLC.

Now, flash back to mid-2021. The Polychronis Ruga Cole Group (PRC), a locally owned restaurant company—jointly owned by Jonathan Ruga and the two Squatters co-founders Jeff Polychronis and Peter Cole—made inquiries into purchasing the individual Squatters/Wasatch breweries from CANarchy before the whole Monster deal was in motion. CANarchy hadn't really expressed much interest in the sale to PRC, until it was disclosed in December 2021 that the Monster brand had no interest in owning restaurants and bars.

The wheels were put in motion. Two days after Monster announced their purchase of CANarchy, PRC closed the deal, on Feb. 17, 2022, to acquire the six Squatters/Wasatch restaurants: Wasatch Park City, Squatters Roadhouse Grill, two at Salt Lake International Airport, Squatters SLC, Wasatch in Sugar House and the Commissary/Kitchen/Cafe at the International Center in SLC. The newly-acquired breweries would now become known as Salt Lake Brewing Company, which has always been the legal name of Squatters Brewing. The (Squatters) brewpub on 147 W. 300 South in SLC is now called Salt Brewing Company, and the Wasatch Brew Pub located on Main Street in Park City is now known as Top of Main Brewing.

You will notice a lot of cross-branding at the newly-localized Salt Lake Brewing location. It's hard to replace decades of well-known and interwoven branding—especially at the Squatters/SL Brewing location downtown, where it's a massive part of the building's aesthetic. So you will continue to see Wasatch and Squatters branding on the buildings that still bear their names. However, these are brands that are currently licenced though Monster Beverages, and after May 2025, will no longer be produced in Utah. All production of the Squatters and Wasatch brands will be moving to other regional Monster-owned breweries.

To add to the confusion, Salt Lake Brewing recently opened a new restaurant in West Valley City, called Squatters Corner Pub. This seems to go against the push to get the public familiar with the new Salt Lake Brewing branding, in favor of the Squatters branding that they no longer own. And in an ironic twist, Salt Lake Brewing Company's head brewer, Jason Stock, who has been the face for Squatters' best-selling Hop Rising Series of IPAs, continues to adorn the products of beers that he no longer makes, and can no longer legally brew.

To summarize: You will continue to see Wasatch and Squatters bands in pubs and store shelves. They are NOT made by Salt Lake Brewing Company or Top of Main Brewing—even though those brands will continue to adorn their restaurants as well as their pubs.

May 23, 2025 is the last day that Wasatch-Squatters' pub and brewery will open at 1763 S. 300 West. However, a goodbye party will take place on May 16. Stop in to see our pals and share a last pint before this pivotal part of Utah's beer history leaves us, possibly for good.

As always, cheers!