Finding our “North Star” in the Northland

By Ben Hugus

"People are what drive us, our craft just allows us to create the tools that bring them together."

— Ben Hugus, Founder

We started Ursa Minor with three simple goals. 

First: to brew incredible beer with true variety from crisp lagers and vibrant sours to the deepest traditional styles. 

Second: to craft 'from scratch' pizza with real ingredients that make you feel good, not just full.

And third: Most importantly, to bring the two together in an inclusive space that fosters real human connection. People are our 'why.' Our crafts are just the tools we use to help our friends and neighbors forge authentic connections and make real memories

Our Foundation

Since 2018, our 'North Star' hasn't moved. We’ve experimented with different ways to describe what matters to us, but the heart of our mission remains exactly the same. At present, we use these phrases to describe who we are:

Boldly Curious: We jump in with both feet. We take risks, learn from our mistakes, and never fear the "new."

Work Hard, Live Wild: We’re dedicated to the grind, but we always make time for the adventure.

Made for the Northland: We are craftspeople dedicated to creating things our neighbors and our region can be proud of.

Do Good: We aren’t perfect, but we strive to do the "next right thing" for our community and the environment.

The Fight for Connection

While our footprint has grown since 2018, our "why" hasn't shifted. In an increasingly digital world, authentic, imperfect human interaction is becoming a rarity. We’re here to fight that trend. This is why we built a space without screens and TVs, host live music up to four nights per week, and build our events around community engagement.

Beer and pizza are the ultimate conduits for conversation. By keeping our craft authentic and our space inclusive, we use them as tools to foster the genuine human connections our world is missing. 

Why Ursa Minor?

Throughout history, the North Star has been the world’s most reliable guides allowing sailors and explorers to cross trackless deserts and vast seas without losing their way.

Ursa Minor is the constellation that holds that star, Polaris. For us, the craft of brewing acted as our own North Star, guiding us home to this community and this business. We chose the name because we want our beer to do the same for others.

We believe that if we use our passion to forge enough genuine connections, we can create more than just a taproom we can create a sense of home and belonging for everyone who walks through our doors.