Growing up in '90s suburban Milwaukee, Dan Ullsperger would record syndicated Simpsons reruns on VHS, studying them like holy comedic texts. As the DVDs, ripe with so much fan-service commentary, arrived in the '00s, he secured every available season, one through 20. (This period happened to coincide with Ullsperger's collegiate football career at the University of North Dakota.)
Then, for a long time, nothing happened—just kidding, Ullsperger worked for 15 years at a railway maintenance company while coaching youth sports, both pursuits with Simpsons-y connections ("Marge vs. the Monorail," "Bart Star"). In Homer-adjacent fashion, the avid homebrewer fulfilled his lifelong dream when he became owner/brewmaster of Ullsperger Brewing in 2023. The 25-seat, 1,400-square-foot St. Louis Park nanobrewery is mostly helmed by Ullsperger himself, which allows for surplus creative freedom. Say, for instance, an ambitious Simpsons rebrand to help get through peak Mr. Plow season with the momentum of a runaway freight train.
"In January, you could make the best beer in the world and it's going to be slow for breweries," Ullsperger says. "So what can we do, what will bring people in?"
Come 2027, Ullsperger Brewing will feel a lot like Moe's Tavern. The walls and furniture will be painted Simpsons blue and yellow, Frostillicus is already entombed inside the walk-in cooler, and, yeah, the owner plans to dress as Mr. Szyslak. Simpsons toys, life-size character cutouts, NES games like Bart vs. the Space Mutants, and an arcade cabinet will all be on loan from the Ullsperger residence.
Events-wise, Tuesday trivia night will make a full Simpsons pivot, a Simpsons art fair with pieces made by local artists goes down January 23, and the takeover concludes on January 30 with a Springfieldian costume party. Drinks-wise, expect a Butterfinger stout (a nod to all that candy marketing), a raspberry sour ("kinda like a Squishee"), an Irish red that'll go by Red Tick Beer ("needs more dog," Ullsperger and this reporter say in unison), and the Flamin' Homer (a blonde ale rimmed with fiery red Tajín). And, food-wise, local bakeries will stage pop-ups with Lard Lad signage aplenty.
And who knows? This concept might have as much staying power as the never-ending series on which it's themed.
"It could potentially just never end," Ullsperger chuckles. "I'm that big of a fan, where I'd be fine keeping it going if it's successful."
