Fernson Brewing features USD tribute drink

Earlier this fall, Fernson Brewing Company, the largest craft brewery in South Dakota, debuted a beer as a tribute to USD.

The beer, called “Yipeeo!,” is a red ale that is darker in color but similar in taste to a light beer. 

“It is a red ale, which is kind of a unique style, it’s darker in color,” Fernson’s marketing specialist Andrew Helland said. “It does have a red color, but it actually tastes a lot like a light beer, which is cool because it’s crafty in the sense of its style, but it’s an easy drinking beer.”

Fernson has been around for six years and is based in Sioux Falls. The company has its brewery north of Interstate 90 in Sioux Falls with a taproom in downtown Sioux Falls.

“In our six years of existence, we’ve become the largest craft brewery in South Dakota,” Helland said. “We came up with New Beer Thursday and we started that up in our taproom in downtown Sioux Falls.”

Fernson worked with the school’s Alumni Association to come up with the product. Helland said there was appeal from Fernson to make a special beer for a specific audience and felt that USD was a great fit for their idea.

“We were both eager to come up with a beer,” Helland said. “On our side specifically, we’re excited to make a beer for a specific audience. USD is one of the great universities in South Dakota, so we’re pumped to get that opportunity.”

Fernson hasn’t done anything like the Yipeeo! in the past and doesn’t have any plans to do anything like it soon. Helland said that if an opportunity arises for the brewery, they would be willing to explore it.

Yipeeo! can be found at liquor stores, restaurants and bars across the region. Fernson has an interactive map on their website showing where to find their products for people ages 21 and older.