Don Anderson gave his father, Dennis, a homebrew kit for Father's Day. While the rudimentary kit of the mid-80's failed to live up to the expectation of a great beer, their shared love of good times and good beer rallied on.

Almost 30 years later, Don's kids gifted him with a homebrew kit for Father's Day, offering a second chance at crafting the perfect beer and spending quality time with his 6 kids. Like the first homebrew, this first time, straight-out-the-box brew was not quite a candidate for the World Beer Cup. But, what it lacked in body and carbonation, it made up for in an exciting newfound shared hobby with his eldest daughter, Elizabeth. Their brewing adventures quickly spiraled out of control-- gaining momentum by adding technology and the occasional headshake of disbelief from Linda-- sparking a passion for craft beer that turned into a crazy idea and then a new career.

FPB Crew on one of the first construction days

Don Anderson

Owner, Head Brewer

Don is a nearly lifelong resident of Eden Prairie. Moving here in the late 70’s, he’s watched the city grow from a small farmstead community into the bustling suburb that it is today and looks forward to being able to contribute to the continued success and growth of Eden Prairie. Don’s passion for brewing beer is only surpassed by his love of good beer— particularly IPA’s. He brings to the Fat Pants crew more than 20 years in customer relations, experience in managing restaurants and a comedy club, an incredible talent for solving nearly any problem, and the hefty designation of in-house handyman/tech support. When in the brewery, you will most often find Don in the brewhouse crafting FPBC’s next big beer or serving them up behind the bar showcasing his hard work.

Linda Anderson

Owner, Designer

Linda wears many, many hats for Fat Pants. She is the principal designer behind our interior ambience, the innovator of Fancy Pants— our line of beer adjacent beverages— the creative mind behind many of the names for the beers at FPBC, and also serves as cheerleader, therapist, motivator, business coach, mentor and friend to the team. Linda’s true joy in life is spending time with her family so few other opportunities could be better suited for her than the chance to start a family business. She brings more than a decade of leadership experience in several Fortune 500 companies to the team at Fat Pants and is excited about being able to provide the community with a gathering place where friends and families alike can sit back, put their feet up, and get their Fat Pants on.

Elizabeth Anderson Schmidt

Owner, Legal and Operations

Elizabeth is our day-to-day operations manager for Fat Pants Brewing Co. You will most likely see her behind the bar or in the taproom keeping the FPB machine running smoothly. She proudly holds a position as one of the world’s youngest brewery owners and the state’s youngest female owner. At 25, she’s looking forward to growing the business with her partners, leading a team of beer enthusiasts, and bringing innovation and fresh, engaging concepts to the food and beverage scene in the Eden Prairie area and beyond.

Rick Reinert

General Manager

Lord of the Squeegee

Rick, the inspiration behind the name “Fat Pants”, has been an honorary Anderson family member and best friend to Don for no less than 50 years and his right hand “brew-wing man” for about 5. As such, it made perfect sense for him to join the crew and continue to honor the Sunday afternoon tradition of garage brewing on a much bigger scale. What he lacks in fashion he certainly makes up for in an unbeatable knack for cracking a joke, his passion for beer and the Minnesota Vikings, and his larger than life excitement for Fat Pants which keeps the group going on those long, drawn-out days. When you can’t find him at the brewery, you almost always can find him out on Lake Minnetonka with his wife, Shirley, or enjoying some good laughs with friends over a great beer.

Fat Pants Brewing Co.,

8335 Crystal View Rd, Eden Prairie, MN 55344