Meet Lee Ankrum

We were lucky to catch up with Lee Ankrum recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lee, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

My family, without a doubt. I guess you could say I come from good stock—if hard work is something you value. Both sides of my family come from large farming families, as many do here in the Midwest. Growing up, I always thought my grandpa, dad, and uncles ran circles around me. Now that I’m “grown up,” they’re still running circles around me—it’s crazy.

I can honestly say the hardest-working humans I know are the ones I’m related to. My dad especially is not only the person I learned my work ethic from, but also the one who taught me leadership and management. My dad was my first “boss,” though I put that in quotes because it never really felt bossy. I used to think that was just because I was his son—but honestly, everyone would do anything for that man, and I don’t think anyone ever felt bossed around by him either.

Growing up, my dad managed a few large garden centers. The man worked his tail off to make those places thrive—not because he wanted to impress his boss or chase a paycheck, but because he wanted everyone to stay busy and happy while they were there. He made work feel meaningful.

One of the coolest things I noticed working for him was that it didn’t matter who worked for him. He let me hire multiple high school friends no résumés, zero experience, a terrible idea, but somehow it worked. He treated everyone like a best friend, genuinely cared about people, and led by example.

People ask me all the time, “What kind of leader are you?” and I never know exactly what they want to hear. But honestly? I think I just have to keep working. That approach worked out pretty well for my dad.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Jeez, where do I start? I’m feeling pretty warm and fuzzy about this brewery’s future. I know that’s an odd thing to say given the current brewery climate, but I’m here for the long haul.

I took over a seven-year-old brewery that was located in what used to be a bar and restaurant—complete with a full kitchen sitting in the back. It took me over a year to figure out what to do with that “extra space”. Its pretty small. At first, we rented it out to a few local chefs, but when their schedules didn’t line up, I found myself back there slinging fancy hotdogs and smash burgers.

Before brewing, I always had jobs that kept me either outside or in the kitchen. I actually went to culinary school in Minneapolis right out of high school because I thought food was my calling. Turns out, knowing flavor profiles and pairings comes in handy for brewing too.

Over the past few months, the food I’ve been putting out has really started to take off, and I can’t tell you how good it feels to be cooking for people again. There’s something magical about creating something from scratch and seeing people enjoy it.

Starting in 2026 we’ll be serving our own food whenever we’re open to the public. We’ll still be 320 Brewing, but we’ll be evolving into 320 Brewing & ______ Kitchen (still working on the perfect name!). We’ll remain the same cozy little brewery with a rotating tap list of house-made beers and an amazing team—but now with a craft, street-food-inspired kitchen to match.

All that and a bag of chips, if you will.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Hard work—from my dad and my family.
A sense of urgency—from the first chef I ever worked under.
And the pursuit of perfection—from the first brewer who ever mentored me.

There’s also a quote that stuck with me over the years—though I can’t remember who said it, or the exact wording (so I can’t even Google it). It went something like: “Picture the person you want to become, and make every action a step toward becoming that person.”

At first, it felt like a lot of pressure, and I kind of spiraled under the weight of it. But then I started breaking it down—applying it to small moments. “How do I want this thing I’m working on to turn out? What’s the end goal?” That shift helped me find clarity, and now I can actually see what I want this place to become in the years ahead.

My advice?
Be fun to work for. Seriously. My first boss was my dad, and everyone loved working for him. Hopefully I got some of that too.
Love to work. Both my grandpas worked their entire lives—one passed away farming before I was born, and the other ran his shoe store until he physically couldn’t anymore.
And don’t do it for the money. I’ve worked plenty of low-paying jobs, but small business ownership? It’s a whole different animal. Everyone assumes you’ve got money—spoiler alert: you don’t. Good thing it’s just paper.

What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?

Learning to recognize my weaknesses and trusting others with them.

Knowing your strengths is cool, but those are the easy parts. Understanding your weaknesses and finding people who complement them? That’s where the real growth happens.

When I first took over this brewery, I decided I’d do everything myself for the first year. Terrible idea. Fast track to burnout. I found myself putting off the stuff I didn’t enjoy or wasn’t great at, and surprise things started slipping through the cracks.

This past year, I’ve leaned heavily on my amazing team, especially our General Manager, Nic Sabatke, and our Marketing Manager, Krista Jenson. Without them, I wouldn’t have had the bandwidth to launch the new food concept that’s becoming such an exciting part of our future.

And that, right there, has been the biggest lesson—trusting the people around me and realizing I don’t have to do it all alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.threetwentybrewing.com/
• Instagram: threetwentybrewing
• Facebook: threetwentybrewing
• Other: tik tok: @320brewingco

Image Credits

Lee Ankrum, Kody Hughs, Rob Miller