How LED Strip Lighting Elevated the Atmosphere at a Minneapolis Bar
Minneapolis-based Utepils Brewing aimed to make its bar more visually striking while highlighting its craftsmanship. The goal: install LED lighting that would draw attention, energize the space, and be easy for staff to operate. When they shared their vision with us, we immediately knew we had the perfect solution and couldn’t wait to bring it to life.
Lighting Products & Controls
For this bar lighting project, we selected products designed for both durability and simplicity. The main lighting source was our L-Series Dotless™ RGB LED Strip Lights, chosen for their bright, even illumination and long lifespan. To protect the lights from potential damage and tampering from customers sitting at the bar, we installed them inside Aluminum Mounting Channels with End Caps, giving the installation a clean, professional finish.
The strips were installed along the underside of the bar’s front edge, wrapping seamlessly around the entire serving area. For easy control, the system was powered by a 200-Watt LED Power Supply and connected through a Wireless RGBW 4-Channel LED Controller. Multiple controllers were linked together and operated from a single Wireless Multi-Zone Handheld Remote, allowing the brewery staff to easily switch between many color presets.
Installation Approach
Because this was a retrofit installation on an existing bar, the first step was to prepare the workspace beneath the counter and identify a clean wiring route. The bar was split into two areas, the front serving section and the back area with sinks and dishwashing equipment, making it ideal to house the power supplies and controls in the back, where they’d remain easily accessible yet out of sight.
Since the bar was custom-built, we coordinated with the owner before drilling access holes to run cables between the two sections. Once approved, we routed the wiring using 22-AWG 4-Wire RGB Extension Wire and secured the aluminum channels directly to the underside of the bar with countersunk screws for a secure, low-profile fit.
After installing the LED strips, we discovered a small but valuable tip: using pan-head screws instead of button-head screws helps eliminate visible hot spots on the strip lighting. This subtle adjustment ensured a smooth, uniform glow—the kind of professional finish that makes all the difference in a hospitality setting.
