An Opportunity to Reconnect

By Ryan Farrell

11.12.09 – 11.12.09
Travel to: Upslope Brewing Co.

I am as happy as anyone that the craft beer market has exploded.  Living in the Denver/Boulder area, it has made countless great beers available to me whenever I please.  When the Upslope Brewing Co. emerged onto the scene, some even argued that our local craft beer market was saturated.  But within its first year of existence The Upslope Brewing Co. has proved that the world can never have too much good beer.  They took home two bronze medals at their first Great American Beer Festival this past September.

Upslope is both very small and young, but growing. Their tap room is a single room located on the outskirts of north Boulder. They now offer six beers on draft; at the time of their opening, they offered only their Upslope Pale Ale and their Upslope India Pale Ale. When I opened the door to the taproom, I was greeted by the strong scent of fresh malt. And no wonder: the brewing area is separated from the taproom by a single glass door, which remained open for the duration of my visit.  Their operation speaks to the origin of the craft brewing industry: "Here, we made this beer, come sit down with us and try it." 

The taproom is clean and simple, with seating for about ten. On this afternoon, there were two employees working: Chad, the taproom manager and Alex, an assistant brewer.  During my visit, Alex moved back and forth from talking beer behind the bar and monitoring the fermentation of a new batch of their Pale Ale in the back. 

The brewery has a close relationship with the community.  Their Munson Farms Pumpkin Ale includes locally grown baby bear pumpkins and a combination of spices as recommended from the Savory Spice shop in downtown Boulder. I had seconds of this nicely scented, well balanced ale. It is just one example of the many different projects Upslope's brewers take on in their ongoing exploration of new and interesting flavors.  They rotate their tap offerings regularly, so you will often have the chance to try something new with each visit.

The next time you are in the craft beer hub that is Denver/Boulder, be sure to hit all well established craft beer spots, but don't miss the opportunity to reconnect with the spirit that got it all started. It is going strong at the Upslope Brewing Co.

Upslope Brewing Company
1501 Lee Hill Road, #20
Boulder, Colorado 80304
upslopebrewing.wordpress.com/

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