Boulder’s Upslope Brewing Co. is canning and expanding in Colorado
Three days before the start of the 2012 Great American Beer Festival, Upslope Brewing Co. in Boulder, Col., was bustling.
Customers were sipping on beers in the taproom, a kettle was boiling in the cramped brewhouse and the canning line was churning out cans of Upslope’s Pale Ale.
On Saturday, the brewers at the upstart Upslope were taking the stage at GABF, winners of their third medal since 2009. Upslope’s Brown Ale took the silver medal in the “American-Style Brown Ale” category, a feat for a brewery that has been around just shy of four years.
Upslope opened its doors in November 2008 at 1501 Lee Hill Road in North Boulder with a Pale Ale and India Pale Ale, both in cans.
Among the standout beers at Upslope: the Craft Lager, Brown Ale, Pumpkin Ale and the Thai IPA. The Pumpkin Ale, a special release, won the gold medal in the “Field Beer or Pumpkin Beer” category at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival.
A view of Upslope’s taproom. Upslope has announced plans to build a new brewery in Flatiron Park in Boulder. The new brewery will be operational in the first quarter of 2013, allowing Upslope to initially expand by 70%, with plenty of room for future expansion. It will also open a 2,300-square foot taproom in the new facility.
Over the past three and a half years, Upslope has expanded six times in its current location. Once the new brewery opens, Upslope will continue to operate its taproom and brewery at Lee Hill. The Lee Hill brewery will be both a production brewery and an incubator for new and innovative beer styles.
Upslope currently produces just 6,000 barrels a year and brews on a 7-barrel system. Upslope will be upgrading to a 30-barrel system. “Demand for our beer continues to grow exponentially and ongoing expansion at the current location doesn’t meet our future goals. Flatiron Park has the infrastructure that our production brewery needs to take it to the next level,” says founder Matt Cutter.
Many thanks to Sam for giving us an up-close look at Upslope’s canning line in action! Upslope cans its Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Brown Ale and Craft Lager, plus limited-release beers.
Why cans? “Cans are better for the beer, the environment and are perfect for the on-the-go lifestyle of Colorado and points beyond,” according to a release from Upslope. “The benefits of canning – protection from light and oxidation and retention of brewery direct freshness – have been well received both through Upslope Brewing’s popular flagship and limited release beers.”
