Boulder Upstart Voted Best Pale Ale in America

I stole this verbatim from the e-mail Upslope sent me.  I hope they don't mind.


Upslope Named Best Pale Ale by Maxim Magazine

Boulder, Colorado -- Upslope Pale Ale has been awarded Best Pale Ale by Maxim Magazine. In its upcoming February issue, the magazine's cover feature, “The 25 Best New Beers In America” highlights Upslope as Best Pale Ale among other “top new brews of our nation's beer renaissance.”
After sampling hundreds of new American beers, Maxim writer, Mike Dawson, declared Upslope Pale Ale to be among ... “the 25 tastiest, most life-affirming concoctions to hit the shelves recently.” Chosen as Best Pale Ale, Maxim's review of Upslope goes on to say, “These guys opened shop in late 2008, and they already own our taste buds thanks to their pale. It's the most palatable craft beer we've gulped in a while. Check the ingredients: ‘Snow melt, malt, Patagonian hops, yeast.' We're officially down with Upslope.”
Still feeling the rush of bringing home two bronze medals from the Great American Beer Festival in September, Upslope is thrilled to add Maxim's recognition to the young brewery's momentum. “We're honored by Maxim's distinction as Best Pale Ale and couldn't be more pleased to be considered among the ranks of such breweries as Oskar Blues, New Belgium and Great Divide,” said Matt Cutter, Founder of Upslope.
Upslope Brewing Company, a new microbrewery located in Boulder, Colorado, taps into today's on-the-go beer enthusiast's active lifestyle by offering superior quality hand-crafted ales in cans. The teaming of fine ales in cans allows Upslope's products to be fresh, mobile, and easily part of an active lifestyle. Shared with friends after a long mountain bike ride, enjoyed at the end of skinning up and skiing down a snowy trail, or ordered in a local pub, Upslope is a natural fit for the active beer consumer.


I have to admit that I have not yet been up to Boulder to check these guys out.  They are only open after 4pm Wednesdays through Saturday, when I am unavailable for sampling.  Ironically, I (helped) design the neighborhood that they are in.  It used to be a Drive In, but is now a New Urbanist neighborhood.  I worked on the permitting and land entitlements as well as the engineering infrastructure and dealt with the Boulder Planning Department.  That was in a past life...so long ago.


This Upslope upstart brewery is notable, as it is located in a town that already has 9 other breweries and brewpubs (Boulder, Avery, Twisted Pine, Mountain Sun & Southern Sun, Colorado, BJ's, Boulder Draft House, Walnut), has one just outside of town (Asher Brewing, that I have never heard of).  Oskar Blues, Left Hand (both breweries), and Pumphouse (Brewpub) are 10 miles away in Longmont.  There are also another Oskar Blues (brewpub) in Lyons, and the Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery in Nederland.  The whole county (Boulder County) has 300,000 people and at least 15 brewing establishments (not including some excellent Meaderys) which is one per 20,000 people.  That means that there is a lot more room for breweries almost everywhere.  The requirements for any brewery in towns that have established breweries is that the beer has to be good.  Still, that is no guarantee of success.  Boulder is a beer town.  It is home to the University of Colorado, has a ski town in the county (Eldora), and is home to the American Homebrewing Association (AHA) and Brewers Association (BA), of which I am a member (AHA, and someday the BA).


I definitely need to make another trip up to Boulder (it is only 30 miles from my house) to specifically check out Upslope.  In the meantime, will have to pick up a six pack of their pale that I can get at the store.