Après Everything: The Upslope Journey

What is Upslope? Meteorologically speaking, an upslope storm happens when a warm, wet stream of air from the Gulf of Mexico slams into a mass of frosty northern air along Colorado’s Front Range, pasting the topography with loads of deep snow. When upslopes happen, things get exciting.

These snow-day-causing, water-table-filling, wildflower-nourishing storms fuel the passions of the thousands of skiers, boarders, climbers, paddlers, and anglers who call the Continental Divide’s eastern flank home. They’re also what inspire the philosophy behind Boulder, Colorado’s Upslope Brewing Company.

Much like its namesake weather phenomenon, Upslope Brewing is the product of a convergence. Sharing a love of the outdoors and tasty craft beers, Upslope’s three founders met in Boulder, a place that fosters both affinities—often at the same time.

Matt Cutter, a homebrewer from Cleveland, moved to Colorado in pursuit of snow. Dany Pages, a skier, climber, and founder of the world’s southernmost brewery, in Ushuaia, Argentina in the Patagonia region, followed a Colorado girl, and his heart, here. NOLS instructor and lifelong backcountry bum Henry Wood, from Atlanta, joined them, and the trio formed Upslope Brewing in 2008. Now, nearly eight years of crag beers, trailhead tallboys, and pow-day libations later, Upslope beer has become the unofficial adult beverage of the Rocky Mountain experience.

Using only the finest ingredients—snowmelt, premium malt, hops, and yeast—and the most advanced brewing technologies, we strive to make creative and drinkable ales and lagers worthy of, but not dependent on, a refined palate or third-party accreditation.

Our goal is simple: Make a better beer rooted in the outdoor lifestyle. We’ve canned from the beginning because packability is key to the après lifestyle. A good beer should be on hand not only at the brass rail of the local tavern, but also in board bags, backpacks, fishing vests, and coolers at the tailgate. Upslope beer exists to help you celebrate every moment, from that unforgettable Red Rocks concert lineup to the summit of a fourteener.

Humans have been celebrating fun times with good beer for millennia. The French ritualized it as après-ski, but for us the concept is even broader. It’s a state of mind. It’s the ability to celebrate all things Colorado where they happen, when they happen, from snow-laden chutes to trailhead parking lots and eddies teeming with trout. Because each and every adventure deserves to be capped off the right way: with a damn good beer.

When you do take a delicious can of Upslope on your next adventure, be sure to play it safe and pack it out. We do our part to help protect the world in which we love to play by imbibing responsibly, supporting environmental non-profits, recapturing water from the brewing process, sourcing renewable energy, repurposing spent grain into animal feed, and building energy-efficient breweries. Please do yours.

See you on the trail.