Upslope Brewing Company recently held their anniversary party at the new Flatirons location featuring 40+ beers on tap, live music, and food trucks. While they knew it was popular, they didn’t expect to run out of wristbands, they had ordered 2000.
Their popularity has shocked even them, but it doesn’t for the rest of us. Even Men’s Journal has them on their radar, naming the Brown Ale as one of America’s top 100 beers.
After sitting down with Matt Cutter, founder, I found one particular part of the conversation incredibly interesting, his decision to keep the original Lee Hill location. He noted he had three options: Sell it, Scrap it, Keep it. He had every reason not to keep the original location, its smaller, he had the functionality at the new location to replace what he was doing at Lee Hill, but he couldn’t do it. He had to weigh keeping two taprooms open in a town the size of Boulder with the number of other breweries in the city.
That being said, “It’s a playground”, he completes sours there, barrel aging and pilot batches. He is so adamant about this idea, “if we aren’t dumping beer we aren’t pushing the edge.” That edge can be found at the original Lee Hill location.
While there are a few differences, The Flatirons location has 22 drafts on tap including the ever popular “Brewers Choice”, which at this time features an Imperial Saison. The original location has 12 on tap but features rare items such as the ever popular Cabernet IPA (TRY THIS, or don’t, more for me). A few things haven’t, both have the feel of going back home.
The best part of Upslope, how humble they are. When I mentioned to Matt that when I head back home or my friends come to visit, Upslope cans are what they want me to bring, and the taproom is the first beer they want to have, he put his hand his face and uttered one word, Wow.

Drew Knott