Colorado is widely known for its beer. Denver, specifically, is one of the top cities in the U.S. for craft beer. I am hoping this reputation is also true for the Boulder area, where I recently moved. To determine how Boulder beer measures up, I’ve committed to try beer from as many Boulder breweries as I can get to during my time here.
Boulder County Brewer Power Ranking:
- Wild Provisions by 4 Noses
- Upslope
Brewery: Upslope
Date of visit: June 2024
Rating: 6/10
Review: I stopped by Upslope on a beautiful June day. I ordered a flight from their “core” list, which I assume indicates these are their core or flagship beers. My flight consisted of: (1) craft lager, (2) citra pale ale, (3) west coast IPA, and (4) IPA. The craft lager was exactly what you would expect from a traditional lager, but perhaps a bit more malt than I’m used to. I would give this a solid 7/10 rating. I could tell the citra pale ale was definitely citra hop forward. They claim this delivers a grapefruit aroma, but I could only detect a slight apricot flavor. I found this this citra pale ale to be similar to a Sierra Nevada pale ale, but more malty and not as crisp. I give the citra pale ale a 5/10. The west coast IPA I found to be very mild. With a 60 IBU this was not very bitter, and I would give this a “medium” on hoppiness. This is a west coast IPA for the guy who hates west coast IPAs. I give this beer a 5/10. Finally we come to the IPA. When I took my first sip, I thought something was wrong with my taste buds. I could not taste any flavor. They claim this beer is brewed with citrus hops but has a caramel sweetness, so maybe the two were cancelling each other out? In any case, this was unlike any other IPA I’ve tasted, and not in a good way. I give the IPA a 3/10.
I did try two other beers as full pints. The first was the Mary Jane ale, which is NOT infused with…certain plants….as I initially inferred. I found this reminiscent of a Founder’s all day IPA, thought malt gave it a bit more body. This would probably be my go-to if I was a frequent visitor of Upslope. Still, I found this beer to be lacking in flavor, so I rate it as 6/10. The one thing that I found Upslope does really well is their seltzer, which they call Snowmelt. I found this to essentially be carbonated water with just a hint of pomegranate-acai aftertaste. I can see how this would be extremely popular, especially on a hot summer day. I dare say I would take a Snowmelt over a White Claw. Easily a 9/10 beer.
In summary, outside of the Snowmelt seltzer, I found the beer at Upslope to be incredibly lackluster. Lager drinkers would probably be satisfied here, but Upslope really seems to struggle with their ales. I am generously giving Upslope a 6/10, with the Snowmelt really pulling more than its fair share here.
Brewery: Wild Provisions by 4 Noses Brewing Company
Date of visit: June 2024
Rating: 9/10
On the same night I visited Upslope, I walked across the street to also check out Wild Provisions, which claims to specialize in Czech style lagers and wild fermented ales. When I first walked up I noticed it was not very busy, which I immediately worried was a bad sign. However, if anything, this place was a hidden gem. Since this was my second brewery of the night and I knew my time here was limited I ordered only one flight of five beers. The first beer was their 12o P premium pale lager, which seemed to be one of their flagship lagers. While I prefer a traditional Czech lager, the 12o P lager definitely had a bready maltiness to it, and after a few sips I found it to taste almost like a Hefeweizen. This is not my favorite style, but I can’t deny that this was a well crafted beer and everything it claimed to be. I give this the 12o P a 9/10 rating. The second beer of the flight was the blackberry lemonade stand. This was a beautiful beer – not overly sweet an just a little tart. I could also tell this was not made with artificial flavoring. I rate this a 9/10. Up next was the ‘bout damn time. The description claims this to be both an American IPA and west coast IPA, but I find the American IPA description to be more accurate. This was very crisp with a clean finish and just enough hoppiness to make sure to let you know it’s an ale. This would probably be my go-to beer here and gets a 9/10 rating. Up fourth was the dad mode grapefruit IPA. This had good flavor but was a bit more hazy and had a bit more body than I expected for this style IPA. Still, this gets a 8/10 rating. We finish off the flight with the mountain wave American pale ale. When they say it’s an easy drinking session ale, they mean it. This is one you can crush all day long. Being a session, it does sacrifice some flavor, but that it to be expected. This gets an 8/10 rating.
This is a relatively new journey, but I expect this brewery to rank as one of the best in Boulder County moving forward. I found three beers here that I ranked as 9/10, and I may even be underrating them. I may have to do a re-visit in the future and determine if an upward rating adjustment is in order. Wild Provisions gets a 9/10 and as of June 2024 sits at the top of my Boulder County Brewery power ranking.