Upslope Pale Ale - Upslope Brewing Company

BeerAdvocate

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Review from BeerAdvocate Magazine Issue #41 (Jun 2010):

More craft in cans! Not as crisp as expected, nor is the head as large as expected, but nearly clear and pretty smooth. Doughy malt and citric zest-like hops in the nose. Bitterness is modest and balancing at first, but sip after sip, it tingles and coats more. Fine and clean alcoholic ester rides along with that hop character. A bit raw, but relatively clean. Maltiness ranges from grassiness to a nutty, bready flavor. Brewed to style rather than trying to be something it is not. Defining canned craft in a great way!

Serving type: can

01-11-2011 03:05:20 | More by BeerAdvocate

Soonami

Pennsylvania

2.88/5  rDev -18.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I received a can of Upslope Pale Ale in a trade on reddit, and unfortunately, I did not like it very much. The pale ale looked pretty good, a light amber color with a little white head that stuck to the glass leaving a pale on the glass as I drank. The smell was mostly bready malt with a little green hop aroma. The taste really let me down. The bitterness was definitely not enough for the style and the hop flavor was passive--grassy and woody, not citrusy and bold as I expected. The was a little sweet upfront, but dry in the finish, but just weird. As it warmed up, I liked it more, but overall, I would not want to have this again

Serving type: can

10-01-2010 03:51:26 | More by Soonami

emmasdad

Colorado

3.98/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Finally got around to picking this one up, after enjoying the IPA on a number of occasions. Pours a medium copper color, with a decent little light beige head. Nice hops on the nose, along with a little caramel and some bready malt. Smooth, nicely carbonated and easy to drink on yet another hot day in Denver.

Serving type: can

09-02-2010 04:50:14 | More by emmasdad

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.58/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Got this from Bitterbill, cheers Bill! Review based on notes

Pours a light straw color with 3 fingers of pearl colored head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Grassy & piney hops, faint breadyness

T: Bready with citrussy hops & a flinty dryness up front. Breadyness along with pineyness & lemony hops as this warms. Finishes with grassy & mineral hop notes & slight breadyness

MF: Light bodied, with soft carbonation & good balance

Drinks easy, but could've used more flavor across the board, these guys aren't cause much concern for OB any time soon from what I can see...

Serving type: can

08-30-2010 21:50:13 | More by russpowell

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I was waitin' on the effin' Old Lady to send me some of this when a stellar CANTrader came through in the meantime. Kudos to him, leave her alongside the road. My life as a C&W song in a CAN.

From said CAN: "Ingredients - Snowmelt, Malt, Patagonian Hops, Yeast. Specs - Hand-Crafted, Aluminum CAN, Portable, Recyclable, Good. Crisp, Clear, Dry".

I personally love the CRACK of a CAN being opened and the subsequent Glug, glug, glug sound as it rushes into my glass. I remember one respondent to a CANQuest (TM) post saying that those were the very things that put him off of CANned beers, but for me, they are the equivalent of bells to Pavlov's dogs or the CAN opener to my brother's late cat. Man, I just CAN't wait to try some of that beer!

I began with a finger of bone-white head, but unlike the Grateful Dead's Sugar Magnolia, it did not wait while I typed for you. Color was lazing in the sunlight, a golden-honey like deep amber with NE-quality clarity. Nose was as grassy as a new-mown lawn or the parking lot of a Dead show (no, sorry, different grass, especially with The Man peeping in). This had everything delightful, this had everything I need in an APA. There was some grassy hops initially on the tongue, but then I caught some beautiful malty sweetness. I knew I'd have to come up soon for air. It had everything delightful and everything I need except for piney-ness, but it had the sun and bright moonlight as I was lazing in the moonlight, yes indeed. Finish left me in a haze, like I had been at a Dead show. Still, a nice, smooth finish with the malt doing a good balancing act with the hops. Throw this in your cooler and head out for some summer love in the spring, fall and winter.

I CANnot tell you why I was inspired to write an homage to the Grateful Dead but the review should still be taken seriously. After all, are we not to have fun?

Serving type: can

07-07-2010 06:20:25 | More by woodychandler

indiapaleale

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pour - pale golden in color, sort of straw like and slightly opaque. A thin wispy white head crowns this beer with some lacing inside the glass.

Aroma - caramel sweetness with just the eenciest hint of hops. Some buttered toast smells come through along with faint aromas of black pepper and freshly cut grass.

Taste - definitely on the lighter side of hoppiness when it comes to American Pale Ales. Some nice peppery flavors combine with some citrus and plenty of caramel maltiness to bring about a very nice full-flavored beer.

Overall - more than anything I'd have to say that Upslope's Pale Ale is rather neutral. It has no real defining flavors or aromas, it just sort of is. I don't know how else to describe it. Its a very non-offensive beer that I really think would go over well at a party full of randoms. Hell, its a great beer for a long afternoon of pitching horse shoes or shooting the shit and making some new friends and if that isn't enough it comes in a nice shiny package that is sure to intrigue anyone (including your cat).

Would I buy more of it? - not sure just yet. I think I need to try the Upslope IPA before I make a call on that.

Serving type: can

06-17-2010 01:25:48 | More by indiapaleale

htomsirveaux

Texas

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. can tried 28 May 2010.

Poured in a Celis shaker pint. Large cream colored head. Well carbonated. Faintly hazy bright orange yellow color. Aroma of light sweet grains. Pretty sweet and malty. Bit of resin through middle into the finish. Bittersweet lingering aftertaste. Becomes hazier as more of the beer is poured. Becomes more bitter as it warms, a touch of butter at the end. Foamy mouthfeel. Mild ethanol.

Fortunately the touch of butter was fairly minimal.

Serving type: can

06-10-2010 02:37:51 | More by htomsirveaux

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.45/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This pours a bright and clear yellow gold with a 2 finger head of foam.

The smell has some sweet maltiness to it with a light note of some bitterness. It has an average smell at best.

The taste is kind of strange. Some hop bitterness, mostly grass, starts things off. Some bready malt moves in along with a spiciness, or at least it seems to be a spiciness; could very well be a result of the hops used. Interesting. Different. Ok tasting.

Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Good mouthfeel.

Drinkability? A not too hard to drink APA and I'm glad I picked it up but there are other APAs that are more in my comfort zone for the style. Decent.

Serving type: can

05-16-2010 16:52:34 | More by Bitterbill

Beaver13

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz can. Pours a clear golden yellow with a smallish white head that goes to a thin film that leaves some lacing.

The aroma is sweet wheaty caramel malts with some grassy fruity hops. It's pretty subdued.

The flavor is sweet caramel malts and some fruits with a minty twang to it. It has a grassy bitterness in the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with smooth carbonation.

Overall, an OK pale. It's very similar to their IPA with less bitterness. The mintiness is still a bit odd and similar to the IPA.

Serving type: can

04-20-2010 23:39:31 | More by Beaver13

BradLikesBrew

Missouri

3.3/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Ingredients: snowmelt, malt, Patagonian hops, yeast.

Orange/peach colored body. Pours clear with a minimal white head.

The smell is fruity, but not citrusy. A tad sweet: peaches maybe? Apples? A little bready with some honey. The flavor is super balanced and approachable, maybe too much. Malt flavor like whole grain wheat. The hop flavor is hardly existent, but unique. Vaguely fruity with some slightly astringent bitter spice on the finish. As the label says, its crisp and dry.

Nothing wrong with this beer, nothing special either. Easy drinking, but nondescript. Enjoyable enough, but nothing to seek out.

Serving type: can

02-09-2010 02:19:40 | More by BradLikesBrew

Rayek

Colorado

3.5/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Nonic.

A: Hazy gold, with a fluffy off-white head. Retention is OK and a fair amount of lace is left behind.

S: Quite light. Mostly fresh baked biscuits, plus a bit of lemon citrus.

T: Mild and well balanced. Biscuit like malts start things out. A mild lemon and grapefruit bitterness comes on to balance rather than overpower the malts. Gets a bit metallic toward the end.

M: The medium light body has the right amount of fizz.

D: This was OK, but not great to me. One of the first things in my notes was the word pedestrian. There just isn't anything here that distinguishes this beer from other APA's. The lightness; however, makes it an easy drinker.

Serving type: can

01-09-2010 03:48:21 | More by Rayek

deereless

Colorado

3.33/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Light to medium gold, light wispy head, very clear, a few small patches on sticky head on the side of the glass - 3.25, S: Very lagerish aromas, quite grainy and very doughy, a touch of bubblegum and some subtle sweetness - 3.50, T: A solid hop bite for a pale ale, some grapefruit, a touch of spiciness, all the hops are nicely balanced with a medium malt base, there's a hint of sweetness on the tongue as well - 3.75, M: Medium bodied - 3.00, D: A quite drinkable APA, a closer representation of the style than their IPA in my opinion - 3.00

Serving type: can

11-13-2009 00:49:50 | More by deereless

orbitalr0x

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Nothing like getting a new canned brew from a brewery I haven't heard of in a trade, thanks vasdef42! Pours into my glass a orange-ish yellow with good clarity and a half inch of white bubbles on top. Aromas of crisp malt that's slightly toasty and bready. Mild herbal, floral hops with a kiss of citrus. Slightly spicy but the overall aroma is a bit too muted.

First sip brings crisp toasty, bready malts upfront segueing into herbal, somewhat citrus hops that also carries some spiciness as well. Good balance between sweetness and bitterness here. Would have like a bit more of a hop flavor here.

Mouthfeel is on the lighter side with fast moving carbonation. Could use a bit more body here but as is it is quite easy to drink and session-able. Overall, I'd say Pale Ale is a hard style to crack as Sierra Nevada holds the gold standard in my book for a readily available session pale ale. This one could use a bit more hops and a bit more body. Glad to see a new CO brewery and hope to taste more from them as they grow!

Serving type: can

10-28-2009 01:12:20 | More by orbitalr0x

GilGarp

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

First time I've seen this one outside of Boulder so I picked up one of this and one of their IPA. There are some great pale ale/ipa/dipa available in cans around (speaking of dale's and gordon, of course) here so this will have a lot to live up to.

Can states it was made with snow melt - seems a little cheesy and gimicky.

Pours into a pint glass a pale golden yellow color. Good clarity and head sticks around a while. No lacing to be seen.

Aroma is mildly hoppy overtones on top of a very bland (i.e. cereal) malt backbone. Not very impressive so far.

Flavor is better than expected but still nothing special. Good balance and the hops are a little more forward than in the nose. A little spicy and a little sweet.

Mouthfeel is medium-light in body and moderate carbonation. Good balance, like I said.

Overall it's not bad but, then again, it's not that special or unique either. With all of the amazing pale ales and IPAs available these days, you need to have a pretty great product to break into the market on those two alone. Hopefully they will do some other styles and really knock it out of the park with those!

Serving type: can

10-15-2009 22:04:27 | More by GilGarp

LittleDon

Texas

3.93/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Golden yellow and hazy with plenty of carbonation. Thick bleached white head that dissipates into a healthy amount of lace. Grainy aroma with a touch of both hops and caramel. Big up front with a bitter middle. A bit of a bite from the carbonation. Crisp bitter finish with a hint of spiciness that reminds me of a decent cigar. Medium mouthfeel. Bold enough to make a good pairing with a cigar.

Serving type: can

09-26-2009 19:26:42 | More by LittleDon

Yeastcakes

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Serving notes - 45F, poured from the can into imperial pint glass.
A - one finger of head upon pour that quickly dissipates to a thin film. Crystal clear light straw.
A - grassy hop aroma with some buscuitiness.
M - Medium body with light carbonation.
T - Same grassy hops from the aroma. Smooth sweetness across the entire palate with some residual sweetness on the back of the tongue. This quickly fades though for a very dry overall finish.
D - very drinkable beer. Could be a little maltier for my personal pallet, but a good effort by a newer brewer in Boulder. Also like the cans.

Serving type: can

09-05-2009 03:02:37 | More by Yeastcakes

bluetravlr

Colorado

3.6/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Decent initial head, but this fades very quickly leaving just a few bubbles by the end of the glass. Surprisingly clear. Golden/yellow with just a touch of amber coloring. Little to no lacing.

S: A faint sweet, slightly grassy scent with a touch of citrus.

T: Initial flavors of caramel and malts are balanced by a hoppy, slightly bitter finish. Notes of grapefruit and pear. Nicely balanced, though slightly watery.

M: Nicely carbonated, but a little on the thin side.

D: Definitely a session beer. No question this beer goes down easy.

A little on the simple side for my liking. This is a good beer, but there really isn't anything special about it. If it didn't taste slightly watered down I'd say they really hit the style, but it's a bit too thin and thus a bit too bland. Decent but not great.

Serving type: can

05-03-2009 22:37:46 | More by bluetravlr

JMBSH

Colorado

2.5/5  rDev -29.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A - About three to four fingers of head with a moderately hard pour in the glass. Shrinks to a nice coating with some lacing left on the sides. Light yellow in color.

S - Sweet malty scent. Smell reminds me of bread dough.

T - Buttery and sweet at first. Then some hoppiness follows but not much at all. Makes me think this british style not american pale.

M - Watery. Very light and thin. Even the hop taste is gone quickly.

D - Sure you can drink a few with no real problems but the taste is nothing really special. The bitterness from the hops is washed away quickly. The hops don't seem balanced equally with the malts. The diacetyl seems to last more in my mouth then any else.

Serving type: can

01-12-2009 02:09:10 | More by JMBSH

rowew

Colorado

3.9/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Presentation: 12 oz silver can, fairly simple design with the company's logo and a red/brown pattern. Ingredients: Snowmelt, malt, Patagonian hops, yeast. ABV is marked, but I don't see anything that resembles a date.

Appearance: Poured into a dimpled mug. Gold color with just a slight hint of red, nice head that has pretty good retention, slight lacing.

Smell: Reminds me of noble hops, a bit of a bready malt flavor.

Taste: I'm not familiar with Patagonian hops, and I'm sure they grow in many varieties, but just like the smell these remind me of the noble hops in a lot of European beers. Hops dominate in flavor but are not overpowering.

Overall impression: This is a pretty drinkable beer - in my taste notes it may sound like the hops are too much - but I wouldn't really describe it as a hoppy beer, that is just the flavor that pops out the most. Always nice to see a new local brewer, especially one putting out cans.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2008 19:09:20 | More by rowew