Open Space – A Terroir Project
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Upslope Brewing Company is excited to reveal a bottle project unlike anything we have ever brewed before: Open Space Terroir Project, a wild inoculated beer fermented in oak barrels exclusively by indigenous yeast and bacteria.
Inspired by hikes in Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks and the native plants and microorganisms all around us, Upslope Head Brewer Alex Meyer first foraged seasonal flowers, conifer needles, and grasses on and around Upslope’s Boulder breweries in the spring of 2019. A dextrinous wort comprised of 60% malted barley, 40% unmalted wheat and aged hops was inoculated with the microflora abundant on the foraged plants The wort was fermented in steamed neutral oak barrels to ensure any and all fermentation was performed by the foraged yeast and bacteria; most likely wild Saccharomyces, Pediococcus, and Brettanomyces among many others.
After primary fermentation, the beer aged on the lees until blending. The same process was repeated each spring in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, a blend of all three seasons was created and bottled in June 2022, then conditioned in the bottle for an additional year. The average age of the beer in June 2023 is three years.
The final blend of this unique project has been conditioning for a year in 750 mL cork and caged bottles, yielding a lively, effervescent beer with notes of bright lemon, quinic bitterness, subtle minerality and Brett funk. Terse acidity is complemented by snappy carbonation in this 5.8% ABV beer.
A collaboration with Boulder Open Space Conservancy, Open Space Terroir Project pays homage to the wild, unpredictable, natural spaces around us in our beautiful backyard of Boulder, Colorado. As part of this partnership with BOSC, Upslope will be donating 10% of Open Space Terroir Project sales to BOSC to help them protect, enhance, preserve, and steward Boulder’s legacy of open space and mountain parks for current and future generations. Scroll down to read more about BOSC.
Join Upslope Brewing Company and Boulder Open Space Conservancy for a very special release and food pairing event on Thursday, June 22nd from 6-8 pm to be among the first to try the Open Space Terroir Project.
Enjoy an intimate evening in Upslope’s Lee Hill Barrel Room featuring Open Space – Upslope’s unique and limited wild inoculated beer – paired with a special hors d’oeuvre menu prepared by FED Boulder and hear from Upslope Head Brewer Alex Meyer on how the Open Space Terroir Project came to be. Additionally, BOSC will be onsite to mix and mingle and educate about their mission and special projects.
Your $60 ticket includes:
• A behind-the-scenes setting in Upslope’s Lee Hill Barrel Room
• Farm to table menu composed of four curated hors d’oeuvres/small plates from FED Boulder and Upslope’s Head Brewer
• A selection of four hand-crafted Upslope beers paired with each round of hors d’oeuvres/small plates
• Meet and greet with Upslope’s Head Brewer and creator of Open Space Alex Meyer, along with members of BOSC to mix and mingle with and learn more.
• A 750 mL cork and cage bottle of Open Space to take home! (Retails for $30)
Want to avoid ticket fees? Purchase tickets in one of Upslope’s tap rooms – ask a bartender!
Learn more and get a behind the scenes look at the brewing process of the Open Space Terroir Project from Upslope Head Brewer Alex Meyer.
About Boulder Open Space Conservancy
MISSION
Boulder Open Space Conservancy (BOSC) is a non-profit organization that partners with the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks to promote and enhance the ecological resilience of our public lands to climate change through sponsorship of conservation projects and community education, for the benefit of all current and future generations of Boulder citizens and visitors.
HISTORY
BOSC was established in 2017 through a public-private partnership with the City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks (OSMP) to leverage public resources with private philanthropy to fulfill its mission. This partnership is a unique collaboration of two equal and independent entities: OSMP and the community non-profit BOSC. Each will bring the shared goal of better fulfilling the charter for OSMP with mutual trust & respect, diverse skills, and strengths.
VISION
To protect and preserve Boulder’s greatest asset: our open space, ensuring vibrant and healthy public land and community forever.
BOSC GOALS
Boulder Open Space Conservancy seeks to galvanize community commitment to inspire stewardship
of land resources, enhance educational opportunities in a fully inclusive environment, and strategically collaborate to build economic vitality and preservation of our Open Space. BOSC’s current focus is on the Mount Sanitas trail restoration project – see below.
