Several months ago I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes on the phone with Upslope Brewing’s Henry Wood to talk about their 1% for Rivers program coordinated with sales of their Craft Lager. Henry was kind enough to carve time out of his busy day to let me poke and prod with questions for a bit. Fly fishers will appreciate what Henry had to say.
Upslope’s Craft Lager and 1% for Rivers
Henry told a great story of Upslope’s development of their Craft Lager, pointedly talking about wanting to craft an “all day in the cooler beer” that would ably meet the refreshment needs of outdoor enthusiasts working and playing hard. It’s a light bodied lager with an ABV of 4.8% and their aluminum cans crush and carry out with ease.
Spurred in part by friend Tom Reed of Trout Unlimited (NW Director of TU’s Sportsmen’s Conservation Project) and given Upslope’s critical and absolute reliance on reliable sources of clean, clear, fresh water, Upslope quickly warmed to a proposed alliance with TU. When their Craft Lager launched in the second quarter of 2010, TU brought in then president of the Colorado chapters Sinjin Eberle to help cement the details of their collaboration.
From the get go, the 1% for Rivers program has returned 1% of Craft Lager sales to the regional TUs in areas where the sales occurred; Colorado TU received donations in the $18,000 range in 2015, and Upslope donates a fair amount of drinkables to TU events. This spring they even hosted the Greenback’s Surface Film series for the first time in Boulder.
On the Responsibility of Business to Give Back…
Henry reminded me during our chat that a sense of giving back to the community is deeply embedded in the craft beer industry DNA. He wisely noted that sharing a pint is sharing an experience, and part of that larger experience is to impact their community in a positive way.
Upslope continues to strengthen their 1% for Rivers program, and have now expanded into seven Rocky Mountain states, including crafting a Belgian Blonde Ale at 3.2% for Utah. Hell, they’re even selling their Craft Lager through select outlets in Texas.
Upslope has also been working hard on developing efficiencies to use precious water supplies (they deal with the Front Range water issues continually) responsibly; their water consumption per gallon of beer brewed runs half the industry average.
If Henry Could Get Fly Fishers to Do Just One Thing…
In response to my favorite question – if you could get fly fishers to do just one thing, what would it be? – Henry quickly responded that he’d get everyone to get up, get out, and spend at least one day volunteering, outside, doing some sort of hands on work. Spending dimes and dollars isn’t enough, we all need the perspective that only comes from investing sweat equity for a cause and project we believe in.
Kudos to the Upslope Team
We say a hearty well done to the Upslope team and would love to see many more outdoor industry related companies follow their lead with tangible, hands on programs to give back and support local and regional efforts to safeguard water, fish and fisheries.
Git ‘er done.
Thanks again to Henry and Corbin Clement of Backbone Media for facilitating the connection.
