Brewing with the best

After Upland Brewing Company was listed in the October issue of Playboy Magazine as one of the “Top 10 college-town microbrewries” in the country, manager Ryan Harvey was not one bit surprised. \nUpland Bad Elmer’s Porter, the 2004 World Beer Cup Bronze Medal Winner, was given accolades in the latest issue of Playboy Magazine by Stephen Beaumont, a nationally recognized beer enthusiast and reviewer. \n“Hoosier beer can be fine stuff indeed, especially when it’s the smooth and coffee-ish Bad Elmer’s Porter,” wrote Beaumont in his article in Playboy.\n Beaumont also complimented Upland’s seasonal brews in the magazine. \n“Its roster of seasonal brews, such as autumn’s Oktoberfest and summer’s Belgian-style Saison, is also top-notch,” Beaumont wrote.\nDespite the Playboy praise, it’s business as usual for the brewing company.\n“We’re always this busy,” Harvey said. “We see a pretty mixed crowd year round, even when school is out for the summer.”\nThe Oktoberfest beer lives up to its ranking, at least in the mind of customers. Three batches of the Oktoberfest are made each fall season, which equals about 60 kegs per batch, Head Brewer Caleb Staton said. Just one week into the release of the beer, Upland has only ten kegs left of what Staton calls their “most popular seasonal beer by far.”\n“The Oktoberfest is a lager, so it takes a little longer in the fermenting process,” Staton said. “Each batch takes about a month and a half to brew. It’s the favorite, and it goes fast, so once it’s gone, it’s gone.”\nThe Upland Seasonals, which gives a different taste each season, are usually brewed for two to three months out of the year. This past weekend, the Oktoberfest seasonal beer was welcomed back on tap with an Oktoberfest celebration at Upland. \n“This place was packed full,” Harvey said. “There had to be around 800 people here for the event, and we made them all fit.” \nOn top of the many hours of labor put into brewing nationally recognized micro-brews, Upland also runs a restaurant that serves not only their beer, but anything from a vegetarian gumbo to a “beer-imbibed,” ale-soaked bratwurst. \nWith a wide variety of locals casually talking among themselves, the brewery’s restaurant is usually filled with beer-tasters and dinner-seekers alike. From construction workers taking that first sip after a hard day’s work to students looking to start their night off in the right direction, the brewery usually enjoys a large number of patrons. \n“This is my first time here at Upland and I am very pleased with the place,” junior Bryan Olson said. “I just turned 21 a few days ago, and I wanted to see what the place had to offer, and its selection of beers is very impressive.”