A few hours after carbonating the Midnite Mine Imperial Stout, the brewery treated beer-loving Aspenites to this fresh and strong seasonal stout. While this specific beer may be on a limited run, the quick turnover from production to thirsty-consumer is typical of the Aspen Brewing Company, and is something locals and visitors alike should appreciate.

After the Flying Dog moved to Denver, Aspen went many years without a local brewery until three friends decided to fill the void in 2008. The Aspen Brewing Company marks owners Duncan Clauss, Brad Velman and Rory Douthit’s initial foray into the craft brewing industry and as well as their first business ownership.

Despite some initial battles with the city that actually helped in garnering some pre-opening press, the boys, with the direction of head brewer Terry Butler, are quickly approaching two years of growing success.

After just a year, the Brewing Company doubled their production capacity and continue to meet increasing demand with a line-up that includes six beers available year-round, plus a series of special seasonal varieties.

Skollie.com’s Emily Lerman had a chance to catch up with Brad and Duncan who shared insight about the sustainability initiatives and the core values behind Aspen Brewing Company while Terry recounted his initial experiences with the guys and the first few batches of beer.

Sustainable Beer

Brad credits his experience at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado for instilling the importance of sustainable initiatives in business, specifically one of his favorite  seminars that focused on sustainable energy techniques. In fact when he graduated, he considered pursuing a career with a sustainable energy company. Instead he has applied this knowledge to the brewing company.

All grains used in the brewing process are purchased from a company in Denver, so to minimize transportation from farm to brewery. The brewing process utilizes about 500 pounds of dry grain, which ends up as 1500 pounds of wet grain. Through a partnership with a local farmer Down Valley, this grain is then used to feed cattle, thus eliminating unnecessary waste.

The Growlers also help reduce waste by providing a six-pack worth of beer without using a six-pack worth of glass, and all deliveries are made in Aspen Brewing Company’s bio-diesel truck. “Sustainability has been important since the get-go. It doesn’t take that much extra effort to make a difference,” Brad says.

Spending Time Where The Beer…Tastes Like Beer

Throughout college, Duncan and Brad spent many hours at Boulder’s Mountain Sun, they wanted to establish a place in Aspen that possessed a similar “reggae-music, board-game friendly-vibe”. According to Brad, “All of us really like the idea of being something that is not ‘typical, chic’ Aspen”. On any given day, one is likely to walk into the South Mill tasting room to be greeted by the sounds of Bob Marley, a dog or two and group of Jenga-playing patrons tasting fresh brews from an shot-ski-like tasting platter. As the success has shown, this was certainly something the town craved. “We wouldn’t have survived a month here without the local support,” says Duncan.

In addition to harboring this homey, low-key vibe, the guys also committed to maintaining a traditional brewing process. “In brewing there are only four ingredients you are supposed to use in the brewing process, there are a lot of other companies that put weird shit in their beer,” Brad says. “We always wanted our beer to taste like beer, we never want it to taste like a bubbly-peach drink.”

“Some of the bigger craft breweries like Dogfish Head and Avery are pushing the boundaries in terms of what beer is and what it can be. We certainly have an interest in doing that but in a more traditional sense by keeping the beer more true to their styles, and Terry has been pretty influential in that part,” Duncan shares.

The First Batch: Four Weeks From Contract to Pint

Terry has been with the Brewery since day one. The moment of truth, however, was just a few hours before their soft opening, when they tried Terry’s first batch of Aspen Brewing Company’s beer, the Brown Ale. Up until that point, their faith in Terry was based upon his extensive experience and a few 6-packs he shipped overnight to Brad and Duncan when they expressed an interest in bringing him on the team. Fortunately, after trying that first pint, they were reassured that they found the right man for the job, “We opened just as our first two batches were ready and he didn’t make anyone vomit,” Brad jokingly recalls.

An Idaho-native, Terry established his roots in brewing fourteen-years ago in Eugene at the Wild Duck Brewery, thanks to persistence and “bugging the shit” out of his friends who worked there. After five years at the Wild Duck, he spent a year at the Oregon Trail Brewery in Corvallis before going to work at Rogue Brewery in Newport, Oregon. Most recently, he served as head brewer at Sunnyside, Washington’s Snipes Mountain Brewery before joining the Aspen Brewing Company. He saw Brad’s ad for a brewer and started emailing him questions about the snow conditions in town. Initially, Terry’s close friend was to take the position, but financially it wasn’t going to work for him and his family, so he recommended Terry.

On a Thursday afternoon in early February 2008, Terry shipped some of his six-packs to Aspen. By Friday, the boys tasted the beers while taking and comparing extensive notes. On Saturday, they called Terry and asked what it would take to get him out here. On Monday, Terry received and signed his contract and put in his two weeks. “I told them I should appear February 20th,” he recounts, “and I’m not leaving any time soon”. He began brewing the first batch early March, amidst lots of construction at the brewery, and by March 17^th, Aspenites got their first taste of what is steadily becoming an Aspen institution.

Working Harder Than Ever…

Despite sticking to traditional brewing methods, there are a few characteristics that make the brewing company especially unique. “Well, the three of us are certainly the youngest group of people to start a brewery…with the least amount of prior brewing experience,” Brad says. Terry nods in approval. “We’re also one of the smallest production breweries that exists. At 2,100 square feet, it’s like running a brewery in someone’s garage,” he adds.

What did all this mean for these fresh faces? The guys all agree that the best lesson they’ve learned is that they are working harder than they ever thought they would be. “Since day one we’ve had thousands of little ups and downs. One day you’re on the top of the mountain and nothing can go wrong and then all of the sudden something terrible happens and you have to deal with it and understand it.”

Get your Aspen Brewing Company fix at their tasting room as well as the following local restaurants:

Hotel Jerome - Brown Bear Ale, Double Dog Pub - IPA and Brown Bear

La Cantina - IPA and Blonde

Wheeler Opera House - Wheat, Blonde or Pilsner

Highlands Pizza Company - 4 Varieties

39 Degrees @ Sky Hotel - Brown Bear

N9NE Steak House – varies

Matsuhisa - Brown Bear and Smuggler Wheat

Belly Up - Brown Bear

Darwin's Grill – IPA

Eric's Bar - Conundrum Red

Viceroy – IPA

The Artisan @ Stonebridge - Blonde, Brown & IPA

Big Hoss Grill - Brown Bear

Willow Creek Bistro @ The Ritz Highlands - Pilsner, Blonde, Brown & IPA

Mountain Chalet - Brown Bear Ale