Upland Brewing Names 2017 UpCup Champs Weizz Come No Tattoo

The 10th Annual UpCup Challenge took place on April 21 at our production brewery. This year featured 73 unique entries, the most ever for the UpCup. The American Homebrewers Association joined us for a day of brewery tours, food, and judging lots of great beers. Homebrewing duo, Dan Voors (left) and Sam Snyder (right) claimed victory with their Krystal Wiezzen “Weizz Come No Tattoo.”

“UpCup is unique in that competitors are limited to only one entry per person so they must individually determine their best candidate before submitting their entry. All judging is performed by BJCP certified judges, without input from Upland staff, so the winning entry is truly the Best In Show, selected solely on the merits of the beer,” said Upland Brewer Patrick Lynch.

Second Place went to Bryan Dixon from Westfield, IN, with his Citrusy IPA, Chris Hamman from Bloomington received Third Place with a Melvin Kellerbier, and Honorable Mention was claimed by Cyrus Monty, also from Bloomington, with an Udderly Delicious Coco Stout.

Hailing from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Sam and Dan were able to take their small batch brew to a much larger scale—30-barrel batch—on July 11, spending the day in the brewhouse with our crew. “Brewing at Upland was an incredible experience. The folks at Upland were so generous and accommodating, and the passion that each of their brewers has for the craft was immediately evident from talking to them. Thank you to Upland for being such gracious hosts, and thank you to my wife and kids for putting up with me and my obsession and for not complaining (too much) about the brewing equipment that has now taken over most of our house,” said Dan Voors.

Sam has been homebrewing for three years and Dan for the past 5 years, with lots of help with his two little girls, who like to help our their dad adding hops and capping bottles.

They chose the Krystal Weizzen because it’s a great beer for summer right after it’s freshly brewed. They brewed it for a 4th of July party and said family and friends didn’t leave a drop by the end of the night’s celebration.

The beer will be available at Upland locations on draught in August and a few kegs are making their way their hometown of Fort Wayne to tap at some local bars. This beer will also compete in the 2017 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am competition in Denver, CO.

Raise a glass to Sam and Dan and be sure to enjoy their Weissbier this summer! Cheers, guys!

About the beer: A grain bill featuring 60% Wheat Malt provides a rich mouthfeel and refreshing taste to this German Weissbier. The traditional German yeast strain features banana and clove characteristics, with hints of bubble gum. Low bitterness allows the moderate bready wheat malt to shine through. After fermentation, the beer is filtered to a crystal clarity.