Upland Breaking Away

Breaking Away is a collision of craft beer and cycling culture represented through visual art and flavor. To celebrate the opening of Upland’s new Fountain Square location in Indianapolis and their partnership with Gray Goat Bicycle Company, Upland Brewing Co. has collaborated with artist, designer, and cyclist Dustin Klein of Portland, Oregon to create a beer that celebrates craft beer & cycling.

For the beer itself, Upland wanted to create a recipe that was creative & unique to their portfolio yet also represented their passion for cycling. They started with ingredients that are undeniably refreshing: ginger & lemon. To amplify this thirst-quenching quality they chose a locally sourced yeast strain that produces lactic acid during fermentation adding a mild tartness to the finished beer. To soften that tartness and add a touch of electrolytes, a small addition of pink Himalayan sea salt was added.

The art Dustin Klein created for the Breaking Away label is indicative of the flowing teardrop motif that permeates much of his work. Klein’s art spans many different mediums including painting, clothing design, graphic art, tattooing, and now beer labels. He is a prominent member of the cycling community and makes his career out of the intermingling of cycling with creative design.