ML - Aspen Peak

2014 - Issue 2 - Winter

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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THE CHEERS PIONEER DUNCAN CLAUSS Most students spend their fi nal months at college imbibing alcohol for fun; Duncan Clauss was busy making a career of it, crafting, in his senior year at UC Boulder, what would become the Aspen Brewing Company. "I was shocked that Aspen, of all places, didn't have its own brewery," says the Connecticut native. "I knew I wanted to move to Aspen after college. Originally I was just going to be a ski bum, but I knew I would kick myself if [after] two years someone [opened a brewery fi rst]." After securing investors, he launched his "nano-brewery" in 2008 in a mixed- use area just outside the downtown core. Nearly seven years later, the 30-year-old—who describes himself as the brewery's founder, operator, plumber, electrician, and everything in between—has moved the brewery to a large facility near the airport and the Tap Room bar to Restaurant Row (304 E. Hopkins Ave., 970-920- 2739; aspenbrewingcompany.com), and has doubled beer production every year since 2010. He's even picked up awards along the way: His Belgian Farmhouse Saison won the silver medal at the 2012 Great American Beer Fest and the gold at the 2014 World Beer Cup. Did you have a philosophy for the brewery when you started? Aspen has this veil of glitz and glam, but beneath that is an awesome local community. I was confi dent that the local crowd would rally behind a brewery to call their own. What do you drink aside from Aspen Brewing beer? I drink a lot of beer, partly because I love it and partly because I want to keep up with what other breweries are doing. But other than that, you can fi nd me at L'Hostaria [with] a nice glass of wine. What's the most challenging part of running a business here? Real estate is certainly the biggest piece of the puzzle. But because of our timing with the recession, we started small and are now able to grow [sustainably]. Where can we fi nd you on a Saturday night? Walking out of Belly Up after some really good live music! Sweater, Theory ($325). 204 S. Galena St., 970-544- 0079; theory.com. Kane in Raw jeans, J Brand ($154). Pitkin County Dry Goods, 520 E. Cooper Ave., 970-925-1681; pitkincoun- tydrygoods.com. Grande Lune watch, Hermès ($27,100). 105 Fillmore St., Denver, 303-388- 0700; hermes.com OPPOSITE PAGE: Plaid vest, Luciano Barbera ($1,685). Pitkin County Dry Goods, 520 E. Cooper Ave., 970-925- 1681; pitkincounty drygoods.com. Magnus sweater blazer, Iris von Arnim ($1,798). Gorsuch, 611 E. Durant Ave., 970-920-9388; gorsuch.com. 18k pink-gold Quai de L'ile watch, Vacheron Constantin ($43,400). Hyde Park Jewelers, Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Denver, 303-333-4446; vacheron-constantin.com. Dress shirt and pants, Fuller's own ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM 173

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