Sour Reserve Ale
(has 6 batches)
Upland Brewing Company in Bloomington, Indiana, United States 🇺🇸
Lambic Style - Gueuze Regular|
Score
7.51
|
|
Blended Sour Ale aged in oak wine barrels.
We began our sour ale project in 2006 with only four oak barrels previously used to store red wine. The number has grown over the years, along with the amount of sour ale we’ve brewed. Each barrel develops unique characteristics as it ferments independently, and just as Belgian brewers have been doing for centuries, we sought out our favorite barrels, ranging in age from one to three years old, for blending. By blending the sour ale from these barrels together in various amounts, we created in this bottle a live harmony of tartness, fruitiness and layers of flavor that can never be replicated. We hope you enjoy it with friends, whenever and wherever.
We began our sour ale project in 2006 with only four oak barrels previously used to store red wine. The number has grown over the years, along with the amount of sour ale we’ve brewed. Each barrel develops unique characteristics as it ferments independently, and just as Belgian brewers have been doing for centuries, we sought out our favorite barrels, ranging in age from one to three years old, for blending. By blending the sour ale from these barrels together in various amounts, we created in this bottle a live harmony of tartness, fruitiness and layers of flavor that can never be replicated. We hope you enjoy it with friends, whenever and wherever.
Sign up to add a tick or review
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7.5
Flavor 8
Texture 7
Overall 8
Small white head over hazy orange-golden beer. Lemon, shoepolish, horseblanket, wild yeasts. Lemon, horseblanket, floral, unripe fruit. Tart - citruspeel, lemonbalm, lemonsquash. Very sour, giving lipsmacking acidity. Feels better carbonated than it looks, acidburn and -thinning. Quite good - sharp, but never exaggerated as so many.
Tried
from Bottle
from
Billie’s Bottle Shop
on 21 Feb 2022
at 10:11
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Blend 5 on 11/17/2019. Tulip showing pale gold with sparse white foam. The nose shows moderately intense notes of brett and lemon drops. The palate is well carbonated and light bodied. Moderately tart with sharp notes of lemon.
Tried
on 17 Nov 2019
at 07:07
8.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 9
750 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 4/2017, batch K-17. Pours slightly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big sour/tart/tangy lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, cherry, plum, raspberry, gooseberry, passion fruit, papaya, mango, guava, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, oak, peppercorn, wet wood, leathery/musty/lacto funk, wheat, cracker, white bread, light white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and light-moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big sour/tart/tangy lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, cherry, plum, raspberry, gooseberry, passion fruit, papaya, mango, guava, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, oak, peppercorn, wet wood, leathery/musty/lacto funk, wheat, cracker, white bread, light white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate lactic tart/sourness, Brett/wine tang, and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of sour/tart/tangy lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, cherry, plum, raspberry, gooseberry, passion fruit, papaya, mango, guava, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, oak, peppercorn, wet wood, leathery/musty/lacto funk, wheat, cracker, white bread, white wine vinegar, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a while. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and light-moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with a great malt/tart/sourness, and yeast/oak spiciness balance; with minimal puckering flavors after the finish, Moderate increasing dryness from lingering tart/tang/sourness, yeast/oak spiciness, and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp, grainy, acidic, tangy, tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Minimal warming alcohol for 6%. Overall this is an incredible gueuze style. All around fantastic complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic/spicy yeast, oak barrels, and light-moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink with the moderately sour/tart/tangy/drying finish, not overly lactic. Amazingly well rounded classic barnyard Brett/Bacteria complexity, great oak presence, and solid pale/wheat malts against acidity. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 Feb 2019
at 19:10