Upland Raspberry Lambic

Brewed by Upland Brewing Company
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Bloomington, Indiana USA

#7 Bottle. [Papso Shady blind Tasting 2009] Small fizzy white head that was mostly gone. Spare to no lacework. From almost clear to heavy muddy amber color with large particles in flow that might have been fruit meat. (Unlucky for Ungstrup and Alex). Sour apple, vinegar, barnyard, fruit, citrus. Over the palate came sweet perfume, orange, peach, yeast. Medium bodied with a soft carbonation and light dry texture. Moderated sweet and acidic flavor. Lingering light sour fruity finish. 7 / 3 / 7 / 3 / 15 = 3.5

750ml corked bottle served in a tumbler. Amber pour with a thin head of bubbles that quickly settled into a film. Almost no lacing. The aroma was loaded with fresh raspberries. Sweet fruit with a hint of sour. The raspberry also came through very strong in the flavor, but it was pretty dry. Lightly acidic with a building sourness. The mouthfeel was light-bodied and had mild carbonation. Refreshing. Definately not the most complex lambic, but still quite tasty.

Bottle #7 at Papsø’s blindtasting. Hazy orange coloured with huge white floaties and a small white head. Fruity aroma of oak, vanilla, brett and raspberries. Fruity flavour of brett and berries with notes of vanilla. Tart finish.

From bottle, blind #7. Pours cloudy orange with a fully gone head. Dense peachy and light acidic aroma. Dry acidic, slight phenolic and distinct peachy flavoured. Dry acidic flavoured finish. Light bodied. Lasting fruity and slight acetone touch into the very far finish.

The last of my Upland Lambic collection. Pours a pretty bright orange color with a small white head. Significant yeast chunks are in here too. Aroma is very nice. A nice blend of funk and fruit. Jammy, berry aromas, not necessarily raspberries though they are there if you look. A fresh, ripe fruit aroma is evident and pleasing. Moderately tart and acidic in the nose. The warmer this gets the more the raspberry becomes apparent and non-ambiguous. Flavor is moderately tart with a nice raspberry middle before a dry finish. The sourness is the big thing lacking here, with the acidity levels significantly lower than they should be. This is a nice beer, smells nice, but is lacking in the sourness. After all the lambics I can conclude that the Uplands are interesting but each one seems to lack something to make it work as a whole.

4/25/2009: I have heard so much about the Upland Lambics, but have not yet had a chance to actually try one until today when somebody shared a bottle of the Raspberry. I was suprised and a little put off by the opaque, pinky-peach color at first. However, after smelling and tasting the beer, the color just seem to fit nicely. It has a nice sweet/tart fresh from the bramble raspberry aroma and a vibrant raspberry flavor with just a dash of heavy cream. It is soft, smooth, suptle, and milky on the palate. I am impressed by the well-roundedness of this beer. Very good!

Sample from bottle at Dark Lord Day 2009. Rating #98 for this beer.

Bottle at DLD 09 ... very hazy pinkish ... tart and a little woody huge raspberry in nose ... flavour is pure raspberry with a little tartness.

When the cap was taken off there was a lot of air escaping from around the cork underneath. Interesting. Pours ruby red color with white head that does not last. Aroma is great. Lots of raspberries with some oak and tartness. Nice funk. Flavor is tart, somewhat sour, some raspberry, wood, and finishes with all the flavors in balance. Really nice.