Upland Strawberry Lambic

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

2008 Release; Sampled December 2008
Served at about 60°F / 15°C, the beer pours with a frothy, fairly quickly disappearing, initially one finger thick head into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip. The beer has a murky, gold tinged, amber color to it that shows a fairly hazy, honey gold color when held up to the light. The aroma has an up front, signature Brettanomyces note to it, but finishes with a soft, yet distinct, strawberry aroma. A light tartness permeates the aroma, but musky, sweaty, cured leather notes, barnyard mustiness, plastic-like yet spicy phenolics; this really has quite a bit of funky fermentation character to it in the nose, definitely an enjoyable smell. A lactic sourness, along with some esters creates aromas of grapefruit with perhaps a touch of Meyer lemon. The strawberry ends up being pretty subtle, it was most noticeable during the first smell of the aroma, but does peak through just a touch during some other draughts of the aroma.

The tasted is tart up front, but actually has quite a bit of strawberry flavor to it that adds an almost sweetness to this beer. The strawberry, while not strong, definitely plays a much bigger role in the flavor than it did in the aroma. That characteristic strawberry character plays a role from the beginning through to the end of each sip. I think this does still have some fruit sweetness to it, it is just enough to be noticed over the soft, lactic tartness and it is this that seems to boost the strawberry flavors just a bit more. Pretty light bodied, though it does have some body to it that almost seems a product of a lactic viscousness and perhaps a touch of tannins. Speaking of tannins, the oak character here was unnoticed by me until I thought of the tannins; the oak does play a role here, not only by providing some tannic structure and bite, but also with a touch of spicy oak in the finish and perhaps a hint of butterscotch. This has a light, but persistent carbonation to it that really helps add to the character of this beer (flat fruit Lambics just don’t do it for me).

My second pour had quite a bit of sediment mixed in by the carbonation as it sat in the bottle. This adds a touch of a yeasty bite to the flavor and a raw, yeasted dough not to the aroma, both of which are not a major player, but contribute to the overall effect of both the nose and flavor. The funkiness of the aroma is much reduced in the flavor (the tartness is much more noticeable in the flavor), but there are some light notes of phenolics, some cotton mouthed mustiness and just a hint of musk. The strawberry character is much more enjoyable than I expected it to be. I am not a big strawberry person, but it definitely adds a nice touch here, especially since it has a fairly soft influence overall.

Trade from StFun - Thanks! Kind of cloudy, murky brownish orange, with no head. Smells like a traditional lambic - hints of metal and oak, with winey, citrusy notes. Flavor is odd, but appealling - lots of sour and oak and tart up front, and the strawberry doesn’t really hit until the aftertaste. Tasty, I’d love to try some of the other lambics.

Bottle shared by Shyam at the 09er. My thanks, sir. This is an amusee. Shyam’s assessment is valid in my view: this is great beer. It is well crafted. It tastes good. It is not a Strawberry Lambic. It is a very good Sour Ale. Also it may be the most beautiful beer I have EVER seen. I wish I could give it higher than a five. Clean tartness, only very thin aroma of strawberries - partly green ones. Minimal wood.

Bottle shared by Shyam at the 09er. My thanks to him for his patience in developing my taste for lambics. Pours a burnt shade of orange with a trim white head. Smells funky with the aroma of yeast and wood. Tastes of tart, underripe, strawberries and cereal. Not bad at all.

2008 bottle shared by JCB. Thanks J. Pours a hazy orange with a small white lace. Nose is sweet, yet natural, strawberry, some oak, and some light tartness. Flavor has some more strawberry and wood though the tartness is lacking. Thin, undercarbonated mouthfeel. Man, I really wanted to love this. Hopefully some more time in the barrels with funktify these offerings.

Pours a hazy, slightly reddish orange with a little bit of white head. The aroma is sour, acidic, of grapefruit, cheese, and lambic funk. The flavor is like lime lollipops, grapefruit, a bit bitter like grapefruit rind, and acidic. The mouthfeel is normal in thickness, but acidic. This is a very nice beer, but not as funky as I’d like a lambic to be.

Bottle. 2008 vintage. Pleasant mix of Froot Loops and Trix cereal sweetness and some stinky cheesy and sock funk. Some mothballs and cedar. Dusty, dry attic. More funk as the beer warms. Decent. Pours a dark, hazed orange with a quickly dissipating bright white head. Save for a few random bubbles climbing their way to the top, the beer looks almost still in the glass. If tasting this blind, I wouldn’t have guessed strawberry. The fruit profile in the beer seems to be a tad darker than strawberries. Plenty of tartness and acidity. More dusty than musty. Some leather. The pale malt base hits the tongue first with plenty of acid and fruit skin tannin on the back end. Medium bodied. Slightly slick and oily with a fairly brash finish. Well done! Thanks Joe!

Courtesy of tpd975. Pours hazy muddy gold with hues of straw and thin off white head. The aroma brings up mild muted vague fruitiness, smooth sourness, a bit of funk and some hay. The taste has an initial sweet fruitiness that hints at being strawberry without actually convincing me that it is. It also has mild notes of grainy malts moving into sour notes, mild tartness and a bit of earthy funk. Very approachable lambic with the tartness, acidity and sourness in check.