Upstream Grand Cru

Brewed by Upstream Brewing Company
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Omaha, Nebraska USA

Bottle. [Tasting session @ Papsoe, 31-10-2008] Average foamy off-white head that mostly diminished. Spare display of lacework. Light cloudy amber color. Aroma of fruit, mild barnyard, earth, citrus, honey, wood. Extremely smooth and complex. Full bodied with an average carbonation and mild dry texture. Moderated sweet flavor with good counter acidic. Lingering smooth creamy fruity and mild sour finish.

750mL bottle. One of my favorites. Lots of both sweet ness and sourness. This beer was a shocker. I wasn’t expecting much. It was listed as a saison on tap, and then a belgian strong ale on ratebeer, but I think it should be a sour ale. Wonderful strong Brett B aroma. Aged 1 yr in barrel. Truly excellent.

GABF 2008. Pours light yellow with a small, fizzy, white head, somewhat lasting with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (grain, straw, meal), light hops (flowers, grass), heavy yeast (horse blanket, barnyard) with notes of plum and peach. Medium bodied, slick texture, average carbonation, and a bitter finish. Long duration, light sweetness, moderate acidity and bitterness.

750ml bottle. Aroma of funk and sourness. Wood aging and some added fruit, maybe grapes. Dry taste and has some brett aspects and barrel aging. Similar to some Cantillon I have had. A bit of spice rounds this one out.

From a 750mL Bottle, #196/632. Courtesy of valpoaj. Mostly hazy, pale gold colored pour with a quickly dissipating head of fizzy white. Mild brett aroma with hints of white grape and lemon. Chardonnay skins and oak tannins. Gentle pear esters and perfumey alcohol. Medium light bodied, softly carbonated mouthfeel. Sweet, light malt sugars up front on the palate, followed by a wave of brett. Apples, pears, and leather. Some peppery phenol characters come out toward the backend. Nice and dry, with a pleasant alcohol warmth in the finish. The funky barrel characters work well with the lightness of the body, creating a dry, vinous treat. Thanks, AJ!

Bottle shared by mmtmatrix, thanks dude. Poured an auburn orange color with an off-white head that faded to a ring. Aroma of sour, fruity brett with hints of oak and barnyard funk. Smooth, lightly sweet entry with some funky barnyard character and some moderate fruitiness (light berry, some citrus) and a moderately dry, yeasty finish. Smooth, moderately drying finish. Pretty nice beer, I would certainly drink it again.

Red gold color with a small, quickly diminishing foam. Really complex nose, with hints of brett funk, barrel (vanilla, white wine soaked wood, coconut), as well as some hints of fruit. Flavor also has a lot of complexity. A lot of oak character and funkiness. Vanilla, white wine, funk and it even finishes well. I have had this beer a couple times this batch. The original offering was much less funky and I liked it more. This sample is quite funky, almost approaching sour ale, but it is still of very high quality.

Thanks for sahring a bottle, Mark. the body is hazy and rusty brown with a kahki colored head. The aroma was funky with some vinous character. There was also a little bit of blue cheese. The taste is largely funky cpple cores. Again, like the smell, it is also dry and vinous. Interesting.