Blackberry Lambic - Upland Brewing Company

jmarsh123

Indiana

4.24/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours dark purple with some reddish hue with a small layer of pink foam and some lacing.

Tart berry and vinegar are the predominant smells. Maybe a bit of bretty funk too. Smells more sour than most Upland lambics.

Taste is also a little more sour than I'm used to from the fruit lambics. Very tart blackberries that tastes almost jammy along with some vinegar and bretty funk. Very tart and puckering.

Medium bodied with good carbonation. This one didn't gush on me at all. Very dry tart finish.

Definitely one of the better fruited lambics. I put it only behind Kiwi. Slightly better when fresh. Although a lot of that jammy goodness was still here, vinegar has started to take over a bit more now. I loved the sourness in the flavor although drinkability is a bit low. I was reaching for the tums after splitting a bottle as my stomach was not agreeing with my taste buds about the deliciousness of this.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 14:39:00 | More by jmarsh123

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

750mL bottle poured into Cascade snifter

Uh oh - it's a gusher! Not too bad though, as I opened this with 3 other people so I was able to avoid losing much by quickly pouring into tasters. Frothy, purple pour with haziness and a creamy head. Slowly fades out into a collar of film with little lacing.

The familiar Upland biting sourness shines right through, highlighted by blackberry and acidic fruit sweetness. Funky yeast, wet straw and toasted oak.

Strong sour presence right on the tip of your tongue, tempered by jammy berries with the blackberry riding the front of the wave. Funky yeast with straw and red wine. There's an acidity present perhaps from the fruit, as the sourness works its way to the back of your gums. Finishes dry and tart.

Lighter medium body, higher carbonation, bubbly and dry on the tongue. Another fruit lambic hit from Upland - I've yet to find one I didn't enjoy.

Serving type: bottle

06-10-2013 12:50:19 | More by xnicknj

ehammond1

California

4.49/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

Bottle (2012)

Acquired via trade
Thanks, MeisterSmudge!

(Aged for 1+ year)

A pretty dark pink, ruby, and violet. Very small ring of near-white bubbles atop. Head fades quickly and leaves the glass clean on the way down. Appropriate, and a very pretty color.

Really nice combination of funk and lactic sour character in the aroma. There's not a lot of earth or runk in the aroma, but the fruit and sour character are expressive and appealing enough where it's not really missed. There's a bit of oak, but the star is the fruit. Juicy, smashed blackberry/skin is nice.

As with the aroma, this is a wonderful combination of delicious, vibrant, expressive fruit, oak, and sharp lactic sour character. Clean, discernible flavors. Perhaps my favorite of the Upland Lambic series. This is delicious.

Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation.

Fantastic. One of my absolute favorite American sours. Terrific.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 02:36:51 | More by ehammond1

Davihaw

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-30-2013 22:12:21 | More by Davihaw

ajzy

Wisconsin

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

05-12-2013 22:02:19 | More by ajzy

MaseFace

Kentucky

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-11-2013 18:25:46 | More by MaseFace

joel66

New York

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-03-2013 20:28:28 | More by joel66

CummingsK21

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-03-2013 04:45:13 | More by CummingsK21

drummermattie02

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-01-2013 18:49:47 | More by drummermattie02

kscaldef

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

04-22-2013 05:44:38 | More by kscaldef

mobius387

Florida

4/5  rDev -4.8%

04-21-2013 14:42:10 | More by mobius387

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.13/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tasting glass.

Pours a datk copper color with a nice hazy amber hues.

Aroma of tart fruits start things off with some nice vinegar undertones as well. Slightly sweet berries are present. There is some nice yeasty esters in the nose as well. Slightly chalky.

Flavor starts off with some nice tartness. Slightly vinegary and acidic but equally balanced by some nice fruit tartness. Berries and fruit sweetness is slightly perceived as well. The tartness is nice and dry and there is a nice oaky note to it. The tartness is tempered slightly by some nice fruity yeast esters that give it a slight phenolic flavor as well as some nice chalky notes. Mouthfeel is nice and dry. Light and refreshing with good crisp and sharp carbonation.

Finally got to try one of the highly regarded Upland lambics. Definitely worth seeking out. This was an older vintage (2006) and there was still so much more development that could occur. Great lambic.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 14:35:19 | More by JoEBoBpr

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.99/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

First had: bottle, courtesy of totoropanda. Thanks!

Decanted into a #properglassware Upland goblet/tulip. Bubbles rose to the mouth of the bottle and some of the beer started to seep out, but I'd hardly call this a gusher. Poured a dark purplish-brown color, lively carbonation, with about an inch of rocky off-white head, loaded with chunky bits of blackberry. All right! Sour fruits in the nose, blackberry, apple, a little acetic and lactic. The first thing that jumped out at me was the carbonation. It seemed way too high, and almost made this more soda-like than beer-like. Blackberry was the main player in the flavor department, as would be guessed, tart and tangy, though not overly puckering, lactic, drying. One-dimensional, but what else would you expect from this particular beer? Not a complaint, just an observation. Mouthfeel was light and spritzy, and I feel it lost a bit by being too carbonated, but overall that was just a minor setback. It was a nice beer, and quite enjoyable overall.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2013 03:36:09 | More by Rifugium

Gobzilla

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

03-31-2013 04:21:10 | More by Gobzilla

Gonzoillini

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

03-24-2013 22:39:53 | More by Gonzoillini

CarolinaKevin

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

03-13-2013 01:09:40 | More by CarolinaKevin

jaminjohnson

Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

03-12-2013 09:54:00 | More by jaminjohnson

spycow

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

03-09-2013 22:39:53 | More by spycow

marine1975

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

03-09-2013 16:59:47 | More by marine1975

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.8%

03-08-2013 19:59:37 | More by RblWthACoz

t0rin0

California

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

03-04-2013 16:56:54 | More by t0rin0

rlee1390

Indiana

4.23/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Highly carbonated, Ruby/purple in the glass. Pink while pouring.

S-Blackberries, oak, funk, vinegar, grass.

T-Fruity blackberries, mild tartness, tad bit of oak. Nicely balanced. Not overly sweet like some fruited lambics.

M-Light very bubbly, dry in the finish.

O-More tart than sour, the blackberries are perfect; they provide great flavor without making the beer too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 00:11:03 | More by rlee1390

scottfrie

California

4.31/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 10/11/2010. Sampled alongside the other seven fruit lambics.

Gusher bottle bomb.
A: Pours a murky dark purple color with a fair amount of chunks with a thin light pink film of a head.
S: Tart smelling with light hints of blackberry and citrus.
T: Citrus rind, lemon, and blackberry. Fresh blackberry fruit in the aftertaste with citrus rind and orange zest up front. Lemon comes back in the aftertaste.
M: Medium-full body, chewy mouthfeel, fuzzy carbonation, low acid bite, clean and delicious.
O: A tough flavor to impart but this was delicious. Probably best not to age this one as long as I think it would have been much better when the fruit was brighter.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 01:43:53 | More by scottfrie

beernads

Florida

4/5  rDev -4.8%

02-08-2013 09:51:41 | More by beernads

CJS

Florida

4/5  rDev -4.8%

02-03-2013 19:07:02 | More by CJS