Dantalion Dark Wild Ale - Upland Brewing Company

corby112

Pennsylvania

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

Pours a very hazy, dark amber/chestnut brown color with a one finger beige head that quickly settles into a thick, lasting ring.  Splotchy lacing left behind.  

Sweet vinous aroma with earthy oak, vanilla, roasted malts and vinous dark fruit notes.  Strong red wine barrel with toasted oak, red wine, dark grape and cherry.  Underneath, there's some roasted dark malt, vinous fruits, musty brett and subtle acetic acid.

Medium bodied with tart, acidic sournesss along with toasted oak and vinous dark fruit flavors.  Tart with dry, musty brett and lactic funk followed by caramel malt, toffee, cherry, grape and currants.  Light and easy to drink which is surprising considering the complexity.  A very solid dark sour from Upland.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 00:29:32 | More by corby112

Rutager

British Columbia (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks msquared2!! Bottled 7/12/10

Appearance. Pours a very deep, dark red-brown with a finger of creamy, pale-khaki head.

Smell. Sour cherries and old wood with just a dash of vinegar.

Taste. Sour cherry again, but not as big as the smell would lead on. Some tannic wood with a light, almost herbal bitterness along with some fruity (Belgian) yeast, especially in the finish.

Mouthfeel. Medium body, slick felling, and low+ carbonation.

Overall. A nice wild with some moderate sourness and some interesting complexity from the yeast and the barrel.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2013 01:01:45 | More by Rutager

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.66/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle shared by Sammy, 750ml into a tulip. Bottled August 12, 2010.

Muddy dark brown with a cream head. Moderate retention and light lacing. Nose has some dark fruits/berries, a complex herbal/spice tone, coffee perhaps and oak? Really peculiar. Taste has cola, herbal, again chocolate/coffee notes, dark fruits and some acidity in the finish. Medium body with some alcohol. Interesting/unique, but I wasn't taken aback by this.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 17:09:58 | More by liamt07

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.79/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

My Bottle from a forgotten good store. Above average mouthfeel. Darker colour than you would normally see from the style.Bretty. Coca cola,nutmeg, pepper, mint, and we need more of that than the sourness from the remaining lactic acid. Aged close to a year. Bubbly head. Cross saison/mild.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 17:11:00 | More by northyorksammy

jmarsh123

Indiana

3.23/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours cloudy brown with red hues and a small white head fading to little retention or lacing.

A little bit of a toffee sweetness in the aroma with a little bit of berry. Not overly sour aroma.

More malty sweetness in the flavor along with a little berry/cherry tartness. Not very sour at all especially compared to the fruit lambics and not overly complex.

Medium bodied with ample carbonation. Finishes somewhat dry.

Nothing really bad about this, just sort of unimpressive all around. I remember liking this more when it was fresh so not sure if the bottle fell off or my sour palate improved. Most likely the latter. Not a bad beer, but would prefer Uplands fruit lineup or something more sour in general to this.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2012 18:30:29 | More by jmarsh123

oline73

Maryland

3.6/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from the bottle into my Hunahpu's snifter.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy reddish brown with a layer of off white head. The head fades to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: There is a red berry tartness with a malt sweetness. I'm also getting a slight vinegar note.

Taste: I'm getting a red berry tartness along with a malt sweetness. There is also a slight vinegar sourness. Not a whole lot more going on here.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and a very mildly dry finish.

Overall: I didn't think this beer was very interesting. There was a tart note along with some sweetness, but nothing much more. I'm glad I had this, but I don't know that I would trade for another.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2012 04:59:15 | More by oline73

mynie

Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Not quite two years old. I bought it about a year ago and have been properly cellaring it ever since, because I'm a fancyman and my home is equipped with a real-life cellar.

Pours very dark, medium fizzy with a whole helluva lot of particulates floating tantalizingly within. To think, there's some people who are so square they get turned off by the sight of yeast floating in their beer. The mind boggles...

Smells a little tame. I worry that maybe I had it in the fridge too long. Even cold, big brett and lactobacillus nodes are present, with tinges of cherries, raspberries, and ascorbic acid against light wisps of alcohol. Again, tantilziing. (As it warms, the fruit nodes mellow but the overall flavor becomes more complex, livened by vinous hints of oak).

Tastes woodier and more mellow, but still very pleasantly tart. Big lactobrett starts things off, getting mellowed out by nodes of wood and booze about halfway down your tongue, and ending on a natural-seeming, fruity tartness that's similar to the aftertaste of a pomegranate.

This is an absolute gem.

Serving type: bottle

05-29-2012 02:28:29 | More by mynie

4DAloveofSTOUT

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

reviewed from notes taken on 5/18/12.

750 cork and cage bottle split 3 ways. Poured into snifter.

Appearance: murky brown beer with a light white head that drops to a ring.

Smell: lemons, cherries, hay, mild funk, dust and grass.

Taste: mild to moderately tart beer. Tart cherries with sour apples and a little hint of caramel sweetness. Also a little earthy and woody. Lots of different flavors playing off each other here, but not sure if they all play off each other very well.

Mouthfeel: on the light end of a medium body with almost medium carbonation, but less carbonated then most Upland sour beers.

Overall: Never had a dark wild ale before. So the beer really made me think when i was drinking it. Its very different and interesting flavors.

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 02:35:33 | More by 4DAloveofSTOUT

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.65/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottled 7/12/10
Pours a dark chestnut brown that barely shows any light through the glass, just a bit of ruby highlights. There is a little bit of faom that quickly faded to a layer of fine bubbles.
There is a nice berry aroma with hints of the wine barrel, seems like a bit of a caramel aroma as well.
Flavor falls a little flat, there is some berry fruit in there along with hints of wine barrel, some oak and some tannins. The flavors are nice but subtle.
nice creamy mouthfeel with a big foamy feel. This beer is easy to drink, its a bit tame and I was hoping for something more, but maybe every beer doesn't need to be super anything, so the nice balance of this one is kind of refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2012 03:33:17 | More by mikereaser

scottfrie

California

4.28/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Thanks to the BA who sent me this years ago. Bottled 7/12/2010. Snifter.

A: Pours a murky raisin dark brown with a thin scum of a head that faded into a faint collar.
S: Lightly tart notes of berries, slight acid, and fruit skins. Clean smelling.
T: Smoother than I was expecting. Flavors of berries, acid, cocoa, citrus, tart and dry berry skins and light funk.
M: Drying mouthfeel, medium body, smooth carbonation. The acid becomes smoother as the beer warms.
O: Good fruity flavor and exceptionally easy to drink. Just a solid, clean, sour.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 18:45:56 | More by scottfrie

Spider889

Ohio

3.78/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Opened this bottle on New Years Eve. Fittingly poured into a champagne flute.

Appears nearly black. Has a nice frothy head - sandy in color. Average retention.

The aroma was immediatly funky. Dusty and dank. It has all of the prototypical souring bacteria funk without much actual sourness in there. Also a bit grassy and flowery with more subtle hints of red wine and leather.

Tastes mildly sour, but also nice and malty. Sweet but not too much so. Caramel. Acid. Bitter berry greens on the finish.

The carbonation is actually rather restrained and not bad at all.

This was a nice, balanced sour. I typically dislike darker sours but this one did the trick well.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 07:14:57 | More by Spider889

kbutler1

Minnesota

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle. Bottle says it was Summoned on 7/12/10. Pours a dark brownish color with a light tan had that quickly settles. Dark fruit and the recognizable brett and lacto type sour notes. Slightly earthy as well. Medium/light mouthfeel. Tart dark cherry upfront with a nice level of sourness kicking in. Oaky and earthy. Reminds me a little of a red wine. Overall, not bad.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 16:27:00 | More by kbutler1

starrdogg

District of Columbia

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to raveskdr for this one.

Pours a hazy dark brown. Smells of wood, wine and sour, but it doesn't quite come together perfectly. Taste follows the nose, not particularly impressive, but not bad either. Body is medium with nice carbonation. Overall, this is an okay sour, but probably the worst thing I've had from Upland. The components are all there, but it seems to be missing that certain something.

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2012 03:39:21 | More by starrdogg

kkipple

South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Up next we have the curious and weirdly artworked "Dantalion" from good ole Upland. This beer was proudly "Summoned" on 2.4.2010 and delivered to me by my friend and world-renown traveler, Unclejedi. 750ml bottle, corked / caged opens with a snap, and goes into our glasses.

A. Clear russet, low 2cm head with no real lacing. Looks like a good Flanders Red. Mostly still. Nice looking. Good retention.

S. Excellent. Cherry vinegar, sweet malt notes, tart and bold with a little oak in the bargain. Quite sharp, acidic and bright, but not overly so, and maintains a sweetness to the nose that is delicious.

T. Surprisingly sweet, still, but the sweetness here collides rather messily with a too-acidic sharpness that could be toned down a few notches. Vinegary and appealing for what it is - think an American Rodenbach Grand Cru - but the burning in my throat after a long sip tells me there is more work to be done here. In turns sweet, cherry-fruit, vinegar and sour, the rest is quite tasty. It just lacks that magic that one can achieve when making the same beer for a few decades.

M / O. Excellent carbonation, full without being distracting and appropriate for what this is. Thinner body, as expected, but a long fruity-sweet vinegar lingers, though regrettably the acidic burn makes its way into your throat. Otherwise, Dantalion is highly enjoyable. I'd be curious to know if this will change much going forward, alas, it was my only bottle. Was glad to have tried this - thanks to my friends for making it happen.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 04:27:02 | More by kkipple

ATLbeerDog

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a brown somewhat hazy root beer color with the consistency of root beer as well. Smells of sour green apples and tart cherries mixed with a tad of malt sweetness. First sip is both sweet and sour with the sourness dominating but not by a lot. As it warms this puppy starts to shine. Some red wine acidic notes appear but overall still a tad too sweet and not a lot of complexity. Hopefully the remaining sweetness will get eaten over time. A very nice sour as most Uplands are.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2012 04:14:19 | More by ATLbeerDog

Luk13

Quebec (Canada)

4.08/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle. Dark brown pour, white head, quite a few chunks. Aroma of cherries, vinegar, quite lactic, jolly pumpkin like funk. Taste is sour, vinegar, but very fruity, quite sweet some roast caracter on the finale. Palate is silky, low carbed and heavy bodied. Pretty tasty sour.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2011 18:59:31 | More by Luk13

GRG1313

California

3.88/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a medium/dark brown, hazy and a bit cloudy with a khaki head.

Complex "brown" carmel vegetal nose, with hints of some funk and hints of a light sour. Almost some earthy/mushroom character to the nose. Not bad and it is unique.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and good balance with, for Upland, a proper carbonation. (Didn't gush!) Retained light/medium carbonation without being fizzy. Decent mouth.
(Note: first taste is very different and one might react negatively; give it a chance with a few tastes before making a judgment. I didn't like it when first tasted; a few tastes later I realized this was a pretty good effort.)

Flavors of earth tones, mushrooms, unsweetened caramel and light tart cherries. There is some wood character undertones. Not as funky as I expected from prior reviews; just a hint of sour and just a hint of funk. Actually was like a decent red ale with some "different" complexities.

All in all, this is one of Uplands best and most assertive flavor profiles in its lambic line. Tasted Blueberry and Peach at the same time. This was the one that cleary left the best impression and was clearly the most complex. I'd drink again.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2011 19:37:20 | More by GRG1313

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750mL bottle, a generous extra from backfat (thanks Dave!). The cork was stuck in the bottle damn tight, and broke in half on the way out. As with other Upland wild ales there was a slow gush, manageable but something to watch for.

The beer is a dark and murky reddish brown color, with a tan foam that lasts for a few minutes. Very nice aroma, sour cherries and wild notes, reminiscent of a non-vinagar oude bruin. Same in the flavor, nice lactic acidity and sour fruits. Medium bodied, moderate carbonation, giving a decent mouthfeel. An excellent wild ale, my favorite so far from Upland.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 01:24:20 | More by TurdFurgison

SpeedwayJim

New York

2.9/5  rDev -27%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Thanks to Claaark (Sean) for this one. Shared with capra12 and schen9303 at an Upland tasting. Poured from a corked and caged bottle (bottled 7/12/10) into a Darkness snifter.

Pours a .5 finger light coffee colored foamy head with low retention. Beer is slight cloudy, dark brown. Stringy and patchy lace with moderate cling. Color is a bit off-putting.

Nose is an odd combination of soap, mint, plastic, and sweet grapes. Not bad, but very strange.

Opens sweet grape, spicy, plastic. Yeasty towards the middle with some Brett funkiness and cane sugar. Some residual sweetness towards the end with just a touch of tart. Not really sour at all and the barrel characteristic is almost entirely missing. A touch too sweet too.

Light to medium bodied with moderate to high carbonation. Prickly and bubbly in the mouth and abrasive doing down. Smooths nicely as it warms though. Messy finish with a clean aftertaste. Good for its style.

A pretty middle-of-the-road beer here. A bit too sweet with near no funk and little to no tartness. I'm not really sure what was trying to be accomplished here but the end result, why not bad, is a bit pedestrian.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2011 15:11:10 | More by SpeedwayJim

drabmuh

Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

In a signal to my complete indifference to the Upland drama of today I am drinking this ale. Served in a stein. Beer is brown and hazy with a thin off white head strong carbonation no lacing. Looks fine.

Aroma is consecration-esque...acetic mildly lactic and some succinate. Smells nice.

Beer us surprisingly spicy and has an almost sorachi ace sort of element. Grassy sweet with a dry finish. The finish isn't bitter and quite tart. Some acetic brightness and some lactic smoothness. Overall I like it but the general lack of availability leaves me not really wanting more.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 03:21:29 | More by drabmuh

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Rich dark brown, very hazy and cloudy with a rich tan colored head. Excellent retention left behind thick coating side glass lace. Some light carbonation at first, but this quickly diminished.

So intricate and complex, it almost was beyond description. The first notes to come across were funky and sour, which were to be expected, however, letting this one warm up brought about all sorts of goodness. lots of earthy notes and tons of rich dark funk that seemed to really dominate. This one had to warm though to really let you appreciate all of the subtleties that were going on here. Rich notes of caramel and tart cherries, light notes of oak and woodsy like malts. Started out a nice rush of Brett funkiness in all of its glory, rich notes of fruit, cherries layered in on top of that with an almost toffee like flavor as the base. lots of funk comes though in the finish dryin the palate and leaving a smooth finish

overall it was as solid as could be, really well done.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2011 00:29:30 | More by mikesgroove

SummitVA

Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to Pete for opening this one up.

A - Dark brown pour, steady carbonation, and decent head retention for a sour.

S - Lactic sourness foremost, followed by earth-y brett, dark fruit (cherries, esp.) leather, spice, oak, and vanilla.

T - Solid tartness upfront, followed by dark fruits (some dates along with the cherries), a bit of brown sugar, and earthiness of funk. Leather and oak character in the finish, along with a crisp sourness.

M - Nice medium body here, which is a nice change from a lot of thinned out American wilds.

O - Just a fantastic funky dark brew. Goes down far too easy for the ABV. Beautiful.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 15:10:08 | More by SummitVA

koopa

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml caged and corked bottle received in a trade with a generous BA thanks!

Appearance: Pours a fairly bland dark brown with a small off white (dirty khaki) crown that displays moderate retention and lacing.

Smell: Definitely my favorite aspect of the brew. Nice acidic bite from dark fruits, cherries and lemon brett coupled with some leather, spice, lactic acid and oak.

Taste: Same as nose but muddled. A bit of a let down after enjoying the nose so much.

Mouthfeel: Tastes a bit flat on the way down with a touch of carbonation at the end. Body is on the light side of medium bodied.

Overall: A drinkable wild ale with lots of great ingredients that come together in the nose much more than the taste.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2011 23:33:04 | More by koopa

sweemzander

Illinois

3.4/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750mL corked and caged bottle poured into a stemmed glass. 07-12-10 bottled date. Thanks to kyle for the bottle!

(A)- Gusher! Probably lost a few ounces in the process. Pours a fairly dark brown color. Produced a nice cap of tan froth. Some lace.

(S)- An acidic, almost floral funk. Bits of a dry oakiness.

(T)- Pretty much just like the smell. A sour, floral oaky funk with a dry finish.

(M)- A crisp carbonation level. A decent balance of oak funk and sour.

(D)- A decent wild. I can see this getting much better overtime. Pretty straightforward currently in an oaky sour funk sense, but pretty decent nontheless.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 14:43:56 | More by sweemzander

Lunch

Maryland

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle shared by Mr. Thorpe, thanks!

Poured into a Jester King snifter and this one is certainly dark(er). A dark burnt orange with a bit of light tan head that fades quickly.

Not a aggressive in smell as I am use to with Upland Wilds. Some oak and acidic cherry perhaps. Taste is yeastie and sour with a dark ale base. The cherries come through with some alcohol. Well carbonated, but overall this is so far my least favorite Upland Wild.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 20:28:35 | More by Lunch