Fatali Four - Upright Brewing Company

ColdPoncho

Ohio

3.8/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks for sharing, Urbancaver
From notes
Nice to try this alongside its base beer

A - golden yellow body with a white ring of head.

S - very similar to non-bal Four: bit of citrus, spice, and pale malt.

T - also very similar to the base beer: crisp, citrus, zest, tart/funk, but with a pretty serious chile burn at the back of your mouth.

M - lines up with the base. medium body, a bit dry.

O (D) - The spice is too much for me. I'm pretty sensitive to it, and at first it's pretty tame, but after a while, it is too much.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 01:23:32 | More by ColdPoncho

Urbancaver

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Side by side of four and fatali four. An interesting comparison

Both pour a clear golden orange with lots of carbonation. The regular four has a crazy amount of head. Fatali four is fairly minimal headed. Both smell a bit funky. The fatali has a nice kick of pepper on the nose. Both have a wheaty saison scent that is great. Both taste nice and wheaty. A nice funk. The fatali has a huuuuge pepper on the back of the tongue. They are both really solid saisons! The moth feel is solid. Smilar carbonation on both. Overall both are tasty. Fatali is incredible compared to the base beer. Very unexpected :)

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 00:26:57 | More by Urbancaver

chumba526

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It appears medium bodied gold with a small white head.

It smells a bit sour. There is a nice fruity smell. I get a bit of a dank smell. There is an earthy spicy pepper smell as well. I also get a few citrus notes.

It tastes initially a bit sour. The sourness leads to a pleasant sweet fruity flavor. I get a nice rich spicy type of an earthy chile flavor. There are some mild citrus notes. It is very smooth and light yet flavorful. The sour flavor and the spicy flavor blend nicely with each other. This is really smooth and interesting to drink.

There is a light mouthfeel to the beer. It is lightly carbonated.

Overall a great interesting complex beer. This is the most drinkable chile beer I have ever had. One of the most unique beers I have had.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2011 03:05:40 | More by chumba526

womencantsail

California

4/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks for sharing this one, Mark. Sounds interesting...

A: Pours a cloudy straw color with a large white head that settles down to a thin layer and leaves some nice lacing.

S: Initially this pretty much just smells like the regular Four with a lot of lemon juice and lactobacillus. A touch of fruitiness, especially citrus, but then the peppers start to creep in and give off a spiciness and earthiness that is quite well balanced.

T: The tartness of the beer starts things off and is quite pleasing. The pepper flavor seems really subtle and for the most part I pick up pale malts and just a nice earthiness from the peppers. A few seconds after taking a sip, however, the peppers give off a nice heat that lingers in the back of the throat.

M: The body is light to medium with a moderate to high carbonation.

D: Not always the biggest chili beer fan, but the peppers played well with the tartness of the beer and were not overdone.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2011 17:45:03 | More by womencantsail

Metalmonk

North Carolina

3.98/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My fourth Upright beer, and incidentally, the fourth one to begin with an "F." Hmm...thanks to msubulldog25 for this and every other Upright beer I've had.

From the label: "a barrel-aged wheat beer with chiles." Had never heard of the Fatali (or Fatalii) chili before this.

The pour results in an amazingly cloudy peachy/sunset yellow/gold color. The head is built of larger-than-normal bubbles, kind of soapy looking.

The smell is wonderful. Led by a funky yeast earthiness, a tart, intensely aromatic citrus rind character comes in right behind it. These traits are bold and out front, very Belgian farmhouse in character. A tart, sharp white wine-like presence is here too, maybe reminding most of Chablis or champagne. Chili isn't detected in the nose.

Fatali Four has an attractive and complex taste. Chili is bold and folded over all other flavors, somehow never intrusive despite being so prevalent. A vinous character again reminds of Chablis, sharp and acidic and tart, and the wood seems to be the thing lending a dry and super-earthy element to the overall flavor picture. Yeast gives a dirty/earthy twist. Zesty lime rind sweetness and tartness come in too, and this tartness, along with the heat, carry through strongest in the finish.

Feel is dry, crisp, buoyant, yet still with substantial weight and considerable carbonation. Spiciness plays with the dryness and makes the mouth feel nicely fiery.

One of the most interesting beers I've had in ages. Fatali Four is an intensely flavorful beer that has to be taken slowly, or its sharper intensities can become overbearing. And I'm taking it slowly, I've got all night.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 22:07:18 | More by Metalmonk

JohnGalt1

Idaho

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 provided by seanthornton152.. Nice one Sean.. this is a thinker.

Pours with a thin white head... pale hazed golden..

Nose is a sorta spicy lite Belgian with a hint of coriander. No real chili to speak of.

Flavor is a bigger witbier/lesser saison with a bit of orange peel and minor yeasty phenols.. the chili flavor is there, but mainly only on later pours.

You really have to stick with this one to get the chili.. the heat really does grow and completely melds with the base beer.

Body is much better than expected for a 4.5% brew.. so is the carbonation.. everything is in the right place.

Thanks Sean.... this one seemed pretty damned fresh... and it was soooo far off my radar... I truly appreciate it.

3.5/3.5/4/4/4

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2011 05:31:13 | More by JohnGalt1

Docer

Washington

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle grabbed at Bottles in NE PDX..

- Lightly cloudy straw yellow brew.. pretty heavy pour didnt yield much foam.. quick fizzing down to a trace dusting and micro-sized ring of bubbles.

- Chilis present.. light spice, yeasty zest.. grain, and some slight hops with a funk wheat note.. slightly buttery smelling...

- Probably one of the more spicy beers I have had.. starts off smooth and zesty... bready and zesty yeast.. light grain, wheat notes, and then the peppers really creep up and hit you with beads of sweat in the forehead. Totally awesome. So far the flavor is the highlight.

- Light bodied, quite bubbly.. mouth watering heat.

- Overall not the most drinkable beer.. just might be too hot for some, though not for me. I like it, and I like how the heat sneaks up later without ruining the beers great backbone.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2011 02:40:29 | More by Docer

clearlydiluted

New York

3.65/5  rDev -12.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 2.5

served in an 8 oz glass at Grain & Gristle

The beer pours a hazy yellow golden tint with light lacing. It smells of funky at first sniff. There's no hints that there are any chilies in the aroma. The first sip says otherwise as the heat of the chilies hits first along with a familiar fruity green chili flavor that melds well with the fruit saison esters. The body is medium-light and there is a good deal of carbonation. The whole thing finishes with a clean lactic sour note that reminds me of a berliner weisse along with the lingering heat from the chilies.

I'd say that the beer overall was an interesting combination of Four with the Fatali chilies, but I'm not sure I'd drink a whole pint of it given how spicy it was. Though I'm sure it would have gone great with food. I would like to see how some of the wild yeast, notably Brett, work on this beer later on as there were no hints of it in the current profile of the beer.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2010 18:41:15 | More by clearlydiluted

johnmichaelsen

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the Grain and Gristle tonight

The beer pours a solid gold color with fair head retention and light lacing. The nose is fairly attractive, especially if you are a sour lover. There is considerable sour funk, along with some light honey and lemon/lime. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely in this beer, though it's not as sour as I was expecting given the aroma profile. There is also a hint of vanilla flavor, which along with the honey, is pretty nice. Mouthfeel is medium bodied to light, with a wash of sour on the finish. Drinkability is OK, but I'm just not enough of a sour fan to appreciate and/or enjoy this beer.

While OK, I can't say I found this to be a particularly memorable effort from the folks at Upright.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2010 05:07:02 | More by johnmichaelsen

msubulldog25

Oregon

4.18/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Tried this a couple weeks ago at Upright's tasting room before a Blazers game; at the time it cut right through the sinus congestion and sore throat I had festering in me. This time (28 Nov), I had a 12 oz. pour ($2!), again at the brewery, from what was said to be the last remaining keg.

The Fatali (or Fatalii, spelled both ways), akin to Habanero and Scotch Bonnet, ranks #6 of all pepper varieties in Scoville Units (i.e. HEAT) according to wikipedia. These peppers (uncertain of the quantity) were added to barrels of Upright's standard #4 saison.

A: Golden wheat with a cloudy haze. Thin skim of white cream, a clinging ring that drips small flecks of lace. Plenty of rising carbonation.

S: Surprisingly lemony-tart 'saison' aroma, a light and fresh lemongrass more like it... not bad, but not much 'pepper' to distinguish from the usual #4.

T: Starts with a light wheat, grassy and faintly sweet. Then, after a couple seconds, a mouth-filling warmth ignites...not a searing heat, just a budding spice and lemon-pepper tang. Married with the natural floralness, peppery dryness and mild yeast 'funk' of the base beer...well, it's damn good.

M: Crisp carbonation, airy and light, with a sinus-clearing heat. A little viscous, oily coating.

D: It is the #4 (which I really enjoy) with a perfectly savory/mouth-watering warming of peppers added in perfect quantity for my tastes. Love the result and am sad to see this one go. Among the more interesting new beers I've tried all year. My vote is cast for a reappearance in 2010.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2009 19:58:17 | More by msubulldog25

goodbyeohio

Oregon

3.93/5  rDev -6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 2.5

it's actually FATALII four, but whatevs.

33 oz stone growlerfull for a fiver. hazy golden. perfumey aroma brings to mind rose petals and fresh cut grass with a hint of funky stinkweed. that funk evolves when pondered upon to something more farmy.. its mingling with the hops show a real hint of orvallian wonder.

initially, a straight up wit with hop balance and a brett zing. the flavor follows through with some mid-grade yet lingering heat.. and not like a burn, more like a buzz. the pepper flavors are present upon warmth, and nose breathing brings more heat to the party. some real nice fruitiness comes together with the yeast on top of the peppers.

damn, this is one of the best fruit beers i've ever tasted. and this being the bottom of the last keg, i think i inherited some extra testes-enhancing scorch. no worries, i can handle it.

Serving type: growler

11-24-2009 07:24:56 | More by goodbyeohio