Blend Love (Sole Composition Series) - Upright Brewing Company

ehammond1

California

4.08/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bottle (2011)

Thanks for opening this with me, JealousChalice!

(Aged for 1+ year)

Clear dark orange and light ruby with a small white cap. Dots of white stick.

Raspberry and cherries in the aroma, though somewhat muted by the barnyard funk and grass elements. Funky and fruity--I like!

Good amount of fruit (raspberry and dark cherry) mix with barnyard funk and moderate amounts of sour character. Some distinct lemon and oak as well.

Thin to medium bodied. Moderate carbonation.

Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 04:57:19 | More by ehammond1

spycow

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%

05-01-2013 05:37:27 | More by spycow

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -9.7%

03-04-2013 17:27:00 | More by t0rin0

BdubleEdubleRUN

California

4.25/5  rDev -4.1%

01-15-2013 20:58:51 | More by BdubleEdubleRUN

Ultraman9000

California

4.25/5  rDev -4.1%

07-10-2012 17:04:23 | More by Ultraman9000

HopHead84

California

4.25/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

7/8/2012

Thanks to Luke for the bottle. Sole Composition series. The label shown in the picture above is not the right label for this beer.

A: Ruby orange with a big white head.

S: Raspberry and cherry with a little pie crust, vanilla, and oak. Prominent fruit character. Restrained leather notes with evident tartness and lactic notes. There's a little vinegar.

T: Cherry flavor with a lactic flair. Raspberry blends with oak and vanilla. Moderately tart with a lower moderate acetic acidity. Dry tannic finish with a final fruit flourish.

M: Upper light body with high carbonation. Dry tannic mouthfeel.

Overall: A really nice Upright beer. Great fruit character.

Serving type: bottle

07-10-2012 15:13:55 | More by HopHead84

brystmar

New York

4.25/5  rDev -4.1%

05-12-2012 01:36:36 | More by brystmar

WeisGuy

New York

4/5  rDev -9.7%

04-23-2012 01:23:00 | More by WeisGuy

whartontallboy

New York

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%

04-15-2012 04:52:52 | More by whartontallboy

bauermj

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%

04-11-2012 03:46:08 | More by bauermj

Shaggy9356

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +12.9%

03-25-2012 23:03:45 | More by Shaggy9356

SpdKilz

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A huge thanks to Matt (bauermj) for sharing this rare tick. Bottle 63 of 119.

Appearance – Pours a hazy brown/light red color into a tulip with about a quarter finger of off white head that dissipates quickly leaving spotty lacing.

Smell – Barnyard funk, juicy raspberries, wet hay, some lemon, and earthy plant notes.

Taste – A nice tart raspberry flavor up front that causes one to pucker, though it is not overly acidic/sour. Light brett, straw, and leather. A rather earthy flavor comes through midway though a hint o f lemon finishes up the taste.

Mouthfeel – Medium bodied with lower though adequate carbonation.

Overall – very glad to have tried this. We had Four Play (the second batch) right after and I do believe the consensus was that FP was a bit better than this, though this beer held its own most definitely.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2012 01:38:39 | More by SpdKilz

wagenvolks

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle (62 of 119) into a Ranger Creek tulip. Thanks to oregonhopmonster for the trade!

So this is the direction American sours are heading in, and I, for one, could not be more ecstatic. Blend Love pours with a hazy, raspberry iced-tea tone (ironic, isn't it?). A little dark and listless is the body, but the fluffy tangerine-tinted head is attractive in the glass. Big wafts of raspberry pulp in the nose alongside berry vines and melon rind. Fresh wood sharpness is mild but pleasant as a balance in the background.

Flavor brings forward an immediate raspberry sourness that puckers the sides of the mouth and tongue. The finish is fruity and bright with notes of mineral, wood barrel, and a hint of funk. Uber-crisp mouthfeel with a dry finish that's not sour enough to wreck the tongue, but still packs pucker-a'plenty for all you sour-heads. Moderate carbonation. Overall, a fantastic release from Upright. Wish I could get my hands on more of this one!

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 22:49:24 | More by wagenvolks

tcampbel1

Oregon

5/5  rDev +12.9%

02-08-2012 20:54:16 | More by tcampbel1

pperez38

California

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%

01-31-2012 10:47:51 | More by pperez38

grownfool

Tennessee

4/5  rDev -9.7%

01-27-2012 01:09:14 | More by grownfool

hoppymcgee

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +12.9%

12-22-2011 14:49:55 | More by hoppymcgee

beefandbean22

Washington

5/5  rDev +12.9%

11-23-2011 19:06:28 | More by beefandbean22

womencantsail

California

4.1/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks for sharing, Bobby.

Cloudy pinkish red color with pink-white head. Very fruit forward on the nose. Seems like a combination of cherries and raspberries. Lots of funky straw and earth notes, quite a bit of lemon, too. The fruit flavor is similarly intense on the palate, maybe a bit sweeter, though. Still a fair amount of lemon. Medium body and carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2011 06:47:21 | More by womencantsail

shufon

New York

5/5  rDev +12.9%

11-19-2011 04:42:02 | More by shufon

writerLJBerg

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +1.6%

11-14-2011 17:43:47 | More by writerLJBerg

claspada

New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Shared at our most recent tasting.

Pours a light golden yellow color with a little white soapy head that leaves some nice spotty lacing.

Aromas are really fruity; raspberry, light cherry, sour funk start things off. I get a little light vinous white grape presence as well.

The tastes are equally as impressive as the nose. A balanced light pale sweet malt flavor coupled with a great deal of tart berry fruitiness. Light earthy, mustiness is there in the finish.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is really pleasant as the tart flavors linger just enough on the palate.

Overall this was my favorite sour of the many we were able to sample during this past tasting. Flavors were so crisp and clean, yet complex with tart berry fruits and nice light funk. My words are not doing this justice here, all I can say it that this is well worth seeking out and highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 16:15:37 | More by claspada

ngeunit1

California

4.65/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a slightly bright cloudy red-orange color with a finger of reddish head. The head fades at a normal pace leaving behind some lacing.

S - Aroma is full of sour fruits with some white grapes and acidity. There is lots of tartness and funk, with some sweetness.

T - Starts off with some sour tart white grape with some other fruits and some acidity. Through the middle, the acidity mellows a bit with some more tartness and sweet fruits and cherry comes through. The finish is a mix of some oak alongside the sweet tart fruits with some nice sourness lingering.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. The beer feels smooth with lots of tartness and sourness hitting the tongue.

D - Very drinkable. Amazing sourness and blend of fruity flavors. Lots of tartness and acidic flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2011 04:54:45 | More by ngeunit1

johnbjaeger

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Received in another glorious trade with oregonskibum. I really cannot get enough of Upright one-offs and this one did not disappoint.

Pours a dark, murky, amber.

Smells funky. Like, George Clinton funky. Bedazzled moon boots and star-shaped sunglasses. I have to say it is reminiscent of a Cantillon with a few years on it. It writes a big check and the first taste is mouth-puckeringly sour. Really approaching some of the better Belgians I've laid lips on. The berry comes out in the lingering aftertaste. It's sweet, shy of cloying and pleasant.

The only thing stopping this from being an absolute knockout is the fact it is a little one-dimensional. The sour at the first moment hits a home run and the aftertaste is alright, but there is something in the middle that you find in truly exceptional sours that is missing here. I feel like Upright is inches away from making a great beer whenever they aren't making great beers. Some really talented MFers brewing over there. Even their misses are remarkably close.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It's a VERY easy drinker and hits the sour craving on the head. Just not quite a great beer, but that's pretty forgivable.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 01:25:01 | More by johnbjaeger

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

On tap @ the Upright Brewing Company (Portland, OR) on 9/4/11. Served in a footed glass.

Pours a ruddy amber in the glass, topped with roughly a ½ finger of bright-white head (that actually takes on more of a light pink look from the liquid, depending upon which way you look at it). This throws up a rich cascade of lace that descends into thick spotty swathes that drench the sides of the glass. The aroma smells tart and fruity, with a good bit of berry flavor. Backing notes of earthy funk and some slight souring acidity get funneled up the nostrils as well.

The taste has much more of the fruit up front, which mingles with additional sweet sugars and a light earthy mustiness. There is more acidity here than there was in the nose, leading into a dry finish with some extra lingering tartness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with a smooth and creamy feel that stays gentle throughout the sip and overall helps this go down fairly easily considering the flavors and ABV.

This was a tasty sour beer and was actually pretty easy drinking as well but didn’t seem overly complex to me. The berry flavors seemed to get a bit lost amongst the funk at times, as it would have been nice to pick outs ome more of the individual characteristics. I still rather enjoyed this one however.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2011 16:57:18 | More by Kegatron