Blackberry Lambic | Upland Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Upland Brewing Company
Indiana, United States
uplandbeer.com
Style: Lambic - Fruit
Alcohol by volume (ABV): not listed
Availability: Rotating
Notes / Commercial Description:
No notes at this time.
Added by JamesS on 10-14-2007
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Reviews: 107 | Ratings: 426
3.8/5 rDev -8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
BOTTLE: Brown glass. Branded black hood-and-wire cap over a cork. 750ml. Bottled 11/20/14. Batch 2-14. Classy understated label art. Acquired in a trade.
Served cold into an Odell snifter-tulip hybrid glass and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption. Expectations are sky high given this beer's reputation. Reviewed live as an American faux-lambic per the label (which calls it a lambic).
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: Off-white. Fizzy; recedes inside 30 seconds, leaving no lacing. Somewhat thin.
BODY: Thin, dull, and murky. Dark red colour. No yeast is visible floating within. Nontransparent. Translucent, if a bit light-reticent.
It doesn't look great for a faux-lambic to be honest, but I'm optimistic.
AROMA: Tart, but not as sour as I'd hope. Sourness is maybe a 3/10 in terms of intensity, though it's seemingly not limited to derivation from lactobacillus bacteria; I also pick up on some lambicus yeast and maybe even pediococcus. Neither very vinegary nor acetic. Acidic. More sourness and tartness would be lovely, as would more fruit. I wouldn't peg blackberry as the fruit if I had this in a blind tasting, and even the vague berry/currant notes aren't very vivid or expressive.
Aromatic intensity is average. Suggests a decent faux-lambic with nice balance, but a shallow flavour profile.
TASTE: I love the acidic lactobacillus twang, and I really love the bacterial sourness throughout - which is quite intense - maybe a 7/10. Lambicus yeast lends still more twangy complexity, and the clean wheat at the core provides a neutral easily-imposed-upon base for the bacteria. The fruit isn't anywhere near as vivid, deep, or expressive as you'd hope in a fruited (faux-)lambic, and it isn't readily identifiable as blackberry; I just get a vague berry/currant flavour. I've definitely had far better fruited lambics (e.g. Cantillon's offerings), but this is nice for what it is.
Well-balanced, if a bit rough around the edges. Everything melts together, but the individual constituent notes don't ring clean or distinct. Murky throughout, and not sharply defined. Average flavour duration and intensity.
The oak barrel is reticent, barely coming through at all. But as a faint backgrounded note, it still helps tie the beer together, lending it natural cohesion.
Not a gestalt brew, though it's almost there.
TEXTURE: Acidic, smooth, wet, light to medium-bodied, refreshing, perfectly carbonated, and very approachable. Could be softer and cleaner. The acidity works here, accentuating the tartness well. Well-executed, and it elevates the beer as whole. There's a nice harmony of texture and taste here. Some will find it puckering - or even palate-stripping.
OVERALL: It's not the paragon of the style I hoped for, nor does it quite measure up to its high reputation. But for an American sour, it's quite well executed. I did hope for more vivid fruit notes. Highly drinkable and enjoyable. I could finish the whole 750ml bottle alone - and would, happily. Absolutely worth trying, and a beer I'd pick up if I chanced across it, but I don't know that it's worth seeking out. The bacterial notes are marvelous, and this is good work from Upland, but better beers are available domestically and abroad.
Low B+
★ 3,272 characters
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
BOTTLE: Brown glass. Branded black hood-and-wire cap over a cork. 750ml. Bottled 11/20/14. Batch 2-14. Classy understated label art. Acquired in a trade.
Served cold into an Odell snifter-tulip hybrid glass and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption. Expectations are sky high given this beer's reputation. Reviewed live as an American faux-lambic per the label (which calls it a lambic).
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: Off-white. Fizzy; recedes inside 30 seconds, leaving no lacing. Somewhat thin.
BODY: Thin, dull, and murky. Dark red colour. No yeast is visible floating within. Nontransparent. Translucent, if a bit light-reticent.
It doesn't look great for a faux-lambic to be honest, but I'm optimistic.
AROMA: Tart, but not as sour as I'd hope. Sourness is maybe a 3/10 in terms of intensity, though it's seemingly not limited to derivation from lactobacillus bacteria; I also pick up on some lambicus yeast and maybe even pediococcus. Neither very vinegary nor acetic. Acidic. More sourness and tartness would be lovely, as would more fruit. I wouldn't peg blackberry as the fruit if I had this in a blind tasting, and even the vague berry/currant notes aren't very vivid or expressive.
Aromatic intensity is average. Suggests a decent faux-lambic with nice balance, but a shallow flavour profile.
TASTE: I love the acidic lactobacillus twang, and I really love the bacterial sourness throughout - which is quite intense - maybe a 7/10. Lambicus yeast lends still more twangy complexity, and the clean wheat at the core provides a neutral easily-imposed-upon base for the bacteria. The fruit isn't anywhere near as vivid, deep, or expressive as you'd hope in a fruited (faux-)lambic, and it isn't readily identifiable as blackberry; I just get a vague berry/currant flavour. I've definitely had far better fruited lambics (e.g. Cantillon's offerings), but this is nice for what it is.
Well-balanced, if a bit rough around the edges. Everything melts together, but the individual constituent notes don't ring clean or distinct. Murky throughout, and not sharply defined. Average flavour duration and intensity.
The oak barrel is reticent, barely coming through at all. But as a faint backgrounded note, it still helps tie the beer together, lending it natural cohesion.
Not a gestalt brew, though it's almost there.
TEXTURE: Acidic, smooth, wet, light to medium-bodied, refreshing, perfectly carbonated, and very approachable. Could be softer and cleaner. The acidity works here, accentuating the tartness well. Well-executed, and it elevates the beer as whole. There's a nice harmony of texture and taste here. Some will find it puckering - or even palate-stripping.
OVERALL: It's not the paragon of the style I hoped for, nor does it quite measure up to its high reputation. But for an American sour, it's quite well executed. I did hope for more vivid fruit notes. Highly drinkable and enjoyable. I could finish the whole 750ml bottle alone - and would, happily. Absolutely worth trying, and a beer I'd pick up if I chanced across it, but I don't know that it's worth seeking out. The bacterial notes are marvelous, and this is good work from Upland, but better beers are available domestically and abroad.
Low B+
★ 3,272 characters
3.55/5 rDev -14%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottled 8-7-13.
Pours peachy orange with the slightest blue tint, thin white head. Acetic nose, funky wooden barrel, sour dark berries. Acidic, acetic, fucking sour on the tongue. Some light wood and blackberry, very sour berry mostly. I think my tooth enamel has taken a hit here.
★ 282 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottled 8-7-13.
Pours peachy orange with the slightest blue tint, thin white head. Acetic nose, funky wooden barrel, sour dark berries. Acidic, acetic, fucking sour on the tongue. Some light wood and blackberry, very sour berry mostly. I think my tooth enamel has taken a hit here.
★ 282 characters
3.99/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From BeerAdvocate Magazine #83 (Dec 2013):
While some may not agree with the use of “Lambic” in the name, this beer does hit most of the style benchmarks, though age is what it needs more of. Perhaps a year or two in the bottle, or enjoy it now if you’re looking for a pucker smackdown.
STYLE: Fruit Lambic
ABV: 0.0%
AVAILABILITY: Rotating
LOOK: Light fizz, thin lacing, hazed pale rose
SMELL: Tart blackberries, mineral, earthy, wood, sourness, faint spice, medicinal, leather
TASTE: Intense sour character, light body, cutting crispness, tart berries, yeast, earthy, dried grass, warming, thick woodiness, faint broth, mild barnyard, phenolic, very dry finish
★ 673 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From BeerAdvocate Magazine #83 (Dec 2013):
While some may not agree with the use of “Lambic” in the name, this beer does hit most of the style benchmarks, though age is what it needs more of. Perhaps a year or two in the bottle, or enjoy it now if you’re looking for a pucker smackdown.
STYLE: Fruit Lambic
ABV: 0.0%
AVAILABILITY: Rotating
LOOK: Light fizz, thin lacing, hazed pale rose
SMELL: Tart blackberries, mineral, earthy, wood, sourness, faint spice, medicinal, leather
TASTE: Intense sour character, light body, cutting crispness, tart berries, yeast, earthy, dried grass, warming, thick woodiness, faint broth, mild barnyard, phenolic, very dry finish
★ 673 characters
4.35/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A - Murky burgundy color, a blue-cast red, with greater clarity early in the pour. The head is white at the top but casts pink near the bottom. It fades away quickly.
S - Barnyard and sourness. A sour acetone note is present but mild.
T - Bright sour fruit, a strong initial sourness fades slowly into straight juiciness, like biting into a fresh blackberry that is a bit under-ripe.
M - Very sour, with a bit of puckering. Bright carbonation.
O - The best U.S. lambic I've had, with great fruit and present but not overwhelming funkiness, and sourness that is robust without being punishing.
★ 600 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A - Murky burgundy color, a blue-cast red, with greater clarity early in the pour. The head is white at the top but casts pink near the bottom. It fades away quickly.
S - Barnyard and sourness. A sour acetone note is present but mild.
T - Bright sour fruit, a strong initial sourness fades slowly into straight juiciness, like biting into a fresh blackberry that is a bit under-ripe.
M - Very sour, with a bit of puckering. Bright carbonation.
O - The best U.S. lambic I've had, with great fruit and present but not overwhelming funkiness, and sourness that is robust without being punishing.
★ 600 characters
3.87/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
750 ml bottled November 2014. Poured into a Cantillon lambic glass
Appearance: Pours a dark reddish purple color with less than a finger of a fizzy head that dissipates instantly. Body is extremely hazy, and barely translucent.
Smell: Lactic sourness, hay, funk, lemon, red berry and mild oak.
Taste: Wow that's sour. Intense mouth puckering sourness is what's immediately noticeable. Sourness fades slightly in the finish and allows flavors of hay, lacto, oak, red grape and red berry to come through, but man is this sour.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with medium lively carbonation. Dry and very acidic finish.
Overall: Could stand to be less sour, as it overwhelms a lot of the other flavors. Would've also have liked to have more fruit character, but overall it's a good beer. Definitely not for someone new to sour styles though.
★ 836 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
750 ml bottled November 2014. Poured into a Cantillon lambic glass
Appearance: Pours a dark reddish purple color with less than a finger of a fizzy head that dissipates instantly. Body is extremely hazy, and barely translucent.
Smell: Lactic sourness, hay, funk, lemon, red berry and mild oak.
Taste: Wow that's sour. Intense mouth puckering sourness is what's immediately noticeable. Sourness fades slightly in the finish and allows flavors of hay, lacto, oak, red grape and red berry to come through, but man is this sour.
Mouthfeel: Light bodied with medium lively carbonation. Dry and very acidic finish.
Overall: Could stand to be less sour, as it overwhelms a lot of the other flavors. Would've also have liked to have more fruit character, but overall it's a good beer. Definitely not for someone new to sour styles though.
★ 836 characters
4.03/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Bought a bottle for my birthday tonight
A: Clear almost blood orange to ruby with about a finger of head. Excellent.
S: Lactic sourness, acid, blackberries - the sour is certainly predominant.
T: Sour, sour, sour...if you let it linger, the blackberries and oak shine through. But it's a little much on the sour for most. A little warming will moderate the sours and allow other flavors to shine
M: Zesty, carbonated, in your face. Can't beat it
★ 451 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Bought a bottle for my birthday tonight
A: Clear almost blood orange to ruby with about a finger of head. Excellent.
S: Lactic sourness, acid, blackberries - the sour is certainly predominant.
T: Sour, sour, sour...if you let it linger, the blackberries and oak shine through. But it's a little much on the sour for most. A little warming will moderate the sours and allow other flavors to shine
M: Zesty, carbonated, in your face. Can't beat it
★ 451 characters
4.18/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle from the spring 2015 lottery, poured into a Gandhi Bot tulip.
A: Clear, deep ruby body under a half inch of fine pink froth. Decent retention and light lace. Gorgeous.
S: Sharp lactic sourness dominates, with some lemon, blackberry, and oak in the background. Straightforward and intense, but not as balanced as it could be.
T: Opens with pure, almost overwhelming sourness - tasty but rather simplistic. The finish, though, combines a delightful berry richness with just a touch of oaky vanilla. Long, tart aftertaste. Not well integrated, but the finish is well worth the price of admission.
M: Light, lively carbonation alongside tongue-curling acidity. Intense.
O: Really enjoyable, although it was almost sad to think how amazing this would have been if the delicious complexity of the finish were the dominant flavor instead of an afterthought.
Cheers!
★ 878 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle from the spring 2015 lottery, poured into a Gandhi Bot tulip.
A: Clear, deep ruby body under a half inch of fine pink froth. Decent retention and light lace. Gorgeous.
S: Sharp lactic sourness dominates, with some lemon, blackberry, and oak in the background. Straightforward and intense, but not as balanced as it could be.
T: Opens with pure, almost overwhelming sourness - tasty but rather simplistic. The finish, though, combines a delightful berry richness with just a touch of oaky vanilla. Long, tart aftertaste. Not well integrated, but the finish is well worth the price of admission.
M: Light, lively carbonation alongside tongue-curling acidity. Intense.
O: Really enjoyable, although it was almost sad to think how amazing this would have been if the delicious complexity of the finish were the dominant flavor instead of an afterthought.
Cheers!
★ 878 characters
4.26/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This might be the tartest (most acidic) beer I've ever had. Typical Upland sour. My wife and I split the bottle. As we got to the bottom of the bottle it felt like our mouths were blistering.
★ 191 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This might be the tartest (most acidic) beer I've ever had. Typical Upland sour. My wife and I split the bottle. As we got to the bottom of the bottle it felt like our mouths were blistering.
★ 191 characters
4.05/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Was crazy excited after the pour, which was beautiful, thinking the color suggested some serious fruit flavors, but they're just not forward enough. It's a very good lambic with a hint of blackberry.
★ 199 characters
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Was crazy excited after the pour, which was beautiful, thinking the color suggested some serious fruit flavors, but they're just not forward enough. It's a very good lambic with a hint of blackberry.
★ 199 characters
4.67/5 rDev +13.1%
Bottled 5/15/14 from trade, poured on 11/30/14. Pours beautiful deep reddish purple with a pink fizzy head in my Cantillon glass. Awesome aroma of big lush blackberry, lots of vinegar and funk, oak, sour. Flavor is big fruity blackberries, sharp sourness, some vinegar notes, oak, dry but not super dry, definite jamminess here. Light to medium bodied, spritzy carbonation, juicy berries yet dry finish. Whoah. This is really excellent. Have heard it is overly sour but I'm not getting that at all. This is just right and on par with some of the best sours I've had, including fruited Cantillon.
★ 595 characters
Bottled 5/15/14 from trade, poured on 11/30/14. Pours beautiful deep reddish purple with a pink fizzy head in my Cantillon glass. Awesome aroma of big lush blackberry, lots of vinegar and funk, oak, sour. Flavor is big fruity blackberries, sharp sourness, some vinegar notes, oak, dry but not super dry, definite jamminess here. Light to medium bodied, spritzy carbonation, juicy berries yet dry finish. Whoah. This is really excellent. Have heard it is overly sour but I'm not getting that at all. This is just right and on par with some of the best sours I've had, including fruited Cantillon.
★ 595 characters
4.5/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
How this isnt higher rate is beyond me. Incredible nose, really great fruit flavor that is still strong after months of aging, wonderful extreme tartness. This is like blackberry atrial rubicite
★ 194 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
How this isnt higher rate is beyond me. Incredible nose, really great fruit flavor that is still strong after months of aging, wonderful extreme tartness. This is like blackberry atrial rubicite
★ 194 characters
3.7/5 rDev -10.4%
Split amongst family to celebrate the birth of my sister's first child. Nice blackberry notes but, like previous Uplandic experiences, the vinegar and sour serve to minimize rather than compliment the fruit.
★ 208 characters
Split amongst family to celebrate the birth of my sister's first child. Nice blackberry notes but, like previous Uplandic experiences, the vinegar and sour serve to minimize rather than compliment the fruit.
★ 208 characters
4.32/5 rDev +4.6%
The color is dark red with smoothie type look, low..practically no head after settling. The smell is strong with fruity ester and light berry aroma with wild yeast ester giving a sour lemon-type scent with funky and fruity mix. The feel is tangy with medium sour level with light citrus and juicy berry with medium amont of carbonation w/ semi-dry and slightly juicy funky finish.
The taste of this wild ale is acidic at first with juicy and tangy fruit flavor of the berry with a mild spice-like flavor and woody almost balsamic taste of acidity and woody tannin with a very dry yeast flavor in the finish. Overall I think this is a wonderful american wild ale with blackberry...not extremely sour and very drinkable with a lot of fruit flavor.
★ 748 characters
The color is dark red with smoothie type look, low..practically no head after settling. The smell is strong with fruity ester and light berry aroma with wild yeast ester giving a sour lemon-type scent with funky and fruity mix. The feel is tangy with medium sour level with light citrus and juicy berry with medium amont of carbonation w/ semi-dry and slightly juicy funky finish.
The taste of this wild ale is acidic at first with juicy and tangy fruit flavor of the berry with a mild spice-like flavor and woody almost balsamic taste of acidity and woody tannin with a very dry yeast flavor in the finish. Overall I think this is a wonderful american wild ale with blackberry...not extremely sour and very drinkable with a lot of fruit flavor.
★ 748 characters
3.96/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
750ml bottle from the 8/2013 release, batch 8-10. Poured into a Hill Farmstead stemmed glass today, 3/11/2014.
App- Pours a hazy copper-brown body, less than one finger white head that dissipates quickly into a thin film, no collar. No lacing.
Smell- Blackberry tartness and a ton of lactic yogurt scent. And smells stomach-churningly sour, though not as sour as the Kiwi Lambic. Promising, but not overly so. Not a lot of funk.
Flavour- This is stomach-ulcer-level sour. 8, maybe 9/10 in terms of vinegar sourness here. No funk to be found, a nice blackberry tartness that doesn't come close to cutting the acid here.
Mouthfeel- Medium bodied, creamy and nicely carbonated feel on this. Very dry and sour, with an acidic & dry finish. My intestines are disintegrating despite the use of Tums immediately after drinking this beer.
Overall- It's good, but not great. And its only good if you like sourness to overpower the fruit and funk that should be present in spades in any lambic. This is the last Upland sour I'm going after, and I really can't recommend trying more than a few- Sour Reserve is the only one I'd recommend going for, really.
★ 1,151 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
750ml bottle from the 8/2013 release, batch 8-10. Poured into a Hill Farmstead stemmed glass today, 3/11/2014.
App- Pours a hazy copper-brown body, less than one finger white head that dissipates quickly into a thin film, no collar. No lacing.
Smell- Blackberry tartness and a ton of lactic yogurt scent. And smells stomach-churningly sour, though not as sour as the Kiwi Lambic. Promising, but not overly so. Not a lot of funk.
Flavour- This is stomach-ulcer-level sour. 8, maybe 9/10 in terms of vinegar sourness here. No funk to be found, a nice blackberry tartness that doesn't come close to cutting the acid here.
Mouthfeel- Medium bodied, creamy and nicely carbonated feel on this. Very dry and sour, with an acidic & dry finish. My intestines are disintegrating despite the use of Tums immediately after drinking this beer.
Overall- It's good, but not great. And its only good if you like sourness to overpower the fruit and funk that should be present in spades in any lambic. This is the last Upland sour I'm going after, and I really can't recommend trying more than a few- Sour Reserve is the only one I'd recommend going for, really.
★ 1,151 characters
4.33/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Finally get to try this thanks to Tom P for sharing.
Light fizzy purple head, dark murky sediment maroon color
Nose light light sour tart fruit, big blackberry, little seed and skin, little tart cherry like too
Taste light tart fruit, big blackberry and juicy blackberry like pure blackberry, little stem tannin, tart acidic bite, nice sour and blackberry, not super funky.
Mouth med to a little lighter bod, nice carb, tart little flemmy and acidic.
★ 454 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Finally get to try this thanks to Tom P for sharing.
Light fizzy purple head, dark murky sediment maroon color
Nose light light sour tart fruit, big blackberry, little seed and skin, little tart cherry like too
Taste light tart fruit, big blackberry and juicy blackberry like pure blackberry, little stem tannin, tart acidic bite, nice sour and blackberry, not super funky.
Mouth med to a little lighter bod, nice carb, tart little flemmy and acidic.
★ 454 characters
2.68/5 rDev -35.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
Upland Blackberry Lambic from a bomber (thanks BShine) at the 2014 RBWG in Asheville.
Sour funky blueberry/blackberry.
Vinegar (which I can't abide) but mostly gone in the taste.
Too wild and unbalanced. Uses Belgian yeast but doesn't match typical Belgian quality.
★ 269 characters
look: 4 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75
Upland Blackberry Lambic from a bomber (thanks BShine) at the 2014 RBWG in Asheville.
Sour funky blueberry/blackberry.
Vinegar (which I can't abide) but mostly gone in the taste.
Too wild and unbalanced. Uses Belgian yeast but doesn't match typical Belgian quality.
★ 269 characters
4.09/5 rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
The beer comes in a bright reddish pink.
The aroma is hugely lactic and sour of berries, lemon juice. A bit of funk.
The flavor at first is almost undrinkable. Literally like biting into a lemon or an under ripe berry. Imagine that initial flavor of a berry Warhead candy. Including me, other people’s faces twisted from the tartness. Moving on, there’s a tinge of sweetness and the berry flavors come out more. Bright effervescent mouthfeel.
Great flavors, but the tartness is overpowering.
★ 498 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
The beer comes in a bright reddish pink.
The aroma is hugely lactic and sour of berries, lemon juice. A bit of funk.
The flavor at first is almost undrinkable. Literally like biting into a lemon or an under ripe berry. Imagine that initial flavor of a berry Warhead candy. Including me, other people’s faces twisted from the tartness. Moving on, there’s a tinge of sweetness and the berry flavors come out more. Bright effervescent mouthfeel.
Great flavors, but the tartness is overpowering.
★ 498 characters
3.87/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Really lovely pink/magenta color with lots of white head/bubbles. The smell jumped out of the bottle immediately. It was a yogurt/funk mix that was pretty overpowering. The taste was described as sour patch kid meets shock tart. Not a lactic sour like the nose led you to believe. It is an intense puckering sour that isn't for folks who get indigestion. The mouthfeel was very effervescent and quite nice. Overall, I want more fruit flavor for the price point and the hunt. The extreme tartness mellowed a bit as the day went on, but it just wasn't a top notch sour for me.
★ 574 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Really lovely pink/magenta color with lots of white head/bubbles. The smell jumped out of the bottle immediately. It was a yogurt/funk mix that was pretty overpowering. The taste was described as sour patch kid meets shock tart. Not a lactic sour like the nose led you to believe. It is an intense puckering sour that isn't for folks who get indigestion. The mouthfeel was very effervescent and quite nice. Overall, I want more fruit flavor for the price point and the hunt. The extreme tartness mellowed a bit as the day went on, but it just wasn't a top notch sour for me.
★ 574 characters
4.18/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A- pinkish red with orangeish hue. Looks like fruit punch. Minimal head and lacing.
S - tangy lactic sourness upfront. Barnyard and hay funkiness. Some sour/unripe berries.
T - the fruit seems to be tempered nicely with the sourness. Almost like eating a bowl of tart Greek yogurt with up ripened berries. The blackberry flavor is apparent, but more of generic berry flavor. More funkiness.
M - very nice aftertaste. Somewhere between sweet and dry with a nice residual fruitiness. Nice carbonation.
O - this is the perfect level of sourness/tartness for my tastes. Not nearly as sour as the kiwi but just enough. The blackberry isn't overly distinguishable but it's clear that this is a fruited sour. Very nice.
★ 720 characters
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A- pinkish red with orangeish hue. Looks like fruit punch. Minimal head and lacing.
S - tangy lactic sourness upfront. Barnyard and hay funkiness. Some sour/unripe berries.
T - the fruit seems to be tempered nicely with the sourness. Almost like eating a bowl of tart Greek yogurt with up ripened berries. The blackberry flavor is apparent, but more of generic berry flavor. More funkiness.
M - very nice aftertaste. Somewhere between sweet and dry with a nice residual fruitiness. Nice carbonation.
O - this is the perfect level of sourness/tartness for my tastes. Not nearly as sour as the kiwi but just enough. The blackberry isn't overly distinguishable but it's clear that this is a fruited sour. Very nice.
★ 720 characters
4.31/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Sampled at a tasting recently, reviewed from notes.
Pours a reddish clear with white ring of head. Smell is straight vinegar and acid with notes of berry mixed in. Pungent notes of earth and berry are present along side the sourness. The taste is enamel removing sour with dashes of berry which seem to add to the overall acidic notes. Mouthfeel is highly carbonated with and effervescent feel. Overall, this is one fine sour. It lacks the restraint and the delicate showing that VSB so excellently does, but it does deliver in the face puckering sour department.
★ 564 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Sampled at a tasting recently, reviewed from notes.
Pours a reddish clear with white ring of head. Smell is straight vinegar and acid with notes of berry mixed in. Pungent notes of earth and berry are present along side the sourness. The taste is enamel removing sour with dashes of berry which seem to add to the overall acidic notes. Mouthfeel is highly carbonated with and effervescent feel. Overall, this is one fine sour. It lacks the restraint and the delicate showing that VSB so excellently does, but it does deliver in the face puckering sour department.
★ 564 characters
4.6/5 rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A - pours a murky pink peach color, decent off white head, great retention a lacing compared to the strawberry and kiwi variants.
S - vinigar, sweet tart flavors, reminiscent of blackberry. Best nose of the three.
T - tons of sour vinegar but still lots of sweet blackberries. Fantastic
M - medium/light bodied, fairly drinkable on carb. Fairly smooth
★ 354 characters
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A - pours a murky pink peach color, decent off white head, great retention a lacing compared to the strawberry and kiwi variants.
S - vinigar, sweet tart flavors, reminiscent of blackberry. Best nose of the three.
T - tons of sour vinegar but still lots of sweet blackberries. Fantastic
M - medium/light bodied, fairly drinkable on carb. Fairly smooth
★ 354 characters
4.02/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Reviewing the 2010 vintage of Blackberry Lambic from Upland Brewing Company out of Bloomington, Indiana.
Score: 91
Brewed 04/02/09 and bottled 10/11/10. Served in an Upland snifter glass (proper glasware!) and enjoyed on 07/03/13.
Appearance: This bottle was an absolutely volcanic gusher, and we lost nearly a quarter of the bottle. Blackberry color with tons of floaty fruit chunks. I enjoy pulpy juice, so why not pulpy beer? Thin layer of persistent head. Excellent lacing and retention. 4.25/5
Smell: Jammy blackberries, lactoey yogurt, hint of fruity yeast. Not very complex. 4/5
Taste: More blackberry flavor and substantially less lactoey yogurt on the palate. Averagely tart; nowhere near as tart as either Kiwi Lambic or Raspberry Lambic. Jammy flavors and Belgian-y qualities (fruitness and yeast, primarily) towards the finish. What tartness there is is best described as "zesty" and layers. As this brew warms up, more yogurt flavor comes through. I was honestly hoping for more tartness and more blackberry, but this is still tasty. 4/5
Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, average tartness. Good carbonation for style/profile. 4/5
Overall: Having had Kiwi Lambic and Raspberry Lambic previously, I found Blackberry Lambic massively disappointing in relative terms, but tasty in absolute terms. I wish there was much more tartness and less lactoey yogurt. The Belgian style base was much more prominent than I was expecting
Cost: $20 for a 750 ml bottle.
★ 1,471 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Reviewing the 2010 vintage of Blackberry Lambic from Upland Brewing Company out of Bloomington, Indiana.
Score: 91
Brewed 04/02/09 and bottled 10/11/10. Served in an Upland snifter glass (proper glasware!) and enjoyed on 07/03/13.
Appearance: This bottle was an absolutely volcanic gusher, and we lost nearly a quarter of the bottle. Blackberry color with tons of floaty fruit chunks. I enjoy pulpy juice, so why not pulpy beer? Thin layer of persistent head. Excellent lacing and retention. 4.25/5
Smell: Jammy blackberries, lactoey yogurt, hint of fruity yeast. Not very complex. 4/5
Taste: More blackberry flavor and substantially less lactoey yogurt on the palate. Averagely tart; nowhere near as tart as either Kiwi Lambic or Raspberry Lambic. Jammy flavors and Belgian-y qualities (fruitness and yeast, primarily) towards the finish. What tartness there is is best described as "zesty" and layers. As this brew warms up, more yogurt flavor comes through. I was honestly hoping for more tartness and more blackberry, but this is still tasty. 4/5
Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, average tartness. Good carbonation for style/profile. 4/5
Overall: Having had Kiwi Lambic and Raspberry Lambic previously, I found Blackberry Lambic massively disappointing in relative terms, but tasty in absolute terms. I wish there was much more tartness and less lactoey yogurt. The Belgian style base was much more prominent than I was expecting
Cost: $20 for a 750 ml bottle.
★ 1,471 characters
4.17/5 rDev +1%
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.
★ 903 characters
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.
★ 903 characters
4.45/5 rDev +7.7%
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.
★ 908 characters
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.
★ 908 characters
Blackberry Lambic from Upland Brewing Company
4.13
out of 5
based on 426 ratings.
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Absolutely beautiful purple color. Translucent. Fantastic. Smell is vinegary and funky. Taste is extra sour and vinegary. Not very much fruit or much other than sour. Very nice fizzy feel. This is a great beer to drink sitting on a patio when it's hot out.
★ 256 characters