Saison Vert
Upright Brewing Company

Look: An almost clear yellow on the pour with a minimal and quickly dissipating head that doesn’t leave much lacing on the glass at all
Aroma: Hay, limes, barnyard funk, yeast, and floral notes
Taste: Light wheat notes, flowers, and limes intermingle in the start and jive some before wet hay, yeast, damp basement must, and barnyard join the mix. A little touch of a honey-like sweetness shoves its way in before the combo of flavors resurfaces and subside with some prickly, almost pear-like notes
Mouthfeel: Full but very light feeling, medium-low to low carbonation, and only a little prickliness on the finish but otherwise soft
Overall: I dig it. This is my first dance with this beer and it is quite good. Lots of flowers, funk, and some fun flavor and acidity from the black lime addition, which I feel works well here. I’m not sure if these folks blend several batches or ages of this to finalize what goes into a bottle but it kind of tastes like it has been to me – not too raw or crazy – and I feel it helps its approachability for folks new to the style

From a crowler. And then from a bottle.

Such an interesting beer, from the aroma to the flavor to the finish.

Pours a straw tan with a creamy cap that slowly dissipates.

On the nose there's a subdued estery note, with some lime peel and a touch of pith and cracked peppercorns. Flavor snaps with a zippy kick, unlike anything I've ever had before. There's a real distinct taste of black lime on the back end, tapering off into a drying finish. So so good.

 

 

Very rarely does a beer look perfect to its style, in my opinion. Nearly lagered clear looking, the bright brass body of Saison Vert glows, and as swarms of bubbles race from the bottom upwards, light shimmers through. The foam above has irredescence itself, like a soapy gleam that never seems to settle. Even after ten minutes, a quarter of an inch stubbornly persists. And as each sip is drawn, layer after layer stays plastered to the glass. Perfection.

The aromas aren't too shabby either. That funky tart smell often associated with “wet horse blanket” is spot on. Freshly turned and damp soil, the new scratches off some old wood, grass… Then the limes. A symbiotic pairing. Each element benefits tremendously in what seems so obvious. The tart citrus with a white pepper finish makes this beer hard to put down.

So much flavor from such a “small” beer. A soapy lead into a sweet and savory main course. Like lime zested and peppered white mushrooms, all raw and all balanced. Each sip fades with a lengthy crushed wheat and traces of residual lime juice.

I've never experienced a Saison with this soft of a feel. If any we're to have a pillow touch, this is it. The high carbonation somehow doesn't leave a sharp bite, as it’s more like slowly released capsules of foam. The slightly tart initial feel is balanced wonderfully with the light body, and as a touch of sweetness takes over, the dry finish is superb.

Upright once again delivers something special in a small package. Saison Vert is a must have for any Saison lover out there. And at $6 a bottle, it's a steal. I look forward to having this more regularly now that I know how great it is, and will be paying them more frequent visits, that's for sure. Cheers.

 

Immaculate (if lowkey) saison. Black lime blended in nicely. A bit like Stillwater Cellar Door, but more delicate: a beer I could drink all the damned day. Like dew off of boxwood shrubs in a cottage garden at dusk.

 

Delicate and light saison, Which I feel is a great representation of the style, yet with a unique but complimentary adjunct. The sun dried black lime adds a wonder zesty, peppery citrus note that creates a wonderful marriage in this earthy, slight funk farmhouse ale. Yeast forward, dry, extreme soapy-suds-head wrapped up into a soft delightful package.

 

 

how is this so poorly rated?! i mean, this is the essence of saison to me, drinkable and gorgeously made, refreshing and yeast driven, but unique too, and complex without being in your face at all, this beer deserves more love here i reckon. brewed with black limes, which have a pretty concentrated lime flavor, but are used conservatively here in this straw colored brew, super pale and delicate looking under an inch of airy white head. the aroma is fantastic, with the faintest tartness to it, a light clean citrus note, and a white winey sort of belgian saison strain, refined to the highest possible degree, mouth is watering! the flavor is as good as the smell, with a subtle funk to it, like brett just taking root perhaps, or a cool note from their house saison yeast, a light white peppery character, and the lime, which has vegetal grassy and softy tart elements. white and raw wheat in the mash i would think, this is delicate and earthy and beautifully fresh, bright on the grain side. i love how bubbly it is, how low alcohol, and how the yeast is so different. this is summer saison for me, but it works well anytime, as proven by us drinking it on christmas and unanimously loving it. a special beer from perhaps the most underappreciated brewery in the country. i need more!

 

 

750ml bottle - nice to see more of this Portland hipster (hardly unique, I know) brewery's efforts make it north of 49.

This beer pours a hazy and milky, pale golden yellow colour, with a teeming tower of puffy, loosely foamy, and fizzy dirty white head, which leaves some splotchy and sudsy blobs of lace around the glass as it slowly but surely dissipates.

It smells of musty and slightly phenolic yeast, gritty and grainy pale malt, tart orange, lemon, and lime citrus rind, a bit of barnyard funkiness, white and black ground pepper, and some plain leafy, weedy, and musky floral green hop bitters. The taste is grainy and crackery pale malt, wet Wheat Thins, a lessened edgy yeastiness, acerbic lemon/lime citrus peel, sort of zesty rainbow peppercorns, apple-forward white wine lees, more musty farmhouse esters, and some testy leafy, herbal, and dead floral verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is rather intrusive in its palate-pinging frothiness, the body a so-so medium weight, and not particularly smooth, as those yeasty and funky notes do not engender such good faith at this juncture. It finishes off-dry, a taciturn base maltiness keeping the various lingering fruity and funky esters barely at bay.

Overall, this is a decent version of the style, with the exotic (to me, anyways) black lime brewing adjunct doing well to represent and inform. My only real beef, beyond the, um, exuberant at times fizz, is the low-end ABV - I see a 4 as the lead-off digit, and I damn near lose interest, especially for the price.

Classic funky saison feel with notable lime peel in the taste. Delivered what was promised.