Pinot Noir Barrel Aged Four (Sole Composition Series)
Upright Brewing Company

 

 

Bottle (750 ml) @ De Garde++ tasting. Bottle # 95 / 198. From Thomas, thanks!

Appearance: Clear bright pinkish-red with a small pinkish head and little lacing.

Aroma: Definitely the most "pinot noir" forward beer that I haver smelled. There’s also cherries, brettanomyces, oak and light tartness.

Taste: A little less pinot noir than in the nose, but it’s still the main flavor along brettanomyces, oak, cherries, light/moderate tartness and light herbal presence.

Palate: Medium body. Moderate carbonation. Winey mouthfeel. Slightly dry finish.

Overall: Another wonderful beer from Upright. Certainly the most "pinot noir" forward beer I have ever had, but despite the massive barrel notes, the other components (cherries, brettanomyces) aren’t subdued. Tasty, complex and really enjoyable.

This beer was pretty stellar, thank you Al for opening this gem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huge thanks to Bucketboy for bringing a limited release from what has become one of my favorite breweries. Served in a mini tulip.

Bottle 24 of 60.

Pours a medium gold color with a nice white head and a bit of lacing on the way down. The nose carries a touch of light Pinot Noir with a bit of oak and moderate funkiness. The flavor is quite dry with some Brett and a very nice wine presence throughout. Light fruits and spice in the background. Body is light-medium with good carbonation and a dry, earthy, and vinous finish. Really another fantastic beer from Upright.

 

 

Bottle shared at the December iteration of the Santa Cruz tasting series. Extremely pale color, white head. Grapefruit aroma with sulfuric notes. Lemon and minerals with maybe a minor wine note. Bitter, watery, and dry with extremely low carbonation. Lacking in a lot of ways.

 

 

Thanks for sharing, Fatso.

Pours a pale yellow color with a white head. Funky aroma with a light wine aroma. Some lemon, a bit of floral scent, strangely. Very estery, overall. Lightly sour with some lemon and citrus peel. Very light oak and wine flavors. Not a huge fan of this, unfortunately. I really liked the regular Four.

 

Thanks to Jason for sharing this .rar beer. Served in a Glunz tater.

A - A thin white head settles to a even thinner ring of bubbles. Hazy pale straw body.

S - Aroma is quite strange. The first thing I thought of was urine, but as it warmed up I got more farmhouse yeast and marijuana, and then finally the advertised wine, but white wine?!

T - The taste starts out decent, but somewhat understated, with notes of lemon and stone fruits. However, there's an unpleasant medicinal and slightly plastic finish, as well as a hint of tangelo. I *think* I preferred this to the aroma.

M - Medium body, smooth texture, lower carbonation. A bit watery, but that's not unexpected considering the base beer is under 5%.

D - I much prefer regular Four or Four Play over this experiment. I attempted to puzzle out the bizarre aroma for quite some time before I ultimately poured this out. I offered it to John Laffler blind and after he took one whiff all he could say was "no".

Thanks to jrallen34 for this rare tick. Bottle 37 of 60.

A - Copper/amber colored beer that had a lot of yellow in it and lightened on the edges. Pretty big white head that left some stick on the sides.

S - Smell is kind of unpleasant, maybe a bit like feet/sulphur/or barnyard stink. Some slight sweetness and a little tartness, kind of strange.

T - Not a reat tasting beer, but it is rare! Kind of like a saison that was stuck in some white wine and some minerals or chemicals. Not really great.

M - Medium bodied, fairly active carbonation.

O - Not a great beer. I see what they might have been going for (at least I hope it wasn't this), but didn't quite get there. Thankfully, only 60 bottles exist(ed).