De La Seven (Sole Composition Series)
Upright Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Kan for another obscure Upright I never figured I'd try. Served in a tulip.

A - White foam settles to a wispy thin cap, collar, and a few stray specks of lace. Hazy peach-apricot body.

S - Dry, peppery, farmhouse yeast, with a bit of musty attic and earthiness from the brett. Oak is faint, and there's minimal vinous character. Aroma is understated in general.

T - The taste is quite similar, although with a bit more pop to it. Grain, bread, peppery and spicy farmhouse yeast, phenols, a slight medicinal note, and faint wood. Very low sweetness, and very low barrel presence.

M - Surprisingly zest carbonation for an Upright beer, and benefits as a result. Dry medium body, with light vinous acidity, and a surprising albeit mild alcohol warmth.

D - Somewhat subtle, but on the whole enjoyable. I could have stood for more Pinot Noir character, but otherwise delivers as promised: a very authentic Belgian farmhouse beer. I'd happily drink this again, but wouldn't actively seek it out.

 

 

 

 

Opened at 4/20 tasting.

Pours an orange tinted amber, nice bubbly head.

Fairly dry brett in the nose, hints of grape or other fruit, a bit grainy, pretty dry.

Taste is fruitier than the nose, grapes and maybe peach or apricot, dry grainy character again, some funk but not an aggressive brett presence.

Carbonation pretty good, smooth and drinkable.

7.9/10

 

750ml bottle. Big thanks go to Stormking47 for sharing. The brew poure a clear copper color with a yellowish tan froth atop. Big frothy head is sustained by rising bubbles. A full wall of lace sticks to the glass.

The aromatics are a bit carbonic which distracts a bit. It has a minorly vinous aspect that blends into some rindy hop character. Across the back more oak presence emerges along with a hint of cheese and soft sulfur.

The taste is surprisingly oaky with a minorly sweet vanilla character. As more sips are taken, the brew gets progressively more carbonic which is a bit of a shame. Some rindy elements emerge with a soft touch of fruity bitterness.

This is a medium bodied brew with a modest amount of carbonation. It is very easy drinking and worth checking out if you dont have to remove a limb for it. There is plenty of good stuff going on in this, if the carbonic aspect could be removed or tempered this would be even better.

750 mL courtesy of Libbey, thank you very much for this gem. Pours a hazed orange color with a fluffy head that fades fast...decent lacing.

Nose is ridiculously good; the wine barrels do a great job providing the tartness to offset the earthy brett. Massive difference between this and Seven...this is complex and just delicious....can’t wait to taste it.

Taste is absolutely sock-blowing! The balance is off the charts...grainy malt still holds up to the subtle tartness of the wine and the brett is so well balanced. I love the tea-esque zing the beer hits with. This is one of the best beers I have had in quite some time. The mouthfeel is special; carbonation is so fine and creamy. I could chug this beer dammit. I want more, more, more! Thanks Matt.

Enjoyed with Rutager.

A: 1/2" cream coloured head over cloudy amber liquid.

S: Yeast, sour funk, oak and flowers.

T: Dandelions, dry red wine, clean yeast, earth and brett.

M: Medium viscosity and a high level of fine carbonation.

O: Extremely drinkable, tasty and complex. An excellent beer.

Enjoyed with Daftcaskbc.

Appearance. Pours a cloudy honey-amber with a finger of white head.

Smell. Dry red wine and old wood and a little lightly funky Belgian yeast.

Taste. Nicely sour, both lactic and light citrus (just in terms of sour, not flavour), some red wine, lightly tannic wood, and bit of saison yeast.

Mouthfeel. Medium-light body with a medium amount of smooth carbonation. Couldn't be better!

Overall. Awesome. This is the best saison I've had to date. Nice level of sourness which I always love in this style, and some great woody red wine. Very well put together.

 

 

Bottle pour at Woodshop 7 held at Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach, CA.

Pours a murky dark orange with a foamy tan head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is sour, tart, and funky with some grain and fruity aromas. Taste is pretty much the same with an acidic quality on the finish. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but this one smells better than it tastes in my opinion.

 

Bottle 17/124.

Pours a clear, semi-translucent orange color with a decent size, bubbly white head that, as it recedes, leaving behind quite a surprisingly large amount of soapy lacing.

The aromas burst with Brett funk and white vinous, almost champagne-like qualities off the bat. Definitely a lot of oak and emerging darker grape vinous notes emerge. The Bretty, acidic, tart lemon and wet hay come out more as it warms.

The tastes begin with the lemony, blood orange acidity and the some tart Bretty yeast flavors. The oak and vinous grape flavors then pop almost immediately after. There is some more fruitiness and almost a creamy lactic quality in the finish as well. The doughy Belgian Saison yeast flavors from the base beer emerge as it warms but the oak and vinous flavors linger more than anything else.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carbonation. Finish is semi- but not super-dry, maybe it is the higher than normal ABV for the style. Drinks fuller than your average saison also for that reason. Oak lingers a little too much in the finish, I would prefer a tad more tartness, fruitiness to counter-act the oak.

Overall this beer is stellar. I have not had a bad thing from this brewery yet and all of their Sole Compositions have been top class for sure. If I lived within 100 miles I would never miss one of these releases that's for sure.