Flora
Upright Brewing Company

Brought this to the Firestone Walker Fest Pre Party 2017. Prolly my fave Upright beer thus far.

Pours an amber color, 1/3" white head. The aroma does hit those rustica notes, grape, straw, lemongrass, oak, herbal, floral, hay, cleaned out barnyard, tartness, lemon.

There's some cool white wine nuance tastes going on, stone fruit, bigger citrus, lesser floral and botanical feels. I can dig it. Light bodied still, but still bringing the hay and lemongrass notes. Good dry experience, especially the finish. Carbonation was right in that range we like to call the sweet spot even though there is no sugary or sweetness to this beer. I didn't pull anything spice rack out of it. Nor did I think it was funky, pretty clean, floral, herbal and damn good. Even what brett was there wasn't the funky kind, it had a more dry chalky presence I thought.

I picked this up from Belmont Station a few years before and it really was a solid pick.

Flora

2015 vintage

Purchased 11/2015 enjoyed on Christmas Eve, 2019.

Pours with a lot of life, all resplendent orange-tan capped by a thick layer of foam.
The aroma is subtle, with notes of straw and lemongrass. I get some white wine/white grape as well. The flavor has a slight straw/hay character, and a lingering but not overwhelming barnyard funk to it. Drying finish. Delicious.

 

 

 

Pale-ish yellow, fairly clear. As the name implies, it has floral smells and tastes. A biting acidity almost hides the pleasant stonefruit (peach, etc) notes in the middle. Not bad, but if I remember correctly, the Flora Rustica is a better beer. Alas, I didn't post a review for that one.

 

 

 

Upright Flora

A: This C&D in the making from the saison masters at Upright pours a beautiful hazy golden orange. The pure white head is such that one must be careful pouring it lest it overflow with foam. Lacing is similarly impressive. The carbonation is very active, making retention great as well. This is basically a textbook example of saison appearance. 5/5

A: A slightly lemony tartness along with hay-like funk lead the way. The flowers come through unsurprisingly floral with a buttery quality that is enhanced by the wine-barrel aging. There is a spiciness akin to rosemary in the back end along with a very perfumey quality. What is here is nice, but it is all very subtle. Subtlety is nice, but when it is to this degree, a bit more intensity would be nice. 4/5

T: While it mostly maintains the subtlety of the nose (which Upright is certainly known for), there is a bit more oomph here. Citric tartness leads the way, bolstered by white wine acidity in the form of pineapple and apricot. Musty hay adds a little funk. There is also plenty of buttery oak and perfume. The green pepper that sometimes results from flower additions turns up, as does a grassy bitterness (which could also be the hops), rounding out the flavor and drying everything out. While this is not quite as deftly executed as some of the greatest examples of the American saison, the flavors here are great and extremely tasty. It is also a great showcase for wine barrel aging (maybe a bit too much). 4.5/5

M: Like the appearance, Upright knocks the mouthfeel out of the park. It is medium-full, creamy, and pleasantly carbonated. There is just enough astringency and tartness to be interesting, and it is just dry enough. In a word, this is perfect. 5/5

O: This is a very original saison that most closely evokes the flavors of Cantillon Mamouche's elderflower lambic (though significantly less funky and more subtle...and not quite as amazing). Regular Flora Rustica is a very tasty beer in its own right, but this is an improvement: it cuts down on the floral quality that can overwhelm in the base beer and adds the wine barrel complexity. It is not quite on the level of the best from HF and SARA, but this beer (as well as the rest of Upright's stellar saison catalogue) makes a case for them to be in the top five American saison producers. 4.25/5

 

Sampled at a tasting. Pale golden pour with a tiny white head. The smell is funky, floral, peachy, lemony, with a hint of basil. Tastes like grapefruit, citrus ad basil with a medicinal bitterness underneath. Dry and light bodied.

Hazy yellow color with white head. Aroma is citrusy, spicy, floral with some aromatic herbs. Taste starts tart and floral with citrus fruits and some spicy herbs. Light to medium body with a good amount of carbonation. Excellent aroma with fruity/spicy/herbal flavors.