Upside Brown
Brewery Ommegang

Upside BrownUpside Brown
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From:
Brewery Ommegang
 
New York, United States
Style:
Bière de Garde
ABV:
7%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.78 | pDev: 12.43%
Reviews:
25
Ratings:
125
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Apr 30, 2022
Added:
Sep 21, 2014
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  37
What can “brown” do for you? Our latest Brewmaster’s Obsession Series ale turns your world upside down. The use of wild Brettanomyces yeast makes the beer more complex – yet magically more drinkable at the same time. The challenge to tame wild yeast is an obsession that drives our brewers, and fuels a passion for making great beer.

Upside Brown has a dark amber,deep copper hue with good clarity and a slightly off-white head. Fruit-filled aromas are dominated by pineapple and cherry, rounded out with a touch of farmyard funk. Sweet malt character is balanced by brett tartness with underlying flavors of cherry and dark fruits. Lively carbonation, dry and tart with a medium-light body. This fine ale can also evolve - cellar for a dryer and more pronounced brett presence.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by ryan1788a5:
Photo of ryan1788a5
Reviewed by ryan1788a5 from Massachusetts

4.07/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
750ml bottle poured into a chalice.

A: Burnt siena color. Fluffy tan head retains very well. Chunky lacing.

S: Nutty, burnt sugars, cocoa, caramel. Whiffs of cinnamon and golden raisin. Mild cherry-like tartness. Pithy citrus and tropical aromas coming from the yeast, along with some farmy funk. It all plays together very nicely actually.

T: Burnt sugar, caramel, and nuts. Cinnamon, golden raisin, mildly rummy. Woody in a cedar sort of way. Yeast brings a lot to the table. It starts with a nice mustiness and then opens into a wild farmy and cheesy funk. Tart cherries peek out a bit. Mild pithy tropical fruit flavors are a product of the Brett as well. Medicinal/mildly smokey phenols. Finishes with a lot of cheesy funk.

M: Medium bodied. Very lush and creamy. Carbonation pricks at the tongue.

O: There's some good complexity to this one. It's actually pretty controlled and well-executed. The wild yeast does sort of take over in the end though. A prominent cheesy and farmy funk builds until it overtakes everything else. If you are a lover of Brett then this is right up your alley. At times the funkiness is reminiscent of what's going on in Orval. It's a quirky beer, but one that I enjoyed quite a bit more than I thought I would. Good looks Ommegang. This is impressive.
Aug 08, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a cork'n'cage bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Hazed caramel brown pour with massive off-white head. Lasts forever... great lacing. Some sediment at the end of the pour.

S: A little funk/bret. Some malts/grains and sugars.

T.F: Some funk up front... no significant tartness. Earth and toasted malts. Barnyard and spice. Some oak, lemon, and tea leaf. Complex... but overall very mild flavors. Overcarbonated... prickly mouthfeel. Fairly light bodied.

O: Not a bad beer... some complexity, but very mild flavored and it feels like they 'played it safe' with this one. Like a lot of Ommegang beers it's 'pretty good but not great'. More or less their mantra. Glad I got to try it though and a few years in the cellar didn't do this any harm.
Apr 30, 2022
 
Rated: 3.75 by Karibourgeois from Texas

Feb 02, 2019
 
Rated: 3.62 by craigdb from Pennsylvania

Oct 24, 2018
 
Rated: 3.5 by 1971bernat from Virginia

Jan 02, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by a77cj7 from South Dakota

Oct 22, 2017
 
Rated: 3.87 by Hopfenpeter from Maryland

Apr 24, 2017
Photo of OhioLimoncello
Reviewed by OhioLimoncello from Ohio

4.09/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Opened a 750mL bottle that was dated 6/2/2014, best by 6/2/2016. Aged and enjoyed on 3/23/2017.

Poured half into a 16oz pint glass at 38 degrees F (suggested drinking temp on bottle states 40 degrees F). Enjoyed the other half at 43 degrees F, so I will compare the experience below.

Look: Beautiful, full farmhouse ale-type head, when poured properly angled into the 16oz pint. Copper color, with minimal cloudiness, for a bottle conditioned ale.

Smell: Banana nut bread aroma.

Taste: The extra ageing definitely introduced a more tart taste, but the banana in the aroma was maintained in the taste throughout. The colder pour was a bit more tart than the warmer pour, much like the characteristics of a dry white wine.

Feel: Medium and balanced, with a bit of lemony soapiness.

Very enjoyable, don't know why it was retired. May be that the Hennepin (Farmhouse Saison) is now the go-to offering from Ommegang.
Mar 24, 2017
 
Rated: 4.31 by generallee from Virginia

Jan 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.89 by Vylo from New Jersey

Dec 28, 2016
Photo of KevCan
Reviewed by KevCan from Virginia

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Opened a 750mL bottle at my parents' house. My dad bought it from Total Wine in Florida. Bottled on 6/2/2014. Best by 6/2016. Poured into a teku glass.

Look: Gushed when we opened it! 90% head and 10% beer at first. Medium brown, very cloudy, light tan, rocky head.

Smell: Classic brett smell.

Taste: A bit tart/sour, vinegary. Pretty mild. Very dry. Pumpernickel.

Feel: Medium body, a bit astringent and dry.

Overall: Pretty good, could use a bit more sweetness. Maybe it was aged too long?
Dec 21, 2016
 
Rated: 4.4 by wonothesane42 from New Jersey

Jul 28, 2016
Photo of Vixie
Reviewed by Vixie from Florida

3.87/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Looks orange when pouring, with red on the edges, but when held up to the light, it's a nice ruby red color. It forms a massive tan colored head which seems to want to stick around for some time.

Smell is fruity, like the label says, cherry and pineapple are present, I would say the pineapple dominates a bit. There is also a floral/grassy smell, typical for a farmhouse beer.

Starts out with some malty sweetness, but there are fruit flavors in there as well. Seems to be cherry, and maybe a hint of chocolate. It reminds me a little of the taste of chocolate cake with cherry, if you got a bite that had more cherries than chocolate in it. There is a little funk from the yeast, but it is restrained. Has a fairly dry finish to it.

Has a fairly thick, creamy feel to it.

Overall, a pretty good but not great beer. I think how much you like it depends on what you think of the brett strain of yeast. I happen to like it, so I enjoyed this beer. Not the best thing Ommegang has ever done, but far from a miss. If you can find a bottle, well worth checking out.
Jun 19, 2016
 
Rated: 4.17 by hosehead83 from Ohio

Mar 21, 2016
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

4.15/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Typical omme bomber, caged and corked, with pkg andbest by dating (nice job)

hazed dark brownish amber, with a fine bubble froth, film and strands of thicker lacing

earthy woody and funked up nose

dark malts, earth, funk,must, dark sugars. ripe fruits, yeasty goodness...alot goin on here...alot to like

complex and sophisticated, quality creation...well done
Feb 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.54 by gonzo000 from Massachusetts

Jan 23, 2016
 
Rated: 4.53 by webtrout from West Virginia

Jan 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.85 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

Jan 01, 2016
 
Rated: 3.82 by bjouan from California

Nov 28, 2015
Photo of JRed
Reviewed by JRed from New Jersey

4.06/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours clear brown with big khaki head. Aroma of lemon sour patch kids, a partially fermented overripe peach. Tastes of Brett, lemon skins, some cookie, sour. Medium carbonation and medium bodied.
Oct 24, 2015
Upside Brown from Brewery Ommegang
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 125 ratings