Here it is! Wow Week 52. It feels like I just started this madness. I’m going to do a 52 Beers in 52 Weeks in review post, so I won’t get all nostalgic here!

I had a real treat over Christmas to include as my final week: Upland Raspberry Lambic. The Upland Brewery began in 1998 in Bloomington, Indiana, their story can be found on their website:

The name “Upland” comes from the Norman and Crawford Uplands, the term geologists gave to our area of southern Indiana, which was never overrun by the glaciers that flattened much of Indiana’s landscape. The raised highlands or “uplands” remained untouched, resulting in a region of rugged, heavily wooded hills and hollows. The land was beautiful but poor, and life was not easy for early settlers. This adversity bred independent thinkers who had strong wills, a connection to the land, and a wry sense of humor about life. Our approach to brewing beer honors the spirit of these people and this place.

Their series that includes sours is a pretty difficult get in the beer world. I’ve been lucky enough to try the Peach Lambic, and decided to spring for the Raspberry when the opportunity presented itself.

Muddy red pour with a very fizzy pink head. No retention or lacing at all. The head gushed out of the bottle a bit upon popping the cork. Very oaky smell with a nice amount of raspberries and barnyard funk mustiness. The balance is quite nice, but seems to be a bit on the sour side 4. On the taste the oakiness seems to hide underneath the funk and raspberries. The fruit isn’t particularly strong, as this seems to be a bit more funky than anything else. I very much like how the taste develops: fruity, then a lot of funk that finishes off the taste dry with oak and booze throughout. The body is medium with an extremely dry finish. Perhaps a bit over carbonated, as shown with the gushing bottle (that I remember, in hindsight, occurred with the Peach Lambic I had before). The bite of sour-ness I didn’t find offensive at all. This was very good. I thought it would be a bit more fruity, but the overall taste is well above average. Easily enjoyable, very glad I tried it.

4.38 / 5