Offen Weisse – last year Upright brewed a classic Bavarian-style weisse beer for the Oregon Brewers Festival. We’ve been missing it because the brewers here love German wheat beers, so we decided to produce a slightly maltier amber version for early summer. It’s fermented in our open tanks which encourages the specific yeast strain to make a nice balance of fruity and spicy notes which play off the dark wheat malts beautifully. Look for it at the brewery tasting room and a handful of Portland-area bars and restaurants. 4.65%
Lactovasilios – jokingly named by Upright’s beer titler Angelo de Ieso after our pal Vasili, head brewer at Laurelwood, this brew is a one-off barrel fermented Berliner-weisse. It’s got a pleasantly funky and aromatic nose with the characteristic sharp sour flavor produced by large amounts of lactic acid bacteria. The Lactovasilios was a small batch blend that will see very limited distribution, but expect to see it at Portland’s most beer-centric spots. 3.8%
Coming Soon – a Czech-style pilsener, differentiated from the Engelberg by the use of completely different ingredients including saaz hops and an authentic yeast strain. Look for it around the last week of June!
New Bottle Releases
Flora Rustica is making it’s annual return June 22nd. The historically styled brew, which always relies on the spring yarrow harvest, was produced about a month earlier than last year thanks to a slightly better spring. This 2012 vintage is limited to only 82 cases and 7 kegs which will be poured mostly at the brewery tasting room and Grain and Gristle. Something to look forward to next year will be a new barrel aged version with more integrated bitterness and significantly more sour character.
Sole Composition series beers have been on hiatus as the brewery has been focusing on other projects, but on deck for releases likely in July will be the Lactovasilios, Levinator (black currant wine barrel aged barley bock), and Single Cask Six (aged nearly a year with light use of cherry in our favorite oak barrel).
Events
June 14th – Beer and Food Pairing Seminar
Upright is teaming up with Grain and Gristle chef Nathaniel Price for a beer and food pairing seminar at Wildwood for Portland Beer Week. Three other chef/brewer duos will be present for this educational and tasty event! Contact Shelly Jones (shelly@wildwoodrestaurant.com // 503.225.0130) for seats.
PDX Beer Week Beer and Food Pairing Seminar
June 14, 2012, 6:30pm, $50 includes food, drink, and gratuity
Menu and Participants:
Nathaniel Price (Grain & Gristle) and Alex Ganum (Upright)
early summer vegetable croquette, chevre, salsa verde
with special blend of gose and biere de garde
fennel, strawberry, sunflower seed, pepita, lime
with flora rustica
Paul Kasten (Wildwood) and Nick Arzner (Block 15)
puree of artichoke soup, chicharron, piment d’espelette
with ferme de la’ville provision
pork rillettes, crostone, pickled calabrian chile, microgreens
with ridgeback red
John Gorham (Toro Bravo) and Ben Edmunds (Breakside)
house made slim jim with 12 month manchego
with aztec ale
homeade reuben
with kellerbier
Aaron Barnett (St. Jack) and Charlie Devereux (Double Mountain)
country pork boudin with poached prune, pommes puree & caramelized onion-bacon jus
with peche mode
dessert course TBD
June 17th – Portland Beer and Cheese Fest
the first annual Portland Beer & Cheese Festival takes place at The Commons Brewery featuring a stunning cheese selection by champion cheesemonger Steve Jones of Cheese Bar fame and beers from the best regional brewers, plus free light snacks from Chop Butchery and Charcuterie. Upright will be representing with the new Offen Weisse. Tickets are $25 and include a tasting glass and punch card that gets you 10 different specifically chosen craft beer and cheese pairings.
June 29th – North American Organic Brewers Festival
July 1st is the weekend of the North American Organic Brewers Festival. Upright will be back with a fresh batch of Reggae Junkie Gruit, a hop-less beer made with lemongrass, orange peel, hyssop, and Sichuan peppercorns. Don’t miss it!
