Upright Brewing Releases Blend Love in Bottles for 3rd Anniversary, More Upright Releases

Upright Brewing celebrates their third anniversary on Friday March 30, 2012 with the release of Blend Love. Although not mentioned in their press release, this tribute beer to brewmaster Ben Love, was a concept that we came up with in the brewhouse on one of many bottling days. Frequently founder/brewer Alex Ganum and brewer Gerritt Ill would entertain seemingly endless ideas for beers named after brewers. Evolving from the more objectifying labeled Four Play, Blend Love is a more respectably presented nod to one of Portland’s finest and kindest brewers.

In the past Alex was so kind as to allow us to organize Van Night for longtime Rock Bottom Brewer Van Havig (now a business partner and fellow brewmaster at Gigantic Brewing with Love) at the Grain & Gristle Pub. Alex and the G&G also let us put together Ben Fest to pay homage to Ben Love and four other Bens in the Portland beer scene. Oh, and let us not forget the Shawn Kelso Night in which Upright devised an uncharacteristic mammoth hops beast poured alongside 10 Barrel Brewery’s newly acquired brewer who gained notoriety whilst developing over the top hop behemoths at Barley Brown’s Brewpub.

As you can see, Alex appreciates his friends and  fellow brewers in the industry, and likes to have fun with the naming of beers. He also is highly passionate about breaking into uncharted territory when it comes to developing and executing craft beer styles. One obvious example that comes to mind is Upright’s Flora Rustica (brewed with calendula flower and yarrow). Further, Upright has not only gotten radical with its brewing but has also revisited some historically significant styles such as Gose, Oyster Stout, and Bavarian Hefe, and Pilsner.

Perhaps the most endearing element for us about Alex’s brewery is that it is undoubtedly a labor of love that is more about friendships and the enjoyment of beer itself rather than it is about the marketing or the hype that so many others get caught up in. So, for Upright’s third anniversary, we couldn’t be happier for our buddies Alex and Gerritt, two of our favorite brewers of all time.

Blend Love is an amalgamation of four barrel-aged versions of Upright’s wheaten Four, with more than a barrel of raspberry Six rye ale. Here’s the details from the steed’s mouth:

Upright is three years in! To celebrate, come join us at the brewery Friday the 30th from 4:30 to 9 pm and check out our newest seasonal beer, Blend Love! Four casks containing a sour cherry version of the Four were blended with about a cask and a half of raspberry laden Six to create this characterful sour ale, full of lactic and acetic character, fruit and oak tannins, and a light funkiness from brettanomyces yeast. It was a blast to produce and then name this beer after one of Upright’s favorite people and brewers, Ben Love. It’s perfectly ready to enjoy now but will cellar well for several years. One keg will be on tap along with plenty of bottles for sale at $12 a 750ml and $125 a case. Please note there will be a single case per person limit. During the anniversary on the 30th, expect to see some other neat beers on tap as well!

More New Seasonal Bottle Releases:

Gose

The third annual Gose is conditioning now and should be ready for release either the 16th or 23rd depending on how that goes. The salt can retard the process so we’ll be tasting it just before to determine the final date. The recipe was basically unchanged but this batch fermented out excellently and was displaying great aromas and flavors before bottling. It should be the best batch yet!

Pure Wit

Pure Wit, also on it’s third go-round has been out on draft for less than a week and another batch designated for bottling is in the works for an early/mid April release. Our take on the style is a bit more rustic than most with a distinct tartness, flowery nose, and a super dry finish.

Monk & Mingus

Also in the works is the annual Monk and Mingus, a collaboration with former longtime Oregon brewer Corey Blogett (sic), now head brewer at Maritime Pacific in Seattle. The Monk and Mingus is made for the Cheers to Belgian Beers fest in April and completely different every year. This particular batch is a strong stout fermented rather cool to keep the yeast profile in check and make room for a cold pressed infusion of coffee from Heart Coffee Roasters. The beer is very early in its process but we’ve got a great feeling about it!

New Distribution

Upright just started shipping beer to Nevada through Cepage Selections. Look for bottles on the shelves already and draft coming soon.