Brought to you by:
BrewTools Homebrewing iPhone App

Latest Reviews

Dankenstein IIPA
Pearl Street Brewery
Black Magic RyPA
Michigan Beer Cellar
Weizen
Dachsbräu

Recent Articles

What Makes A Great Beer Town, Anyway?
Grand Rapids winning Beer Town, USA got me to thinking about this existential question. Vaguely Weekly Beer News Roundup
In case you’ve been a coma for the last seven days or so. The 50 Biggest Breweries In America, 2012 Edition
The latest list from the Brewers Association. Roger Ebert, Beer Critic?
Our appreciation of beer and movies isn’t all that different. A Mutating Form Of Tavern Entertainment
What’s almost as important as a bar’s beer list? The jukebox. archives »

Beer Reviews

Wheat Ale

Upland Brewing Company
Bloomington, IN
USA
http://www.uplandbeer.com/

Style: Wheat
ABV: 4.5%

Jill’s Rating:
   (Recommended)


Comments:
This beer advertises that it took first place at the Great American Beer Fest in the herb and spice category. In 2002. So even though it’s been a few years, I had to hope it was still a top notch beer.

Um, no, it wasn’t. Here’s the thing: If you’re looking for herbs and spices, you will find them in at least a couple of places: Kentucky Fried Chicken and this beer. What else does KFC have in common with this ale? Neither of them have beer.

Now, before you go all, “Well, you’re still giving it three mugs!” on me (that means you, Eddie Glick), here’s what happened when I drank this: I got a nice pour, and the beer was golden and sunny and clear. The nose is fantastic with a beautiful herb and spice smell, and based on the smell, I was really looking forward to the taste. The spices really hit your tongue and spread out in your mouth—it’s lovely. The spices are full of flavor and give the beer a lot of character. You might say that the spices are its only character because there’s really no beer flavor behind it—the beer disappears down your throat, and you hardly know you had anything to drink. The spice flavor lingers a bit and keeps you wanting more, but as a total beer, it’s not much. It’s refreshing and would be a decent summer beer, but it’s not much for the true craft beer connoisseur. In fact, a friend of mine said, “This is almost like Bud Light with spice.”

I don’t know if it’s quite that bad, but it is a bit disappointing for a winning beer to be watery like that. They took this great, four-mug-worthy spice and knocked it down a bit. Don’t be afraid, Upland Brewing, give this beer a little meat to it, and you’ll have a total winner.

Reviewed by Jill Jaracz on January 28, 2008.

Drinkin’ And Thinkin’

Beer Dorks News

Middleton, Wisconsin’s Capital Brewery announces plans for a new brewery in nearby Sauk City. MN politician calls Leinenkugel’s “bathwater,” gets a call from a MillerCoors lobbyist, apologizes his ass off. Funny how that works. Two new studies say smarter people tend to drink more frequently and in greater quantities. We at BeerDorks.com must be fucking geniuses. Another new brewery on the horizon in the Twin Cities metro, this one coming in July to Hudson, WI. St. Paul's Flat Earth moving to part of the old Hamm's Brewery. No word if the reclusive Hamm's Bear is still roaming about. “He should be condemned to a life of nothing but Coors Light.” Ouch. Outstanding interactive map of craft beer stats and trends courtesy of The New Yorker. The next Backstage Series release from Founders has mango and habanero. Is it a beer or a wing sauce? Ten classic Duff Beer clips from The Simpsons. Indiana company creates technology to ensure your favorite craft tappers never run dry.