Try?
Good old Dale Roberts! He sent me a box of wonderful beers from Colorado and surrounding parts, one of which was the amazing Upslope Lee Hill Series No. 10 Wild Christmas Ale with Cranberries, just in time for Christmas in July! This was not the first beer I would enjoy from Upslope or the Lee Hill series for that matter, so I knew I was in for a treat.
In fact, I couldn’t wait to try this one, so it was the very first Christmas in July beer I enjoyed, popping it on a rainy Sunday July 2nd. My sample was canned on 11/16/16, so was not quite seven months old, no time at all for a beer like this to age. In fact, after having enjoyed it, I can tell you it would age much longer (Upslope suggest as much as well).
From the label:
In what’s become a holiday tradition for Upslope Brewing Co., we present you the neatly wrapped gift of oak, brettanomyces funk and fruit. Aged for 11 months in Leopold Bros. Maryland Style Rye Whiskey Barrels and re-fermented with 500 pounds of cranberries, this sour ale is both naughty and nice. Candied orange, rye whiskey spice and a touch of oak open up to an assertive cranberry tartness and a light semi-sweet chocolate finish.
Upslope Lee Hill Series No. 10 Wild Christmas Ale with Cranberries has an alcohol content of 9% by volume with 13 IBUs. It runs $10 a can from what I have seen which is high, but this beer is worth it. Absolutely.
Upslope Lee Hill Series No. 10 Wild Christmas Ale with Cranberries pours to a murky reddish-brown color with a light creamy head formation and a simply wonderful nose of thick aromatic funk and tart sour cranberry. Taking a sip, the sourness hits you immediately with dry cranberry fruit. But wait! Spicy rye and boozy bourbon, funky brett and then more tart cranberries on into the finish.
Wonderful! This beer is amazingly complex and hits you with waves and layers of flavorful. I didn’t really get the sweetness they talk of as the tartness really dries the beer, but that’s fine. This was perfect as it was. A big thanks again to Dale for playing Santa this Christmas-in July.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
