Tis the season for big and dark beers to keep you cozy through the last bit of winter and heat up your Valentine’s Day weekend.
Carpet Burn Oyster Stout is a little something we hope will help spice these cold winter nights. Think of it as a kind of natural ale enhancement. This love potion is infused with four aphrodisiacs: oysters (meat and shells), chocolate, chili peppers, and the best social lubricant around, alcohol!
Food pairing suggestions: oysters, beef or venison, BBQ, spicy Mexican dishes, mellow blue cheeses, dark chocolate or chocolate cake.
If you’re into hops, we’ve recently tapped our first kegs of Komodo Dragonfly Black IPA. This unique take on our Dragonfly IPA has all the hoppy characteristics of our flagship ale with the addition of dark roasted malts for a completely different sensory experience. Komodo is dark black with toasted caramel malt aromas and subtle interplay between the hoppiness present in both the aroma and flavor. Our black IPA is liberally dry hopped and then conditioned with a pinch of lavender for an added flavor complexity.
Food pairing: fatty and spicy foods, BBQ, sharp and blue cheeses
We’ve kept you warm and toasty with some big beers this winter and with spring on the horizon (we hope), we are ready to unleash our oak aged monster, Stoaked. This special beer is a Belgian Quadruple inspired ale aged in fresh oak for months and blended with an un-oaked portion to smooth out the strong assertive oakiness.
Fresh Stoaked is a barrel aged beer lover’s dream. This Belgian-Style Quadrupel has hints of vanilla and malty sweetness that balance nicely with a woody background. As Stoaked ages more and more dark fruit flavors and aromas, such as figs, plums, dates, etc. will emerge. This complex mix goes down smooth and is now available at all Upland locations on draft and in your local bottle shop in four packs. We only brew Stoaked once a year so check it out soon!
Food pairing suggestions: roasted duck, aged gouda, bread pudding.
Winter beers don’t have to be dark. If you’re in Bloomington, check out our Cherry Sour Ale on tap at the Bloomington Brew Pub! Upland lambics are fermented by wild yeast and aged in oak casks for over a year, which creates a tart, complex beer. We then add whole cherries, giving the beer enticing aromas and flavors. The beer is bottle conditioned, which adds a zesty and refreshing carbonation. This tart brew is the perfect drink to share with friends over a plate of good cheese and fresh fruit.
Valentine’s Day Weekend dinner specials will be Thursday-Sunday at the Upland Bloomington Brew Pub starting at 5pm.
You can enjoy all of these big brews on draft at the Bloomington Brew Pub downtown and at our West Side Beer Bar. If you’re not in Bloomington, check out Komodo Dragonfly IPA in 6 packs and Stoaked in 4 packs are available throughout our distribution area.
