The practice of blending beers is nearly as old as brewing itself, although its purpose has changed over time. Centuries ago, breweries delivered beer to pubs, where it was blended with older batches to create a consistent “house” product. However, blending is now much more often experimental. As Upland is now in our sixth year of brewing sour ales, experimenting was exactly what we had in mind when we approached New Belgium about creating a unique blend of sour ales. A mutual admiration for old world sour ale brewing and the nature of the beer itself prompted the idea of collaboration.
Two different blends were made, a light and a dark, simply because it sounded more fun. Both breweries have both light and dark sours in their respective portfolios, and the idea of using all of these beers for this project was too exciting to pass up!
We chose the suffix “Synth” because that’s exactly what these beers are: synthesis. Combining different entities to make something new and unique. Light Synth and Dark Synth combine respect for a traditional brewing style with passion for innovation. Light Synth is a blend of 50% New Belgium Felix, 40% Upland Sour Reserve, and 10% Upland Cherry Lambic. Light Synth is pleasantly sour, with notes of fresh cherries and fruity esters, and a dry mouthfeel. Dark Synth is a blend of 50% New Belgium Oscar, 40% Upland Dantalion, and 10% Upland Raspberry Lambic. Dark Synth has a moderate body with clean sour notes, hints of raspberries and chocolate, with a gentle aroma of herbs and spices. New Belgium will be bringing a blend of Light Synth with 10% Boon Kriek, and Dark Synth to FoBAB this weekend, and Upland will release 750 ml bottled versions in early 2014.
