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Saison Ouvrir is the second beer in Upright Brewing’s Frequencies Series. Each beer in the series is a one off, though brewed in slightly larger volumes than the brewery exclusive Sole Composition beers. There are only 89 cases of Saison Ouvrir in the world.
The beer was conceived with the help of Corralitos Brewing Company during the Craft Brewers’ Conference. The brewers at Upright and Corralitos share an interest in open fermentation -- using open topped vessels allows yeast to fluff and breath, but also invites cross contamination. They brewed the same Biere de Garde inspired beer in their respective facilities using heirloom hops grown in Corralitos. The beer was open fermented -- Ouvrir is open in French after all -- but each took a different tack with the finished product.
At Upright, they added Siason Ouvrir to casks with a blend of wild yeasts and bacteria. The end result is a tangy, sharp beer. The funky acid more resembles Lambic than Biere de Garde, but Ouvrir retains a clean, malty body and a brilliant clarity. It’s almost upsettingly see through. No beer this rustic should look so filtered, right? There’s a light apricot flavor running throughout with a lemon lime spritz on top.The bitterness cuts through right at the end with a stony minerality and a surprisingly clean finish.
