Upright Four
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Tasting Notes
The nose opens with hay, lemon peel, and a faint spice — the kind of dry, earthy aromatics that come from a farmhouse yeast working at the lower end of its range. On the palate there's a gentle tartness alongside white pepper, mild herbs, and a grain character that stays close to raw wheat and light barley. The body is lean and almost bone-dry, with carbonation that carries the flavor rather than obscuring it. The finish is short and clean with a faint bitterness that invites the next sip without demanding it.
About the Brewery
Upright Brewing is based in Portland, Oregon, and has operated since around 2009. The brewery built its reputation around Belgian and French farmhouse traditions, naming its core beers numerically after musical notes in a nod to jazz composer Charles Mingus. Their lineup leans into low-intervention brewing, often incorporating locally grown grains and seasonal adjuncts, and they have long been a fixture in the Pacific Northwest's craft scene among drinkers drawn to funkier, yeast-forward styles.
Food Pairings
A soft cheese like chèvre works well here because the beer's dry acidity cuts through the fat without overwhelming the cheese's delicate tang. Roasted chicken with herbs mirrors the beer's earthy, peppery character and keeps the pairing in comfortable register. Mussels steamed with white wine and shallots share the same saline, mineral quality that farmhouse ales often carry. Lightly dressed grain salads — farro or wheat berry with lemon vinaigrette — echo the beer's raw grain backbone and keep everything in the same dry, herbaceous lane.
Style Guide
Saison originated in the Wallonia region of southern Belgium, historically brewed in winter for consumption by farmhands during the summer harvest season. The style is defined by its highly attenuated, dry body, prominent yeast-driven spice and fruit esters — think pepper, citrus peel, and hay — and a characteristically lively carbonation. ABVs range widely from session strength around 3.5% up to stronger versions near 8%, though the drier, lighter end of that range is increasingly common. What separates saison from witbier is the absence of wheat-forward haze and added spices, and from Belgian golden strong ale, the farmhouse funk and much lower residual sweetness.