Bierkultur

We knew it wouldn’t be long before Upland Brewing Co. outgrew the little brewpub on West 11th Street.

The unofficial flagship brewery of Southern Indiana announced plans last summer to upgrade to a $3 million facility on the B-Line Trail south of town. Recently, they announced they would move to a spot on the west side instead of the B-Line location. The brewpub will stay open, and small experimental batches will still be brewed there. However, starting in May, the majority of the brewing will happen in the new warehouse to facilitate production.

“It’s a big step for Upland. We’ve been operating 14 years in this one space, and we’re crammed into every corner,” Upland President Doug Dayhoff said in a video posted to the brewery’s YouTube account. “We went ahead and brought in a few new tanks to our current location. We bought a 150-barrel fermenter and a 150-barrel bright tank.”

I’m excited for the expansion. It’s always good to cheer for the local guys, and this expansion just means we’ll see more Upland out of town.

I mean, it’s cool enough to see Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) enjoying a Dragonfly IPA in NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” and national exposure of local brands is always good for the hometown economy.

But enough about economics, how about a cold one?

In the past, I haven’t been a huge Upland fan, and I’d much rather take a German Hefeweizen than an Upland when it comes to wheat beers.

Lately, however, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of Upland’s latest brews. The Komodo Dragonfly Black IPA, for example, has quickly become one of my new local favorites.

Coming in at 6.5 ABV, this brew showed up in October and fills out Upland’s dragonfly trilogy: Dragonfly IPA, Double Dragonfly Imperial IPA and the new Komodo Dragonfly Black IPA.

Black IPAs are the perfect blend between the strong bitterness of an India Pale Ale and the malty character of a black ale. I personally err on the side of dark and am not a fan of the overwhelming bitterness that usually comes with a pale ale, but Upland really pulled this one off.

It pours smooth but very dark, with a dark brown head reminiscent of a stout. It has little of the fresh hop aroma that I like in a pale ale. It smells more like a dark ale with malty tones than a traditional IPA.

The taste is unique and does just what is advertised. It has the bitterness of a strong IPA, for you beer geeks out there, and it comes in at an IBU (International Bittering Unit) rating of 65.5, but it ends with the malty character of a strong dark ale.

Can’t say I’m not impressed. Well done, Upland, can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for the new brewery.

Cheers!


UPLAND BREWING CO. Komodo Dragonfly Black IPA — Easy to drink, unique mix of a black ale with the bitterness of an IPA. Available in six packs at most liquor stores. Four out of five pints.