Upland Brewing President Pete Batule Talks Oak & Rosé

We spoke with Upland Brewing President and Head of Brewery Operations Pete Batule about Oak & Rosé.

BC: Who came up with this beer’s recipe? 
The blend for this beer was a collaborative effort made by myself, Eli Trinkle and Adam Covey.

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)? 
Nuanced grape and berry aromas infuse with pear, citrus and barnyard notes of the base beer. 

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
This is one of 3 beers that we make exclusively with grapes from our friends and neighbors at Oliver Winery.  Each beer is aged in oak and this particular beer we utilized Chambourcin grapes. Rosé is a reference to the color and Chambourcin grapes are also what Oliver uses to produce their Rosé wine.

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
The balanced acidity and flavor in this beer would make for a way better alternative to a desert island wine, however, I would likely stick to a nice hoppy pilsner for my desert island beer.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Wood-aged sour ale aged on Chambourcin grapes with dry finish.

BC: Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
If you talk to our good friend Dennis Dunham at Oliver Winery, he likes to take the credit for this beer! And in all truthfulness, Dennis and the team at Oliver have been a big part of our sour program and specifically with this beer's development as we’ve learned so much from him over the years. The majority of the barrels in our program came from Oliver and we love to talk shop about blending and barrel character with Dennis. We have been doing side-by-side tasting with their Chambourcin Rosé wine and it’s truly a great experience to see the nuance and similarities of how the grape is expressed in both the beer and the wine.

BC: What's a good food pairing for this beer?
Duck confit with pickled raisins, poached apple salad or barbecue pork and grilled dishes.

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