Our fifth in-state collaboration for our 10th anniversary is one that is particularly special to us. For this collaboration, they looked to Upright’s early days and used the infamous French Saison yeast that typified Alex’s first beers. The beer they made began its life as a relatively straightforward farmhouse ale using some rich and bready heirloom pale and pilsner malts from California’s Admiral Malting, and they added magnolia berry in the whirlpool for some delicate floral, bitter, and sour notes. Then, the beer underwent a second fermentation using lager yeast, with the goal of mellowing the farmhouse yeast profile and tightening up the beer. The result is a hard-to-classify beer that’s refreshing like a pale lager and dry and rustic like a classic saison. This is the sort of idiosyncratic beer that both Ben and Alex love: quirky, technically challenging, highly drinkable, nuanced, and layered. We hope you agree!