Pucker Up for Upland Brewing’s Sour Beers

In brewing, as in most endeavors, timing is everything. Upland Brewing Co. plans to open a brand-new production and tasting facility in Bloomington dedicated to sour beers, an ancient-but-trendy style that craftbeer.com called “one category of beer that might challenge the current IPA craze.” In 2006, then–head brewer Caleb Staton bartered beer for some of Oliver Winery’s white-oak barrels to try his hand at making a tart Belgian-style lambic. Ten years on, Upland’s lively sours, aged eight months or longer and often flavored with indigenous foraged fruits like persimmon and pawpaw (look for both in releases this month), have cultivated followers who track the small batches, bottled like champagne and dispensed by lottery to Upland’s Bloomington, Broad Ripple, and Carmel locations. Demand for Staton’s sours has proven strong enough for Upland to commission a cooper in France to make white-oak aging casks for the new facility. 350 W. 11th St., Bloomington, 812-336-2337, uplandbeer.com