Upright Brewing Portland | Open Fermentation Mastery

Upright Brewing (240 N Broadway, Portland, OR 97227)

Open fermentation — there’s something romantic about it. They ferment with the vessels open. I’d never heard of this before. I had a lot to learn.

I’ve known this brewery by name for a long time. They collaborate frequently with Shiga Kogen, and I’d often see their name on bottles in Japan. I had no idea they were also in Portland — incredible.

I was curious about the open fermentation, so I asked the staff which beers used it. They told me the lagers and IPAs don’t, but all the saisons and sour styles do. I’ve included my tasting notes (drafted with the help of GPT) below.

The beers were incredibly funky, yet somehow refined and elegant — I was deeply moved. It’s hard to put into words, but there’s this impression of something slightly warm, slightly raw, slightly musty… yet contrary to what those descriptors might suggest, it was all incredibly pleasant. People tend to describe the stimulating aromas and flavors as “intense,” but that doesn’t quite capture it either. It was one-of-a-kind, and utterly cool.

Tasting Notes (Revised)

Upright Brewing at 240 N Broadway, Portland, OR 97227 was an outstanding brewery. Craft beer lovers should definitely pay them a visit!