Upland Darken Dark Wild Ale
Aromas of licorice, ginger, cherry, and mild notes of pepper rise from the effervescent sour ale. Approachable tartness, more flavors of spice and fruit meld with light hints of caramel and chocolate. Darken has a medium-low body, with a dry spicy finish. (ABV varies from 9.6-9.8%)
Previously Dantalion) Darken is our demonically named sour ale based on the Oud Bruin beer style. Medium brown in color, Darken has hints of chocolate, Munich malts, and rye. We also incorporate a spice blend containing ginger, coriander, star anise, grains of paradise, and black pepper to create a gentle halo of spice character. The beer is fermented on the same selection of yeasts and microbes as our base lambic, and aged for up to 8 months or more in white oak barrels.
Previously Dantalion) Darken is our demonically named sour ale based on the Oud Bruin beer style. Medium brown in color, Darken has hints of chocolate, Munich malts, and rye. We also incorporate a spice blend containing ginger, coriander, star anise, grains of paradise, and black pepper to create a gentle halo of spice character. The beer is fermented on the same selection of yeasts and microbes as our base lambic, and aged for up to 8 months or more in white oak barrels.
3.7
219 reviews
Bloomington, United States
Community reviews
11th May 2018
MBCC 2018. Blue. Blood and Fists session. Keg. Hazy amber beer, good pale tan bead. Light crisp palate, decent fine carbonation. Tangy dark makts, getting on for sourish. A little coca cola and mildly sour lenon. Somehow these elements come together and work reasonably well. Interesting!
11May2018 Sweet, dark chocolate, cacao, dark roast coffee, malts, peat. Hazy, very dark brown, small, creamy, white. More peaty, dark chocolate, cacao, burnt toast, soft carbonation, medium bodied. Very nice. Keg at MBCC18 Blue Session, Copenhagen.
[2018/05/11] At MBCC 2018 - 2nd Session. Pours Yellow Pale With A Small Head, Aroma Of Vanilla, Fruits, Flavor Of Fruits, Vanilla, Light Bodied , Almost Decent. [6/3/5/2/10 - 2.6]
From tap at MBCC. A dark brown coloured beer with an off- white head. Aroma and flavour of yeast, malt, spice, fruit, oak, vinegar and tartness.
Bottle shared by Marcus. Pours dark brown with a transient tan head. Aroma of roasty malt, mixed spices, red grape. Med body. Flavor is med treacle, medium sour, spice - particularly ginger and red grape. Medium dry. Spice substituting for hop. Nice drink.
Bottle from Cap Tap. Pours dark brown with a modest tan head and a treacle and chocolate aroma. There is a near full-bodied dark molasses flavor with a complex flavor that includes chocolate, anise cherry, ginger and an oak finish.
Chocholate woody oaky aromas with lactic sour and licorice like spice. Taste is a dark deep stout like base, soured, sour maybe 3 of 10, not super sour. Bold deep body. Chocholate, licorice. Spice does not overpower the base dark malty chocholate beer. Finishes with some nice oak tannic dryness. Very complex and nice sour, but would like a bit more sour with how bold the underlying flavors are (but really a good beer)
Bottle from the HEB in Round Rock, TX. Pours dark brown. The frothy head lingers amid mild lacing. Mild hints of the oncoming sourness in the aroma, it’s a sort of vinegar/caramel/oak mix. The taste is up front quite sour, moderated modestly with notes of oak, chocolate, and a mix of spices. Sours are not exactly my favorite style but given that little limitation this feels like a pretty good one. The mix of spices and the lingering notes of oak enliven the finish. Body is on the upper side of medium, carbonation is average, there is noticeable warmth at the finish. Overall this is pretty good.
Bottle. Very unique and tasty sour. Dark Carmel color - excellent fruit notes and very tart. Good stuff
500 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled in 7/2017. Pours crystal clear dark reddish brown color with a 2 finger dense and rocky khaki head with fantastic retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lasts. Thick soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Fantastic appearance. Aromas of tart lemon, lime, red/green apple, raisin, plum, fig, cherry, berry, red grape, hay, straw, grass, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, and biscuit; with light notes of nuttiness, oaken vanilla, chocolate, peppercorn, coriander, ginger, anise, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/funky/light acidic yeast, dark/beady malt, oak, and light spice notes; with solid strength. Taste of tart lemon, lime, red/green apple, raisin, plum, fig, cherry, berry, red grape, hay, straw, grass, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, and biscuit; with light notes of nuttiness, oaken vanilla, chocolate, peppercorn, coriander, ginger, anise, leathery/musty funk, red wine vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness. Mild lactic tartness and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart lemon, lime, red/green apple, raisin, plum, fig, cherry, berry, red grape, hay, straw, grass, toasted oak, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, biscuit, nuttiness, vanilla, chocolate, peppercorn, light funk/vinegar, and yeast/oak/toasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Awesome complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/light acidic yeast, dark/beady malt, oak, and light spice flavors; with a great malt/tart/spiciness balance, and zero puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from tartness and yeast/oak spiciness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready/grainy, fairly acidic, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 9.1%. Overall this is an excellent Flanders oud bruin style! All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/light acidic yeast, dark/beady malt, oak, and light spice flavors; very smooth and easy to drink with the mellowly acidic/tannic/drying finish. Perfectly balanced fruity Brett complexity and dark/bready malts; nice oak presence and mild complementing spices in the background. Not overly lactic with pleasant acidity. A really enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.
Medium brown pour. Just white oak, huh? Maybe the 9.7% abv was tricking my brain into picking up notes of cab and bourbon. As poured, all about the malt and sour/oak qualities, with the spices really coming out (on the nose especially) as it neared room temp. Really cool beer, elegant even though nearly double digits.
Draft. Pour brown with a beige head. A little sour cherry up front, some musky acidity, leather, and light toast. Solid.
500ml bottle pours a dark brown color with a bit of head. Mild sourness and dark stone fruit.
From notes. Enjoyed at a tasting at Gus’s house on May 26. 750 mL bottle. The pour is a darker brown color with some ruby shine and a thin ring of light tan head that hardly hangs around. The aroma is really funky and earthy. Shit. The alcohol is a little more prevalent than I would like to see, but it’s not completely overpowering. There is a light pepper and fruitiness that just seem like they’re after thoughts. The flavor is much of the same. The enamel melting alcohol is right in your face, backed up by a light fruit and some heavy alcohol. There is a little bit of funk to this one, but it’s rough. The mouth feel is a little syrupy, but well carbonated and has that huge alcohol on the back end. This is an interesting beer, but it’s not my thing.
one of the best of the trash-tick night. The pepper and fruit soften the enamel stripping tartness upland is popular for. Light, moderate carb. Reddish pour.
Dark brown pour with tan head. Aroma is smoked black pepper. Taste is sour and peppery. Enjoyable.
Torst, Brooklyn tap: pours dark brown with a whitish head. Aroma is fruity, funky, bit whatever is those dark smells they be up in here. Taste is a very dry sour sort of thing. Fruity, but lacking sweetness. Dark, but lacking roast, chocolate or coffee. Excellent aftertaste. Good.
Sampled at Scratch. Darker brown. Some light off white head leaving spotted lacing. Funked nose is earthy and buggy. Fruit, vinegar, bark, earth, spice. Berries. Interesting.
It pours dark brown with a tan head. The aroma has rich malt, caramel, berries and toffee. It has a rich body with light carbonation. The taste has the aroma notes with heavy sour berries and very malty for a sour.
Dantalion. Bottle aged 3 years. Pours a dark brown with a soft foam head that dissipates, leaving a ring of foam that hugs my glass. The aroma is of brett, acidic sweet fruit, subtle caramel malts, and a touch of spice. Tasting, there is a clean tart flavor. It was done rather nicely, not too tart or acidic. The beverage was sugary sweet with a tart cherry flavor. There was also a good faint bitter dark malted grain flavor. Overall a well done brew. Nice body and a good finish. An easy drinker considering the abv.
16 oz bottle. Pours black with light brown head and mild lacing. Aroma of vinegar, salt, Brett funk and bubblegum. Sweet tart flavor, with raspberry, vinegar, salt and lingering ascerbic acidity. Creamy mouthfeel and full body with cloying sugar. Overall, complex and yummy, similar to Petrus
Dark brown with a small beige head that goes away fast. Aroma is balsamic vinegar, dark stone fruits, and sour plums. Taste is sour stone fruit up front and than tons of lactic acid. It ends up very puckering and dry. Good beer.
Deep brown, almost black. Nice smelling beer with balsamic vinegar, toast, and faint roast. Tangy balsamic vinegar with twist of lemon. Finishes with thick toasted malt and a light roast.
Bottle thanks to Brian - Pours opaque black, small tan head, dissipates fairly quickly, decent lacing. Aroma is tannic, tart, lots of dark fruits, hints of pepper, roasted malt. Flavor is medium tart, light plus funk, oaky. Medium body. Pretty good when fresh. Numerical score reflects this rating previous rating appended for historical accuracy.
Older Rating: Bottle - this was an older one as Dantalion. Pours crystal clear reddish hazel, small beige head, some lacing Aroma and flavor are light plus sweet, light tart, dark sugars, spices. Medium body. Not bad. 7,4,7,4,13
Aroma is sour fruit/cherries and mild vinegar/Worcestershire sauce. The flavor is cherries/fruit, malts, slight vinegar and a mix of mild sweetness and dry tart/sour in the finish.
Bottled. Pours dark. The aroma is tart fruit and chocolate. The plate is medium and sticky. The taste is fruity tart. Dark fruit with a sweet chocolate finish. Awesome beer
750 (I think), labeled as Dantalion. Thanks, N! Pours a hazy dark brown with a small off-white head that fades. Tart fruity nose, smells like oak and dried fruits. Nowhere near the piercing acidity we often expect with Upland sours. Creamy medium body with minimal carb. Oak, dark sweet cereal, lots of dark fruits and dried fruit notes. Long tart finish.
Bottle shared with Gus on Fuck It Sunday. Aroma is cherries, barrel, dry, fruity, really nice. Appearance is dark dark brown, light tan head, opaque. Taste is anise, spice, roasted malt, sour, dark fruit, strange and different. Mouthfeel is medium body, light crisp carbonation, solid tart and dark spice aftertaste. Overall, this one is weird but solid.
Bottle. Pours a dark brown with a nice light tan head. Aroma of yeast, roasted malts, chocolate, dark fruits. Taste is brown sugar, chocolate, roastiness, sour dark fruit. Really good but not on par with the hopsynth IMO
Sample shared @ RBWG Tampa. Thanks to whoever brought this! Deep amber pour with a small tan head. Nose is is sort of all over the place. Somewhat malty with some sharp funk. Baked bread. Red fruit. Flavor is moderately acetic. Light lemon. Red berry. More acid. Medium body, a touch oily.