Upland Brewing & Penn Beer Partner to Bring Wood-Aged Sours to Philadelphia

BLOOMINGTON, IN —Upland Brewing Co. announces the expansion of their wood-aged sour ales to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in partnership with Penn Beer, with launch events beginning the week of April 24. The first sours making their way to the City of Brotherly Love include Hopsynth, Iridescent, and a limited quantity of Cursed Kettles, available on draught in craft-focused bars and in specialty bottle shops.

“Philadelphia has an incredible beer culture and some of the most progressive beer bars in the country. Sour beers are becoming more commonplace and drinkers are curious about this style. We’re excited for the chance to offer beer lovers in Philadelphia some of our latest, unique sours,” said Dusty Howe, Upland’s Sour Beer Brand Manager.

To bring these wood-aged ales to Philadelphia, Upland partnered with Penn Beer, who have been in the business since 1953, so they know beer and which ones wash down Philly Cheese Steaks the best.

“Philadelphia has become one of the most influential beer markets on the East Coast, if not the country. The number of breweries that have entered our market is unprecedented. We’ve been following what Upland has been doing with their sour program. It’s a great opportunity to partner with them and send a selection of their astounding beers to our retailers,” said Pat O’Malley, Penn Beer’s Senior Craft Beer Manager.  

Almost a year ago, Upland opened the Wood Shop Sour Ale Brewery, a facility dedicated solely to wood-aged beers. Like any craftsman’s shop, this is a place of tinkering and experimenting for brewers. Coming to Philadelphia will be the result of over a decade of commitment to this brewing style, on top of small batch trials on innovative combinations of fruits and spices.

Sour beer fans in Philadelphia will be introduced to unique flavors like Iridescent, a blonde base ale wood-aged on dried apricots and ginger, and Cursed Kettles, a collaboration beer with Prairie Artisan Ales, which is aged on figs and dark cherries. Hopsynth, a dry hopped sour that melds new hop varietals for each batch, will be available as well. For launch events, Upland will also be bringing some whole-fruited sours.