Unibroue Ephemere
Review Date 11/6/2004
Try?
Re-buy?
Oh no, you say. There goes Bruguru again, eight o’clock in
the morning and he’s got a beer review up. On a Saturday morning no less.
Perhaps your skull’s a bit foggy as you read this from a few too many last
night. Probably not, though. You may put your fears aside, however, I
haven’t just popped a bottle of Ephemere to get an early start on the
day. Nor am I on the tail end of an all-night bender. I just happen to be in
the habit of reviewing beers in the morning based on my tasting notes from
the previous night.
So, on to the Ephemere, a beer with a difference. This is really is a hybrid beer, a brew that straddles the worlds of both beer and cider. That’s because it’s made with fresh apple juice. Some people just can’t stomach the notion of fruit beers, and that sentiment is not reserved to those who rarely partake of craft beer. Many dyed-in-the-wool beer geeks regard fruit beers with a jaded eye, as well.
Be that as it may, I like fruit beers. And apple is a fruit not often added to beer, so I was looking forward to trying this one. The “base” beer is a Belgian white of sorts, though the apple seems to have taken the place of the coriander and orange peel traditional used to spice the style. This is not to say they’re not here, I just don’t notice them amidst all the apple flavor.
Unibroue:
Apple-Ephemere possesses a fresh apple aroma with reminiscent notes of "Granny Smith" and "McIntosh" a subtle flavour of green apple is complemented by delicate notes of fruit and spice topped by a rich white head. Brewed from 100% first quality natural ingredients with a perfect blend of spring barley, wheat, apple wort, spices and natural aromas.
Unibroue recommends a flute glass, so I used one and slowly decanted from
the 750ml bottle. Ephemere pours to a hazy yellow color with a thick,
spritzy head and a sour green apple nose. The beer is light bodied, crisp,
and tart from the wheat and the apple.
And apple is the predominant flavor here. The beer is much like cider, but still a tad sweet and more like unfermented cider than the hard stuff. Ephemere bursts with fresh apple flavor, the Granny Smiths are definitely there in all their tart, slightly sour glory. But you can taste the Macs as well. Every sip is like biting a fresh apple.
Overall, the body is slightly thinner than I expected, but if anything that only serves to make the beer more drinkable. If anything, this is a very refreshing, quenching beer, and the balanced finish helps make it more so.
Definitely not your everyday brew, Ephemere is something that should have broad appeal. If you like apples, this is a beer you really should try.
So, on to the Ephemere, a beer with a difference. This is really is a hybrid beer, a brew that straddles the worlds of both beer and cider. That’s because it’s made with fresh apple juice. Some people just can’t stomach the notion of fruit beers, and that sentiment is not reserved to those who rarely partake of craft beer. Many dyed-in-the-wool beer geeks regard fruit beers with a jaded eye, as well.
Be that as it may, I like fruit beers. And apple is a fruit not often added to beer, so I was looking forward to trying this one. The “base” beer is a Belgian white of sorts, though the apple seems to have taken the place of the coriander and orange peel traditional used to spice the style. This is not to say they’re not here, I just don’t notice them amidst all the apple flavor.
Unibroue:
Apple-Ephemere possesses a fresh apple aroma with reminiscent notes of "Granny Smith" and "McIntosh" a subtle flavour of green apple is complemented by delicate notes of fruit and spice topped by a rich white head. Brewed from 100% first quality natural ingredients with a perfect blend of spring barley, wheat, apple wort, spices and natural aromas.
Unibroue recommends a flute glass, so I used one and slowly decanted from
the 750ml bottle. Ephemere pours to a hazy yellow color with a thick,
spritzy head and a sour green apple nose. The beer is light bodied, crisp,
and tart from the wheat and the apple. And apple is the predominant flavor here. The beer is much like cider, but still a tad sweet and more like unfermented cider than the hard stuff. Ephemere bursts with fresh apple flavor, the Granny Smiths are definitely there in all their tart, slightly sour glory. But you can taste the Macs as well. Every sip is like biting a fresh apple.
Overall, the body is slightly thinner than I expected, but if anything that only serves to make the beer more drinkable. If anything, this is a very refreshing, quenching beer, and the balanced finish helps make it more so.
Definitely not your everyday brew, Ephemere is something that should have broad appeal. If you like apples, this is a beer you really should try.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
