Brewed By: Unibroue (Sapporo) in Chambly, Canada
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012
Style/ABV: White Ale/Belgian White (or a Fruit Beer according to RB and BA), 5.5%
I can't believe I haven't reviewed any of Unibroue's stuff yet! I've had their beers MANY times. I actually have some old tasting notes on a number of their beers, but I have not had the Éphémère Apple yet.
If you roll over to the Éphémère Apple page, you can read all about this beer. I really like Unibroue's website, and they give a ton of info on the beer. This beer is described (stylistically) as a "white ale brewed with apple must." The nose is described as having a mouth-watering bouquet of Granny Smith apples, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. The flavor sounds a lot like a Witbier, with a balance of fruit and spice, sweetness, and some apples. This clocks in at 10 IBUs and packs a pleasant 5.5% ABV.
According to Unibroue, the label depicts a fairy, an ephemeral spirit, that is associated with the fruits picked at the peak of ripeness during harvest. She has been on a number of fruit beers from Unibroue, including their: apple must, cranberry, blackcurrant, peach, and raspberry. The apple version debuted in 2002, and is the most popular of these beers. Recommended food pairings for this beer include apple desserts, cheese, pork, duck, or fruit crepes. Lastly, this beer has the potential to age for up to 2 years (yay! bottle conditioning), but is best served as young as possible. This beer may develop some desired flavors as it ages (honey, candied fruit), but the apple flavor will likely drop out a bit the older it gets.
With that said...let's glass this, and see how this fruity take on a Belgian White holds up.
My bottle says best before 11/14/13...so it's safe to assume it's spent some time on the shelf at the store. That's my one gripe with Unibroue's beers, and it's not even a gripe against Unibroue...stores need to rotate fresh bottles. I digress. This one pours all foam...and the foam was creeping out of the bottle as I opened it. That may be my fault, as I kicked up some of the yeast in the bottle a few hours before opening it. The beer pours with 4-5 fingers of foamy, cloudy, whipped head. The head is white, and is made up of large bubbles. The beer is a pale straw/hazy yellow/cloudy urine color. When held to bright light, the head is clearly white, the body of the beer is a hazy straw/yellow, and there is a ton of visible carbonation rising upwards. This beer is effervescent and lively for sure. I'm going to opt to not pour in the yeast sediment...at least not yet.
The farther away your nose is, the more apples you get. I'm getting apples mixed with Belgian yeast, coriander, Witbier funk, and spice. I get really sharp green apples, candied apples, sugary apples, Granny Smith apples, and apple lollipop/candy. When I shove my nose into the glass, I get some nice grain, Pils malt, clove/vanilla, wheat, some floral aromas and honey, and tart apple.
The taste on this is really nice. Really subtle apple notes cut through the entire palate, and around them is a really nice Belgian Witbier. Up front is big wheat malt, then big apples kick in, followed by more wheat, hints of citrus, grain, coriander, light lemon cake, sparkling apple juice, Pils malt, and a clean grainy finish with some apple. This doesn't overdo the apple, and really works at a subtle level.
At 5.5% this is incredibly drinkable. This has a light to medium-light mouthfeel, is creamy, smooth, effervescent, and refreshing. The head duration is great, with a finger's worth of head still hanging around. And carbonation is still rising upwards. Palate depth is good, and complexity is okay for the style. Up front you get wheat, apples, Pils malt; this rolls into wheat, grain, coriander; the back end is apples, Pils malt, dry grain, and a crisp finish. Really clean, balanced, refreshing; this uses the apples to enhance the style, rather than beating you over the head with fruit.
This is a Strong Above-Average beer, and one of my all-time favorite Witbiers. The apples play off the coriander, Pils malts, hints of lemony citrus, and grainy notes in such a wonderful way; it's really subtle and well-done. This is a refined brew. It's also incredibly drinkable...and apples and Fall go together so well. It's not peeling my panties off in the complexity department....so I'll have to come back someday and reevaluate this beer with time and wisdom under my belt. Until then, pair this fantastic beer with apple desserts, apple pancakes, blintzes, or even with cheesy soup. This is good stuff, and definitely worth checking out.
I can't believe I haven't reviewed any of Unibroue's stuff yet! I've had their beers MANY times. I actually have some old tasting notes on a number of their beers, but I have not had the Éphémère Apple yet.
Unibroue is a brewery out of Chambly that specializes in Belgian beers. The brewery was founded in 1990 by André Dion and Serge Racine. The duo invested in the failing brewery, La Brasserie Massawippi, and became majority shareholders. In 1991, they finalized the takeover of La Brasserie Massawippi, and completely merged with their company, Unibroue, in 1992. Dion became the President and CEO, and Racine becamse the board of directors. In 1992, the brewery released their first beer, Blanche de Chambly, and decided to specialize in Belgian brews. In 1993, the brewery moved to their cutting-edge microbrewery in Chambly, Quebec, and by 1994 the brewery was exporting beer to the U.S. and Europe. In 1991, Brewmaster Paul Arnott joined the company; trained in traditional, monastic Belgian brewing, he helped release new beers including the Éphémère series of beers.
In 2004, the Sleeman Brewery purchased Unibroue, and in 2006, Japan's oldest commercial brewer, Sapporo International, purchased Sleeman. Since then, Unibroue has been regarded as a global treasure, as they export their beer everywhere. They produce some of the best, high-quality beer in the world. These guys are one of my favorite breweries, and it's always a treat to drink their beer.Tonight's beer, the Éphémère Apple, is basically a Belgian Witbier. Technically, this beer is brewed with apples, or apple juice (according to the bottle). Thus...it seems to categorically fit into the Fruit Beer category. But why? Witbiers are brewed with sweet orange peel, chamomile, and other spices. Why not throw a little apple into that mix..and does the apple really disrupt the "stuff" that is a Witbier? The bottle says: "Ale brewed with apple juice, coriander, and orange peel." Hmmm.
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| Didn't Satan warn us about this? |
If you roll over to the Éphémère Apple page, you can read all about this beer. I really like Unibroue's website, and they give a ton of info on the beer. This beer is described (stylistically) as a "white ale brewed with apple must." The nose is described as having a mouth-watering bouquet of Granny Smith apples, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. The flavor sounds a lot like a Witbier, with a balance of fruit and spice, sweetness, and some apples. This clocks in at 10 IBUs and packs a pleasant 5.5% ABV.
According to Unibroue, the label depicts a fairy, an ephemeral spirit, that is associated with the fruits picked at the peak of ripeness during harvest. She has been on a number of fruit beers from Unibroue, including their: apple must, cranberry, blackcurrant, peach, and raspberry. The apple version debuted in 2002, and is the most popular of these beers. Recommended food pairings for this beer include apple desserts, cheese, pork, duck, or fruit crepes. Lastly, this beer has the potential to age for up to 2 years (yay! bottle conditioning), but is best served as young as possible. This beer may develop some desired flavors as it ages (honey, candied fruit), but the apple flavor will likely drop out a bit the older it gets.
With that said...let's glass this, and see how this fruity take on a Belgian White holds up.
My bottle says best before 11/14/13...so it's safe to assume it's spent some time on the shelf at the store. That's my one gripe with Unibroue's beers, and it's not even a gripe against Unibroue...stores need to rotate fresh bottles. I digress. This one pours all foam...and the foam was creeping out of the bottle as I opened it. That may be my fault, as I kicked up some of the yeast in the bottle a few hours before opening it. The beer pours with 4-5 fingers of foamy, cloudy, whipped head. The head is white, and is made up of large bubbles. The beer is a pale straw/hazy yellow/cloudy urine color. When held to bright light, the head is clearly white, the body of the beer is a hazy straw/yellow, and there is a ton of visible carbonation rising upwards. This beer is effervescent and lively for sure. I'm going to opt to not pour in the yeast sediment...at least not yet.
The farther away your nose is, the more apples you get. I'm getting apples mixed with Belgian yeast, coriander, Witbier funk, and spice. I get really sharp green apples, candied apples, sugary apples, Granny Smith apples, and apple lollipop/candy. When I shove my nose into the glass, I get some nice grain, Pils malt, clove/vanilla, wheat, some floral aromas and honey, and tart apple.
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| Unibroue Éphémère Apple |
The taste on this is really nice. Really subtle apple notes cut through the entire palate, and around them is a really nice Belgian Witbier. Up front is big wheat malt, then big apples kick in, followed by more wheat, hints of citrus, grain, coriander, light lemon cake, sparkling apple juice, Pils malt, and a clean grainy finish with some apple. This doesn't overdo the apple, and really works at a subtle level.
At 5.5% this is incredibly drinkable. This has a light to medium-light mouthfeel, is creamy, smooth, effervescent, and refreshing. The head duration is great, with a finger's worth of head still hanging around. And carbonation is still rising upwards. Palate depth is good, and complexity is okay for the style. Up front you get wheat, apples, Pils malt; this rolls into wheat, grain, coriander; the back end is apples, Pils malt, dry grain, and a crisp finish. Really clean, balanced, refreshing; this uses the apples to enhance the style, rather than beating you over the head with fruit.
Rating: Above-Average
This is a Strong Above-Average beer, and one of my all-time favorite Witbiers. The apples play off the coriander, Pils malts, hints of lemony citrus, and grainy notes in such a wonderful way; it's really subtle and well-done. This is a refined brew. It's also incredibly drinkable...and apples and Fall go together so well. It's not peeling my panties off in the complexity department....so I'll have to come back someday and reevaluate this beer with time and wisdom under my belt. Until then, pair this fantastic beer with apple desserts, apple pancakes, blintzes, or even with cheesy soup. This is good stuff, and definitely worth checking out.
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