Unibroue... fine beers from Quebec

[Gillman]

Just cracked a bottle of Ephemere. The name means, ephemeral, implying that the recipe for this beer is fleeting and will be replaced by a variation. In fact, according to the label, the apple ale is the third in the Ephemere series. The beer is extremely good. I doubt I have had a better beer for summer quaffing. A rich bouquet of fresh apples lifts off the fluffy head after the pour. This combines perfectly with the spicy, lemony elements of the wheat beer base. Clearly, the house's Biere Blanche (white wheat beer) is used as the base for fanciful variations such as this one spiked with "apple must" (probably minced apples added to the mash or the first ferment to provoke a second). On the elegant label is (apart from the lithesome blonde) a green apple which is a dead ringer for a Granny Smith. Whether that variety is used or not I can't say, only that this is a fine beer of the summer. Since Unibroue is widely available in the States I think beer fans would like this if they have the taste for wheat-based beers. I should add, adding apples to beer isn't a gimmick. It is an age-old practice in brewing, so is adding honey, so is adding herbs, and even chile. There is nothing new under the sun, saith the Bible.

Gary

[Gemini_Rose]

Dear Gary,
I can't wait to 'uncork' this brew considering I like "spirits" with cheese and apples. I like to have peanut butter on my apples as a snack with or without some wine. A co-worker introduced me to a little salt and hot sauce on Macintosh & Red Delicious apples which I think is rather good as well. I guess I will have to wait for Mark to open the bottle to try this beer but it sounds like it will be worth the wait

[Dave_in_Canada]

Ooooo you've got a nice range there Mark! Good prices too. Be careful with the alcoholic content!

[Paradox]

Well, yesterday while driving to PA to see my aunt I stopped in a distributor in NJ and was lucky enough to find one more Unibroue bottle that I couldnt get here... A bottle of Trois Pistoles.

On Saturday while Bob and Nancy were over yet another bottle we got to try was Unibroue's Terrible. I loved this beer at first sip. Bob had told me in advance, like others have said, that he finds Unibroues brews to be a bit 'sweet' and not hopped much. Well, I immediately said that these beers msut be for me! Really though, if the Terrible is a sign of things to come, I may really love their brews. Terrible poured a very dark brown color. It had a very malty and roasted flavor that finsihed sweet and smooth even considering this beer was 10.5% alcohol.

Thanks Dave for mentioning Unibroue as w/o having heard about it from someone on here I don't think I would have bought these bottles... Seeing big bottles like that at the distributor with corks I them would have kept me away while I was simply looking for beer!

[pepcycle]

With all this talk about Unibroue, I decided to head down to Pazzo's in Lexington. They had Trois Pistoles on tap. Rich creamy head, balanced sweet/bitter taste, malty finish and lightly hopped. Perfect complement to a pizza. Really hit the spot. Now I have to find that Terrible that everyone is trying.

[jeff]

Isn't Pazzo's great! Leslie and I hang out there at least once every couple of weeks. They have the best selection of beers on tap and in bottle anywhere in Lexington AFAICT. I have also heard that Mellow Mushroom has a nice selection, but we haven't tried them out yet.

[Paradox]

Well Gary, I just cracked open my bottle as well. You hit the nail right on the head when you said "I doubt I have had a better beer for summer quaffing." After I was drinking it for a little bit I said to Stacy how this is so perfect for hot day like this was... Then I saw reread your post! There is a definitive aroma of apples in the nose and a tart or like you said lemony taste in the mouth. I actually didn't think this beer was going to be as 'thin' as it was but it works just fine for this kind of brew. Mine didn't have much head to it all, nor did I find that it had much carbonation. Still, a wonderful summer drinking beer to cool off and one I will definitely buy another of.

[Gillman]

Glad you liked it Mark. My sample was very carbonic and this seemed to make the body heavier than you mentioned but otherwise your reaction was similar to mine. Just got back from Rebel House, a "local beer" house in Toronto, and the featured beer of the week was apple Ephemere on draft, so you're right in tune with the happening beers in Toronto. Didn't try it tonight, I had draft Cameron's Lager instead, a fine lager beer in a German helles style (like Warsteiner but better). With that, a shot of Elijah Craig 12 year old tasting rich and wood smoky; a better whiskey and chaser could hardly be imagined..

Gary

[pepcycle]

Jeff,
My son, Steven, worked at Mellow Mushroom for awhile. If you've been to Pazzo's you'll notice the amazing resemblance, right down to the names of the pizza selections. Seems the owner of Pazzo's may have "copied" the style from other Mellow Mushrooms. I heard there may be some litigation against Pazzo's. MM's doesn't have that down and dirty college watering hole atmosphere that upstairs at Pazzo's has. Best day for Pazzo's is Wednesday. Its Pint Night and you get to keep the glasses. They are one of the few places to routinely serve the Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale on tap.(The other is the Bourbon Bar at the Airport) Isn't today Wednesday??? Get there before 6:30PM. The glasses go fast. They only stock about 200.

[Paradox]

I finally got to open another one of these fine Unibroue brews Dave, the Eau Benite (Holy Water) and again was impressed. This one, compared to many other Unibroue brews, is a little weak at 'only' 7.7% alcohol. I really like their beers because of their almost 'sweet' characteristics but not overpoweringly sweet like sugar added to coffee sweet. This one was different because it had a sweet fruity aroma and taste but it finished with a little 'bite'. The only thing I have to get past with many of these beers after drinking nothing but Bud and the like for so long is all the yeast and sediment that pours into the glass and floats around... Thanks for turning me onto these brews Dave, I probably would not have tried them otherwise. Oh, and I must say though that thus far I still liked the Terrible the best!