Ephemere

It doesn't happen very often where I drink a beer I've never had before and say, "Euerka! This is my new favorite!" Well, this happened recently, or at least I thought so at the time. And, to be honest, I didn't actually say eureka.

Late one night after we closed the bar, a co-worker and I decided to split one of the newer beers we have at McNellies. We picked out a large bottle of Ephemere by the Canadian brewery, Unibroue. Unibroue has a reputation for producing an exotic collection of outstanding ales. The Ephemere is one in their series of fruit-based beers, this one being apple. Although I highly enjoy other beers by Unibroue, I didn't expect I would like this fruity flavored brew. We cracked it open and I must say, I was floored. I absolutely loved it. I raved about it to anyone who would listen, and went to the liquor store the following day and bought every bottle on the shelf (which, for the record, was three). I couldn't wait to share the tasty beverage with my friends and family.

The Ephemere is packaged in a 25.4 ounce pressurized bottle with a cork. The enchanting label features golden foil lettering and a female pixie perched upon colorful vines with mountains in the background. The beer is brewed with apple juice, coriander, and curacao. The heavy aroma of green apples can be detected from a few feet away. It pours a straw yellow color with a full frothy head, which diminishes fairly quickly. There seemed to be a high amount of carbonation, with lots of bubbles in the glass, having a spritzy quality. The apple flavor was very dominant, but it wasn't as sweet or offensive as I would have expected. I found it to taste more like a beer than many of the other fruit beers, which often demonstrate a sticky syrup quality.

I don't know the actual translation of the word Ephemere, but ephemera is listed in the dictionary as "things that exist or enjoyed for only a short time; something transitory; lasting a day." This seemed to prove true when I drank the beer for the second time. I'm not sure what happened, but I didn't get the same thrill I had the first time. Perhaps it was because I had low expectations the first time I tried it, whereas the second time I had high expectations. Whatever the case, I find the name of the beer to be very suiting.