Taproom Talk

It seems the Unibroue brewery in Quebec, Canada just can’t brew a bad beer. In fact, from what we’ve tasted, these cats simply make phenomenal beer. Take for instance the Ephemere, which is a light ale brewed with apple juice. You read that right — apple beer, which as you already know, has impressed this snob before.

Indeed, while the last tasting was a Belgian showing, this fine Canadian brew boasts a bubbly body, light in color, with no lacing present and a floral nose of Granny Smith apples complemented by a slight hoppiness. The taste is absolutely wonderful as it smoothly blends citrus-ness with subtle spice– this beer is so good you’ll end up drinking it before you can fully appreciate its refined, elegant taste. The finish is slightly tart, like that of a juicy apple and it leaves you ready to sip again.

The only disappointing aspect of this beer is that it didn’t last long enough for me to study it. Being light on ABV helps too as you can drink this fine ale as a dessert, but it isn’t too sweet to complement a dinner, snack, breakfast, lunch, you name it. This beer is excellent– just make sure you buy a few.

I have been thoroughly impressed with Anderson Valley beers in the past; consequently, towards the end of last year, I picked up a few of their 2006 Winter Solstice Seasonal Ales and proceeded to have one. I’ll spare you the details, suffice it to say, I was less than impressed. In fact, I left the remaining 5 in my cellar, figuring they’d mellow out with some time.

Finally, after roughly 6 months, this beer is ready to enjoy. The Solstice pours a light brown color with a light lacing and reveals a wonderful spicy nose. This pleasant pour is complemented by a cinnamon taste rounded out by a solid malt backbone, which seems to impart a slight date-like finish. The spices work well with the beer’s maltiness and it surely would be a warming taste around a hearth on a cold winter’s night. Thankfully, this beer ages quite well and is worthy of beer snob’s long term planning.

Indeed, the Winter Solstice came a bit late this year– perhaps it should be called Anderson Valley’s Summer Solstice?