Unibroue Éphémère Bleuet Fruit / Vegetable Beer at 5.5% ABV (C$6.99 at Willow Park Wine & Spirits, 750 ml, bottle date 31-Mar-2016, acquired 26-Jun-2016, reviewed 13-Jul-2016)
Appearance: slightly hazy reddish pale amber with two fingers of pillowy light violet head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: slightly artificial or medicinal blueberry, sweet wheat malt. (6/10) Taste: moderate sweet, mild tart, minimal bitter. (6/10) Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, crisp lightly tart and slightly medicinal finish. (3/5)
Pretty similar to the Canneberge and Cerise, both in terms of flavour (not very impressive and not entirely authentic fruit) and overall experience (just plain not very impressive). This is the fourth of the Éphémère series I’ve tried, and I have to say, the more ephemeral these are, the better. With the exception of the Pomme, which is passable, they really don’t compare to the much more solid Belgian-style offerings where Unibroue really shines. It improves slightly with the second glass, with the lees swirled in the final half inch and poured over the head like a hefeweizen (it is a wheat beer, after all) but that’s pretty much a case of too little, too late. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
