The Bar Towel

On RateBeer.com there are four Éphémères listed.

Primtemps (Spring) 2000
Hiver (Winter) 2001
Premtemps (Spring)2002
Hiver (Winter) 2002

Do the beers in the 8-pack currently available at the Beer Store correspond to these releases or are they new recipes. If they do correspond, which beer corresponds with which release?

I've already had the winter 2001 and the spring 2002. These were the apple releases, if memory serves me correctly.

Cheers, Joe.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jcappadocia on 2003-05-01 16:00 ]</font>

Curious place for this question, Joe.

What we list is:

Primtemps (Spring) 2000 - unflavoured
Hiver (Winter) 2001 - maple
Premtemps (Spring)2002 -apple
Hiver (Winter) 2002 - cranberry (should be 2002/2003 really)

If this is not the same as Unibroue's interpretation, I'm sure they'll make mention of it.

One of the Ephemeres in the box is peach, if I'm not mistaken.

There is a logic to my question.

1) I brought the question over here because I figured everyone on RateBeer who might have insight frequents this site as well. Also, I was hoping Maudite might be able to help.

2) Second,I put the question under beer reviews because that's where all the Éphémère threads seem to be located.

3) I'm ten post behind you, Josh, for the third most posts on this site, and Greg is nipping at my heals. So, I have to post something.

And, yes there is one with "peach must." I'm drinking it now. Also, I've had both the winter 2001 and the spring 2002 and they both had an apple and the words "apple must" on the label. As well, their descriptions definitely said they were the second and third in the series.

Not to bring too much of the other site over here but most people are rating the peach as the Winter 2002, and nobody makes mention of any cranberry.

I'm soooo confused.

Joe.

On 2003-05-01 17:35, jcappadocia wrote:
I've had both the winter 2001 and the spring 2002 and they both had an apple and the words "apple must" on the label. As well, their descriptions definitely said they were the second and third in the series.

I just checked the bottles in the box I bought last week, and the only one that mentions any ordering to the releases is the apple, which says "third" in the description on the back label. All the rest of them just say "series" with no mention of the ordering.

Also, none of them mention a date anywhere on the front or back label, and I can't find them listed on the box either.

I believe, however, that they were released in this order: original, peach, apple, cranberry. Mapping that to the dates on RateBeer gives the following:

Éphémère (Printemps 2000) - Original
Éphémère (Hiver 2001) - Peach
Éphémère (Printemps 2002) - Apple
Éphémère (Hiver 2002) - Cranberry

Personally, I think either the names or the descriptions at RateBeer should be changed to include the fruit, since the release dates don't appear on any of the packaging, and people are often rating them in the wrong place.

I think I'll go suggest this on the RateBeer Forum...


Greg

The newest release is definitely the peach. I've checked the Unibroue website. So this seems the most logical:

Printemps 2000 : Original (the one with no particular fruit on the label)
Hiver 2001 : Cranberry
Printemps 2002 : Apple
Hiver 2002 : Peach

However, I'm absolutely positive that I had "the second in the series." The big bottles I had matched up perfectly with the date and with description. And it definitely wasn't cranberry--no mention nor taste.

I'm wondering if the cranberry is also a new release?

Joe

Where on the Unibroue site did you see Peach listed as the newest release? I can't find it.

Not that I'm calling you a liar, but I thought that when I bought a bottle of the Apple in Montreal last summer, a friend mentioned that he'd had the Peach version previously. But maybe he said Cranberry and I got them confused after the fact...?


Greg

OK, I just did a Google search for "Ephemere Cranberry", and found some monthly brewing journal from April, 2002 that mentions a March, 2002 tour of Unibroue where they tried "Ephemere (this year's version flavored with cranberry)".

So I guess you're right about the Cranberry and Peach being swapped. But the RateBeer listings are still confusing.


Greg

Well, first off they weren't supposed to release them all simultaneously. Second, I think we definitely need brewer clarification as to what's what. I found neither peach, nor cranberry, nor any other funny flavours in the second edition when it first came out. D'oh?

Greg, thems fightin' words!!

Kidding of course,

On the french homepage for Unibroue, http://www.unibroue.com it says the 8-pack contains their all new peach Ephemere (a la peche). They have the third release listed, so this must refer to the fourth.

Cheers, Joe.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: jcappadocia on 2003-05-02 10:32 ]</font>

Considering that they apparently brewed new batches of the unflavoured, apple and cranberry versions for the new 8 pack, maybe we (and RateBeer) should just scrap the date designations entirely and just refer to them by flavour. Much simpler that way.


Greg

Hey this is, hands down, the most boring exchange of dialogue I have ever encountered on this site...I know, I know, I don't have to read it if I don't want to but now I'm hooked...I keep being drawn back to it to see if can get any more boring and you guys don't disappoint....

Who the hell asked you?

Rabbit,

I wonder how boring and pathetic your life is if you are "hooked" on our boring dialogues. This is a beer site, we talk about beer. So excuse me but screw off! Is that more exciting?

Joe

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: joey_capps on 2003-05-04 19:07 ]</font>

Hey rabbit,

If this isn't riveting enough for you then start a new topic. The guys want to get their facts straight about Ephemere - there's nothing wrong with that.

Cass