Fruit Beer Session: Belle Vue Kriek and Unibroue Ephemere
This month’s Session is hosted by Toronto resident Greg Clow of Beer, Beats & Bites. In honour of our neighbours up nourth, I chose to write aboot a couple of fruit beers I tasted last month when I visited Vancoover.
On my last night in town, my lovely friend Mauree took me to Stella’s on Commercial Drive, a tapas bar with a great selection of Belgian beers. We snagged a great table on their sidewalk patio and ordered a Leffe Belgian Pale and a glass of Belle Vue Kriek, both of which were on tap. I was enjoying the kriek more than Mauree was, so she ended up holding on to the Leffe most of the time.
The Kriek is a deep red color with not too much head on it. Sweet cherry aroma and a bit of a sour twang, which I just can’t get enough of. Just a few days earlier, my New Belgium buddy and I drank a bunch of Rodenbach at Brouwer’s in Seattle. It was then I figured out I need to try more sour beer.
The kitchen was about to close up, so we put in an order for a pound of Mussels Normande (Granny smith apples, mushrooms, bacon, shallots, apple brandy, cream).
We finished up our first round and decided to go for one of those corked Unibroue bottles. By the time our huge dish of mussels came out, we had decided on the Éphémère Framboise, which turned out to be a great pairing (although the apple Éphémère might have matched better).
The beer definitely had that uniquely Unibroue carbonation to it, but thinner and a bit lighter than your Fin du Mondes or Maudites. Fresh raspberry smell that I was reminded of two days later when I was picking actual raspberries on Conner and Sarah’s farm. Not so sweet that you forget you’re drinking beer, but just fruity enough to compliment the apple-bacony goodness of our mussels. I think raspberry has got to be the best possible fruit to use in beer.
Way to go, Canada, for having Unibroue. And way to go, Vancouver, for your delicious seafood. I need to go back soon.
Stella’s Tap and Tapas Bar
1191 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
604.254.BIER (2437)
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Damn Dave, that kriek sounded fine. If you’re tripping on sour pucker right now, we’re just gonna have to grab a Cantillon lambic on the beer ride. So twangy.
Comment made by EVAN on Sunday, August 5, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
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