I want to brew an apple lambic. (Jolly Rancher, Unibroue Éphémère)

brewman ! · 04-02-2007, 09:57 PM

I'd like to brew a sourish applish beer. I've already brewed an apfelwein and its good. But I'd like something more beerish, something with some hops and malt to it.

So I did some digging and found this BYO recipe for an apple lambic based on Jolly Rancher candies.
http://www.byo.com/recipe/1330.html

Now I suspect that is a clone of a Lindemans Pomme beer. However, when I read the reviews on it, I think its too sweet and too candy like.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/187/30482/?view=beer&sort=latest&start=0

I want something more like an Unibroue Éphémère Apple beer, like this.
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/unibroue-Ã©phÃ©mÄ?re-apple/13558/2742/

What if one cut the candy in the Jolly Rancher recipe in about half and added about 2 pounds of malt ?

Anyone have a recipe ?

Thanks

brewman ! · 04-03-2007, 03:22 PM

Anyone have ideas on this ?

zoebisch01 · 04-03-2007, 03:27 PM

I am not sure how they get this (Unibroue that is) effect. You take the words out of my mouth...in fact that is how I describe it to people: "Green Jolly Ranchers". The key will be to keep a very simple base recipe. I would suggest Pils malt and maybe a small amount of low lovibond Crystal. Low mash temp, and perhaps consider souring a portion of the mash. I suppose you could just reserve some wort and then dissolve the candies by boiling, cool and add to secondary. It would probably take a bit...maybe something in the neighborhood of 1/2 to 3/4 lb?

zoebisch01 · 04-03-2007, 03:37 PM

Wow, I didn't see the first recipe.... 4 lbs! That is a LOT of candy, Looks like a good recipe though.

I still don't get how Unibroue gets that exact characteristic. It (imo) is more remniscent of something synthetic in flavor rather than from pure apples though. I still do like it for what it is.

brewman ! · 04-03-2007, 04:22 PM

I wash thinking of brewing the BYO recipe but cutting the candies in half and adding more malt.

The stock recipe is 5/3/4 pale/wheat/candies. The candies must add a lot of sugar and alcohol to the beer. So what if one went 6/4/2 pale/wheat/malt ?

The recipe says the SG is 1.065. Being that the candies are added afterwards, that would be grain alone. 6/4/2 would probably have less alcohol than 5/3/4 because the 4 pounds of candies must add a ton of sugar to the wort.

What do you think ?

subter · 04-30-2007, 12:35 PM

I've been drinking La Fin Du Monde for a while and love it. Just recently had an Ephemere and thought it was great as well. I've been searching for a clone recipe. Did you get a chance to test your recipe?

zoebisch01 · 04-30-2007, 03:26 PM

Wow, sorry I totally forgot about this thread.

The 4 lbs that he adds would add way too much sugar imo. I try to keep sugar additions under 2 lb.

CADragon · 01-16-2009, 09:06 PM

I'll try a bump on this, has anybody got a handle on what works and what doesn't for cloning Ephemere?

Thanks!!!:

brown_dog_us · 01-16-2009, 09:35 PM

I've never put Jolly Ranchers in my brews, but I thought I would suggest a one gallon test batch. You don't really want 5 gallons of nasty liquid Jolly Rancher beer do you?