Pear brandy - Clear Creek (Oregon brandy) versus F. Meyer (from France)

A fruit brandy is often also called an eau-de-vie (literally water of life). In the old days it might also have been called schnapps, but certain American liquor companies appropriated the name for their sugary spirit concoctions designed more for loosening inhibitions rather than good flavor (think root beer schapps).

In any case, a fruit brandy is simply a clear alcohol distilled from fermented fruit. You can make fruit brandy from virtually any fruit, though pear is probably one of the more popular fruit brandies since the pear's high sugar content makes it easier to distill a good tasting alcohol. Real fruit brandies haven't really caught on in America because they're quite strong and don't have any sugar added, which is why most good brandies come from Europe.

Clear Creek is the exception to that rule since they're the preeminent distiller of fruit brandies in the U.S. Located in Portland, Oregon, Clear Creek has been distilling brandies according to European traditions for over 26 years. They make a wide variety of spirits, though pear brandy is one of their more popular brands. They make the "how-do-they-do that?" pear in the bottle brandy as well, though in my mind the pear takes up valuable space that could be better filled with more brandy. In any case, they've won numerous awards for their various spirits.

F. Meyer has been distilling since 1956 and is one of the most highly honored distilleries in France. So how do the Clear Creek and the F. Meyer compare to each other? Both use Bartlett pears, so both have similar flavor characteristics. They both have a wonderful pear smell, with the Clear Creek having a stronger, sweeter smell that evokes the taste of the best pear you've ever eaten. The F. Meyer brandy has a slightly sweeter taste to it, but a bit more of fiery finish since it's slightly higher in alcohol (45% as compared to Clear Creek's 40%). Both are fairly mild, though those who haven't tried a fruit brandy before might still find the taste fairly alcoholic. It's an acquired taste that's definitely worth acquiring!

In the end, they're both excellent examples of good quality pear brandy. I'd probably lean toward the Clear Creek since it's local and cheaper, but if you can't get the Clear Creek, you can't go wrong with the F. Meyer eau-de-vie. Quality brandies like this should probably be drunk neat rather than mixed. Try a glass after dinner sometime. It makes for a wonderful adult dessert.

Both brandies are only found at a few stores in Seattle.