Fruity beer, a style that's been long neglected, has recently become a staple of craft breweries and home-brewers alike. Unlike most other styles, fruit-flavored beer is not associated with any specific lineage. Because of this apparent lack of lineage, many beer drinkers are confused about the seemingly sudden appearance of fruit-forward beer on the menus of local breweries. Looking to understand the hype around putting fruit in beer? Read on!
A Quick Introduction to Fruit-Flavored Beer
While many beer-drinkers may scoff at the idea of putting fruit into beer, the growing popularity of fruit-flavored beer can be attributed to the Belgians. The start of the tradition of modern fruit beer began less than a century ago when the rebellious Belgians began brewing the first cherry Krieks and Lambics in 1930. In the decades following, raspberries and peaches were added to Lambics, creating the framboise Lambic in the 1950's and the peche Lambic in the 1980's.
While these sour Belgian creations may have begun the modern fruit beer revolution, adding fruit into other styles of beer is a more recent trend that can be attributed largely to American craft breweries. It's now quite common to find raspberry wheat ales, cherry or pumpkin stouts, and various kinds of fruity sours on brewery menus and liquor store shelves.
The Forgotten History of Fruity Beer
Before the last century, brewing beer with fruit hadn't become a common practice. This is why fruit beer lacks a well-established lineage, unlike other styles of beer, like pilsners or stouts. Despite its sporadic brewing history, the use of fruit was something that many cultures have dabbled with throughout time.
Though the modern interpretation of fruity beer is typically linked back to Belgian fruit-flavored Lambics, new evidence has suggested that Chinese villagers were creating beer-like fermented beverages including hawthorn fruit and grapes over 9,000 years ago. In ancient Egypt, it was common for brewers to add both dates and pomegranates to their beer. Even the ultra-traditional English and Germans have instances of fruit beers cropping up in their brewing histories!
How is Fruit Beer Made?
As you may have guessed, fruit beer is created by adding fruit to beer. Almost any style of beer can have fruit added to it, though some styles lend themselves better to the addition of fruit than others. Some of the most popular base styles for fruit-flavored
beer include:
Wheat Ale
Sour
Lambic
Gose
Berliner weisse
Wild ale
Blonde ale
Stout
IPA
NEPA
Just as with creating any culinary delight, fruit can be added to beer in many different forms. Extracts, purees, and syrups can all be used to lend fruity flavors, and fruit can be used fresh or frozen. Extracts are the simplest way to add fruit flavor and are typically added just before packaging. Other formats are added to the final stages of the boil (this can help to ensure any bacteria in the fruit is killed) or during fermentation so the fruit can contribute to the aging of the beer.
Style Guidelines for Fruit Beer: A Balancing Act
Appearance, Color, and Clarity
Despite the addition of fruit, the appearance of a well-made fruit beer should generally showcase the style of beer that has been used as the base. For a fruit wheat ale, this means the beer should generally be straw to light amber. A Belgian-style or American-style fruit beer should typically range from pale to dark (depending on the underlying style). Regardless of the underlying style, the color of most fruit beers are generally also influenced by the color of added fruit.
For fruit wheat ales, a chill haze is acceptable and, when served with yeast, can appear anywhere from hazy to very cloudy. American-style and Belgian-style fruit beers can range from clear to hazy. Haziness can occur due to the pectin in the fruit, which can be mitigated by the addition of pectinase, though some brewers (and drinkers) prefer the juicy haze of a fruity beer.
Aroma, Body, and Mouthfeel
The strength and quality of fruit present in the aromatics will largely depend on the type of fruit used, but it is desirable to detect some fruit in the aromatics. Raspberries, cherries, and plums, tend to give off more pronounced aromas than more subtler fruits such as peaches or blueberries. However, though the fruit scent should be present, it's important that this aroma plays support to the scent of the base style.
Fruit beers should not smell artificial, overly aggressive, or oxidative. The other
aromatics of the beer's base style, such as hops, maltiness, and yeast by-products, may be less pronounced in the presence of fruit. Sometimes brewers may even intentionally decrease these characteristics to amplify the fruity profile, though malt and hop aromas can still compose a large part of the aromatics. In general, the fruit should add complexity to the beer's base style.
Because fruit beers are made with different base styles, the mouthfeel and body vary greatly. However, the addition of fruit does consistently contribute one specific difference when it comes to body and mouthfeel: that is, the additional fermentation results in a thinner body.
Flavor Profile
Much like the aroma, the flavor of a fruit beer should be noticeably impacted by the addition of fruit. While lighter beer styles may benefit from more delicate flavors, darker beers require more aggressive fruit-forward notes. A drier finish and lighter flavors are usually created due to the sugar in the added fruit being fully fermented out, though sometimes there may be minor amounts of residual sweetness. That being said, a fruit beer should never taste like juice.
A well-made fruit beer will strike a delicate balance between honoring the benchmark components of the base style and showcasing the flavors of the added fruit. The alcohol, malt, by-products of fermentation, and flavor and bitterness of hops should all remain present within the flavor profile and should adhere to the guidelines of the base style. That being said, sometimes these qualities may be reduced to enhance the qualities of the fruit.
Some Common Style and Fruit Pairings
As brewing fruit beer has no long-standing tradition, brewers are able to play and experiment to their heart's desire, creating new and unusual beer pairings that were previously unheard of. From berries to gourds and beyond, brew-masters today are pushing the boundaries of brewing with fruit.
Typical fruit beer combinations include berry-infused pale ales (typically raspberry or blueberry), seasonal offerings of pumpkin-flavored brown ales (though we prefer to make ours with squash), and summer-ready apricot-flavored wheat ales. Some brewers even add spices, herbs, and other seasonings to create even more daring flavor combinations! In many ways, the realm of fruit beer is the Wild Wild West of brewing where craft breweries are free to brew without frontiers.
Fruit beers, despite what some traditionalists and nay-sayers may have to say, are an essential part of any modern craft brewery menu. They can be comforting, refreshing, or experimental, but our brew-masters agree: fruit-flavored beer is delicious! If you're looking to try an exciting beer brewed with fruit, pay a visit to the taproom at Lowercase Brewing in Seattle, WA to imbibe in a delectable fruit beer today.
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