Find the one for you, and fruit beers can be riotously fun and breathtakingly refreshing
Fruit beer is the friendly extroversion of the beer world. Yes, they may be there, but these three combine freshness with a pleasant bitterness and will entice you to fruity.
Mike Bennie
There will be some beer drinkers who will leave this column, grab their keg or beer, and shake their heads at the state of the world. That’s because there are purists who think fruit and beer shouldn’t be in the same glass, just like those who think ham and pineapple on pizza are problematic.
The counterproposal is that fruit beers are the friendly extroverts of the beer world. Yes, they may be out there, ostentatiously packaged and made with strange ball combinations, but they can also be breathtakingly exhilarating and wildly sessionable. They also help diversify what we drink.
Fruit in beer is nothing new
The earliest brewers used date syrups and honey as part of their repertoire, while medieval brewers added berries and apples for flavor and preservation. Wild fermented beers have long been paired with cherries, raspberries and other fruits in the traditions of Belgium’s lambic and Germany’s Berliner Weisse.
These practices show that fruit has long been beer’s partner, not its gimmick.
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Now contemporary brewers are beginning to re-embrace the fruit for its versatility; Like emphasizing hops, playing with malts and adding personality. More importantly, fruit can capture a time, place and season.
The result in Australia is that fruit beers are increasingly common. Maybe it’s because of the rise and rise of fruity seltzer; Maybe it’s just drinkers who want an ever-changing kaleidoscope of creative beers.
Regardless, fruit beers seem to be a mainstay from small-scale producers to large producers. Find the right balance for yourself; fruit beers are so much fun.
This is what we love
Scam Snakes Kiss Watermelon Pilsner, $6
Cold-pressed watermelon is blended with a light, dry-style pilsner; This combination produces a globally successful, highly drinkable beer that combines fruit freshness with pleasant bitterness. The situation of purchasing a safe.
Two Meter Tall Barrel Aged Sour Cherry Ale 2019, $48
This is the most distinctive fruit beer in Australia. Produced in Tasmania, the all-natural co-fermentation process requires painstaking patience. The result is a beer of great liveliness and interest, surprisingly complex, extraordinarily refreshing and vibrant with cherry fruit.
Hop Nation Proud Punch Mango Sour Non-Alcoholic, $7
Have a non-alcoholic fruit beer? Certainly. The mango peel adds bitterness to this astringent fresh beer, while the mango adds a sweetness. It also does the bitter beer element well. A big speed bump at a party.
