OnTap Magazine

T he use of fruit in beer is nothing new, just think of the fruited lambics of Belgium or tart Berliner Weisse of Germany, but in today’s ‘anythinggoes’ brewing landscape, the use of beer in fruit is seeing a resurgence as brewers around the world experiment with styles and flavours, both ancient and experimental. Over in the States, American craft brewers, renowned for their innovation and creativity, are pushing the boundaries of brewing with fruit to develop ground- breaking new styles, tastes and flavours. According to the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association representing small and independent American craft brewers, fruited beers, in their many different guises, are growing with the category up 8% in 2022*. They appeal to today’s newest legal drinking age consumers who are seeking less bitterness in their beer choices and exploring light, fruity, tart, refreshing styles with a soft mouthfeel or heavily fruited bold and complex fruit-forward beers. Fruited beers also appeal to the aging craft beer drinker who is tiring of intensely bitter beers and seeking something light or fruity. 903 Brewing Co from Sherman, Texas, releases four new heavily fruited sour beers per month based on fruits that are in season. Jeremy Roberts, co-owner/ founder of the brewery claims that the trend towards fruited beers is growing and explains: “We’re seeing more and more consumers getting burned out on beer. Ready-to-drink cocktails are a growing trend that people are increasingly drinking instead of beer. Getting people excited about beer again is not easy but heavily fruited sours and sours that taste like cocktails appeal to the non-beer drinkers and to those who are looking for more flavour.” And it’s not only the youth of today who are enjoying such beers. Roberts continues: “We guessed that our heavily fruited sours would be just for the young drinkers, but that’s not the case. While hanging out in the taproom you will find people both in their 20's and 70's enjoying our heavily fruited sours!” However, brewing with fruit has its challenges. Using real fruit can risk the chance of infection by wild yeasts found on the fruit skins. Some brewers may boil the fruit first to reduce potential infection, but it can also burn off subtle flavours and aromas. Brewing with fresh fruit is expensive and availability of certain fruits is never certain. Yields and quality can be inconsistent because fruit contains large concentrations of water and will dilute the beer, but for any brewer getting it right, the rewards can be well worth it. Fruit purees are easier to work with but should be 100% fruit and aseptically packaged. They are pasteurised, thus eliminating the risk of infection while maintaining the flavour integrity of the fruit, and they contain no added flavouring, preservatives or colourings. Extracts also have a part to play, and many are derived from natural sources. Extracts can do wonders for boosting natural fruit flavours post-fermentation. Frozen fruit, dehydrated fruit, fruit powder, concentrate and freeze-dried fruits are other products available to brewers for use in beer. Fruit can be added to almost any style of beer but is most commonly used in low- hopped wheat or blonde ales, Berliner Weisse and sour beers, hazy/juicy IPAs, barrel-aged beers and even pastry stouts. Lotte Peplow Fruit can even be added to pastry stouts Fruit is most commonly used in low-hopped wheat or blonde ales ontapmag.co.za | Autumn 2024 | 29