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If you purchase beer on a regular basis, you've probably noticed an uptick in the number of fruity beers (and I'm not talking about Schmitts Gay). Fruit flavors such as lime, blueberry and strawberry have been invading the suds on our shelves at an alarming rate, and even the big boys are getting in on the action: this summer America's #1 selling beer, Bud Light, introduced Bud Light Lime and Warsteinner (who takes great pride in brewing according to the German Purity of Law of 1516) introduced "Premium Mixes" consisting of 60% beer and a 40% mixture flavored as Orange, Lemon or... achem... Cola.However, the most interesting and inspired fruit infusion experiments are still happening on the craft beer level. Smaller breweries originally jump started the trend during the formative years of American craft brewing in the early '90s. While macro-breweries were trying to juggle members of the mass market, microbreweries were carefully carving out niches. Fruit flavors originally appeared in domestic craft beers as a novelty but the trend not only stuck, it's growing. Why? Well, yes, they can be more quaffable (which is probably why Anheuser Busch and Warsteiner jumped on the boat), but so is a wine cooler or a Midori Sour. The true secret behind the trend: Fruit is the great equalizer, a flavor for the proletariat!
Previously, niche beers induced snobbish debates over things such as hops or yeast. As the craft beer market expanded, fresh-faced enthusiasts found themselves unable to articulate why they liked their favorite IPA. But throw in essence of apricot and opinions begin rolling right off the tongue: Almost anyone can explain if something is too sweet, too sour or too strong. A well-crafted fruit-flavored beer is the perfect entrance point for anyone looking to begin a path towards craft beer expertise. (Yes, you will have to learn your hop varieties, but not today.) You see, the big boys are missing the boat, which is why I suspect Miller Chill won't be on shelves a decade from now, but Pyramid Apricot Weizen is still going strong. The growing class of beer enthusiasts doesn't want fruit to make a beer more drinkable; they want a unique beer drinking experience to open their palate and expand their horizons.
But Miller and Bud are right in one respect -- fruit flavored beers are the perfect summer sip. Fruit beers tend to be lighter in flavor and appearance, emphasizing the warm weather flavors of citrus and berries as opposed to, say, barley which is grown in cool weather climates only to end up in a Guinness that you drink at a cold Irish pub.
So I say, since fruit beer is the social equalizer -- and August is the only month those fat cats in Washington haven't given us a holiday in -- let's declare August "Fruit Beer Month". From now until the end of the month, I'll be providing insights into this recent trend in the beer market and pick out some amazing products you have to try. We'll expand our horizons together and have some amazing pints to keep us cool in the hot summer heat.
Beer for the people!
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8-05-2008 @12:31PM Kent Mackey said... Three words:
Lindemans Framboise Lambic
Oh, and a few more. The Ommegang Three Philosophers is a wonderful cherry lambic.
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8-05-2008 @12:48PM Paul said... um, no. (my thought)
Feel free to celebrate if you want to. I, for one, will remain on the side that feels beer should taste like beer. I do believe Dennis Lear spoke on this subject at great length and I agree with him. A wedge of lime in a Mexican beer or lemon in a Weizen is as far as I am willing to go. Strawberry, blueberries and the like are fine in cocktails but please refrain from putting them in my beer. If a good Irish Stout or the afore mentioned Weizen is to heavy for your summer pallet I suggest an American beer like Bud or Rolling Rock.
Come to think of it if they add fruit to bud it would finally taste like something besides water! Damn, my comment sunk to an attack on big American beers (maybe the Belgians will fix it). Enjoy August then, I will declare the other 11 months National Beer Tastes Like Beer Month!
Please note that is not just an anti-fruit in beer rant I am pretty sick of everything having to be fancied up not allowing the natural flavors to come through. Ask me about trying to get a Maachito at the airport $tarbuck$ sometime. ;)
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8-05-2008 @1:02PM Bernie B said... Lambic's are fine as malted beverages, but keep the fruit out of traditional beers. Granted, some beer is great with a fresh slice of citrus (Orange, Lemon, etc) but I really don't want to be finding Miller Blueberry Lite in the cooler anytime soon.
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8-05-2008 @1:40PM Tina said... I like Woodchuck cider and drink it occasionally but I've never gotten accustomed to the bitterness of wine or beer. When I was in grad school, my labmates drank a raspberry beer from Iron Hill Brewery but I never had the chance to sample it. Could someone fill me in on what these fruit-flavored beers taste like? Do they resemble the sweet taste of a cider or perry or are they just lightly flavored beers?
Also, are they any good recommendations for any other ciders or perries? Woodchuck was the first I tried and it's stuck since but I'm looking to try other kinds.
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8-05-2008 @1:52PM rainey said... A purveyor once suggested Framboise Lambic over vanilla ice cream to us and we thought he was nutz 'til we tried it. It was really interesting and a scoop of ice cream in a tall glass with it would make a really surprising summer drink.
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8-05-2008 @1:52PM Mike Pomranz said... I'm with with you, Paul! If more that 1 out of every 12 beers I drank had to be a fruit beer, I might lose my cool. That said, you can't ignore the trend.
Luckily, American craft breweries have added some great entries into the growing market of beers with fruit flavor or essence. Mistakes have been made along the way: We'll look at some of those too.
My hope is if we take some time to discriminate the good from the bad, hopefully brewers will take note and we won't end up with Miller Blueberry Lite!
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8-05-2008 @2:07PM Mike Pomranz said... I hate to leave you with the proverbial "cliffhanger", Tina, but keep your eye to Slashfood over the course of the month and hopefully you'll get an understanding of how diverse a fruit beer can be. They definitely cover the gambit from super sweet to an understated essence. Its that diversity which makes the market so interested to analyze.
And, BTW, I think there is nothing more refreshing than a Magners Cider over ice for watching a summer Sunday soccer match (that's football to a true Magners drinker).
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8-05-2008 @4:35PM Scott said... Great Dane brewery in Madison, Wisconsin does a watermelon wheat beer that sounds horrible and looks like girly pink ridiculousness, but tastes unbelievably good. It's got a strong weiss beer flavor, tempered by a touch of cool refreshing watermelon sweetness, and is just generally a great summer drink.
Also, for those of you against the fruit beers: FINE. Don't drink them. But don't stop people from making ane enjoying them either. While you may not like it, that doesn't mean the beer companies shouldn't make what many people enjoy. I also enjoy a straight-up, intense beer... but sometimes you want something fruity. So there!
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8-05-2008 @9:26PM Scott said... I'm kinda neutral regarding the fruity beers. Some, like the Bud Light Lime to me are awful, but it's selling like crazy! Others, like Leinenkugel’s Berry Wheat (now owned by Miller) are on the other hand, kinda nice.
At http://thebrewclub.com , there were two Blueberry Beers sampled with completely different results!
At least there's variety!
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8-07-2008 @12:33AM cydeweyz said... 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat
DRAFT MAGAZINE VOTED #1 CRAFT BEER IN A CAN! One-of-a-kind Watermelon Wheat beer. It's a crisp, refreshing beer, finishing extremely dry with a hint of watermelon aroma and flavor. ABV 5.5%-IBU 17.
http://www.bevmo.com/productinfo.asp?sku=00000086123&N=168+41+-33988&Nr=Store%3A99&area=beer
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