"fruit infused" news and stories

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a review of Vlada, a New York bar that specializes in infused vodkas. As I mentioned in my post, my experiences at Vlada had made me nostalgic for the moonshine that I had once enjoyed in Southwest Virginia. Back in the day, I used to buy 'shine by the gallon and infuse it with fruits, herbs, honey, and other ingredients, producing a wide range of aperitifs. While I'm a huge fan of store-bought liqueurs, I have yet to meet the mass-produced tipple that can rival the blueberry-infused moonshine, moonshine-based absinthe, or moonshine krupnikas that I once made.

The more I thought about it, the more I decided that the time had come to restart my experiments in fruit infusion. I had a half bottle of Everclear in the liquor cabinet, which I quickly determined was still relatively fresh and potent. A trip down to the farmer's market gave me a couple of pints of fresh blueberries, which I washed, dried, picked over, and packed in mason jars. I covered the fruit in grain alcohol, closed the lids, and set them in the back of one of my kitchen cabinets. Apart from giving them a daily shake, I was content to let time and the 190-proof alcohol do their work.

A week later, the alcohol was stained a deep purple and the berries were gray. A quick taste assured me that the grain was still mighty strong, but was now infused with a nice blueberry flavor. Wanting something a little more intense, I let a second batch of berries steep for a week in the alcohol. Afterward, I had a very alcoholic, very intensely flavored blueberry liquor. I also had a second batch of slightly sour-tasting blueberry alcohol that I got from running the leftover blueberries through my fruit juicer.

Between now and Labor Day, Anheuser-Busch will be selling Michelob ULTRA Fruit Infused Beers - a line-up of three new flavors available in a 12-bottle variety pack, or a single flavor 6-pack. The flavors include Pomegranate Raspberry, Lime Cactus and Tuscan Orange Grapefruit.

From their website, they recommend certain food pairings for each flavor. They state:

Pomegranate Raspberry: Serve with marinated pork and fresh vegetables. The subtle hint of berry in the beer plays off the tenderness of the meat and the light carbonation brings out the flavors in most grilled vegetables.

Tuscan Orange Grapefruit: Serve with lighter foods such as salads and grilled chicken. The tanginess of grapefruit and clean citrus taste enhances the overall flavor of these dishes.

Lime Cactus: Serve with ethnic fare such as spicy chorizo-based dish or carne asada tacos because the beer balances the dishes' heat and brings out the subtle smokiness. It also pairs well with seafood.

Though it sounds good in theory, I will reserve judgment until I'm able to sample them myself. Don't be too quick to judge until you've tried them though - remember what happened with Miller Chill not too long ago?

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