Fruits have been used to flavour beers for a very long time. According to numerous historical records, Ancient Egyptians were known for adding fruits and spice to their beer such as dates and Pomegranate. The 1516 German purity law (Reinheitsgebot) stated nothing but water, hop, and barley were to be used to make beer. This law was partially designed to discourage the use of common adjuncts such as herbs, spices and fruits. In Great Britain, some brewers included fruits but to a much lesser extent. It is the Belgians who are known for having perfected the use of fruits in beer making.
Lambic beer is the best-known example of Belgium's fruity craft beer. This lightly hopped beer had a complex fermentation process using a mix of yeast and bacteria. The fruits— Traditionally cherries made a "Kriek" style beer, and raspberries made a "Framboise" style beer. These fruits were added to the base beer. Today other fruits used in Lambic beer include peaches and black currants.
Another popular style associated with fruity beer is "wheat beer." The wheat's tang lends itself well to fruit adjunct. The yeasty flavours of the beer, especially in double fermented beers, add pleasant complexity to the fruits. Raspberries are a go-to fruit for these beers, but lemon, oranges and other citrus fruits are also appreciated.
However, a more common approach to making fruit beers today is simply using a well-known style of beer (light Ale or Lager) and infusing it with fruit flavours during the brewing process. These beers should not be confused with the "Radlers" or, in the U.K., the "Shandy" in which fruit syrup or fruit lemonade are added "after" the finale stage of fermentation and immediately before bottling. Radlers and Shandy are not considered fruit beers but rather alcoholic beverages.
Today craft beer renaissance is bringing a level of refinement and creativity to new heights. Availability and diversity of fruits, scientific knowledge and technology have opened endless possibilities for creating fruity beers. While brewmasters are taking their inspiration from the past, they are clearly re-inventing beer as we know it. We have amazing beer made of fruits as obscure as huckleberry and exotics as passion fruit. Such beers would have been unheard of not long ago.
When shopping for a fruit beer, consider the following:
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Pick a base style you like (pale Ale, Lager, stout, wheat beer, etc.). Unsure? Start with a classic— Wheat beer, and go from there.
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Look for descriptors such as "whole fruits," "fruit puré," "brewed with "name your fruit." These terms indicate that natural fruits were used to make the beer.
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Conversely, be wary of terms such as "flavour added" or "fruit flavouring." These flavours likely have more connections with food labs than the fruits they represent.
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Oh! And do not confuse tasting descriptors of a beer with their ingredients. "Baked banana bread aromatics" or "nuttiness" are just analogies to give you a sense of what the beer tastes like.
Interested in tasting fruity beer but not sure you will like it? Start with the classic. I found the fruit-infused wheat beers to be a great place to develop your taste buds as it is not such a departure from the beer made with citrusy-style hops.
There are lots to choose from out there. Following is a sample of fruit beer from well-established Calgary brewery (Village and Wild Rose) and two small-town breweries.
Village Brewery (Calgary)
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Afterglow - a Gose beer infused with citrus fruits, blood orange and pomegranate
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Squeeze - a Helles infused with lemon and raspberries
Wild Rose (Calgary)
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Rosie & Reggie - raspberry ale
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Ponderosa Gose - wheat beer with passion fruit, salt, coriander
Hub Town Brewery (Okotoks)
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Berry Manly - Belgium blonde ale infused with raspberries
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Lemon & Lime Hefeweizen (German wheat beer)
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Mexican lime Lager
Hard Knox Brewery (Black Diamond)
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R&R Rasberry Rhubarb ale
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Mv.P Mango Peach pale ale
Renée Delorme is a sommelier specializing in private wine tastings.
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