EXPLORING THE FRUITY SIDE OF BEER: HOW TO USE FRUIT IN A VARIETY OF BEER STYLES
By Oregon Fruit CompanyBeer is a staple in many cultures, and its flavors are as diverse as the people who drink it. One trend that is here to stay is the use of fruit in craft beverages. This isn’t a new concept (in fact, it dates to ancient times when brewers used whatever ingredients were locally available!) but it’s one that has endured the test of time.
Here at Oregon Fruit Co., we think this longevity is because fruit lends itself to innovation, and innovation enriches the beverage landscape, challenges our notions of what traditional styles should taste like, and creates opportunities for brewers to differentiate their brand and offerings in a crowded marketplace. Not to mention, it creates endless flavor exploration for your customers.
So, let’s embark on this fruitful journey together.
The Role of Fruit in Beer
The role of fruit in beer brewing is multifaceted and diverse. It enhances flavor profiles by surprising the palate, balancing sweetness and acidity to create a more harmonious beverage and contributing to a complex aroma that can elevate the overall drinking experience.
Balancing Flavors
Creating a balanced fruited beer involves a delicate dance between sweet and bitter flavors. The sweetness from the fruit needs to complement, not overpower, the beer’s inherent bitterness. Tart fruits like passion fruit or citrus can balance a beer’s sweetness, while sweeter fruits like peaches or mangos can soften a beer’s bitterness.
Additionally, fruits with a higher sugar content, like sweet cherry or blueberry, can increase the beer’s sweetness; while tart fruits, like cranberry, can add refreshing acidity. Remember, the goal is to create a harmonious blend that your customers love.
Dosing, Timing & Adjustments
Fruited beer styles are as diverse as the fruits used to brew them. Different fruit varieties can complement specific beer styles, but at Oregon Fruit Co., we strongly believe there is no wrong fruit combination. Whether you choose more traditional pairings like cherries and raspberries or more exotic options like passion fruit and guava, we encourage you to fully explore our range of offerings. By changing the fruit, dosing amount, or timing of dosing you can achieve wildly different outcomes and flavors. Experimentation will allow you to hone your recipe and desired outcome.
The chart below outlines suggested dosing to get you started. However, these are just guidelines. If you are seeking a bigger fruit finish, or are working with a stronger beer style, you may want to increase the dosing quantity to get your desired result.
It’s also worth experimenting with the timing of adding fruit to the brewing process. Adding puree during the boil can result in a more subtle fruit flavor. On the other hand, adding puree during fermentation or maturation can result in a more pronounced fruit aroma and flavor. Experiment with different timings to find what works best for your brew.
Have fun with it and be creative. Don’t be discouraged if your first few attempts don’t turn out as expected. Keep tweaking your recipe until you love it and your customers will too!
FRUITED BEER SUGGESTIONS
Here are three fruited styles to get your creative juices flowing:
Sours
Sours are characterized by their tart and tangy flavor, which makes them perfect for added fruit puree. The style originated in Belgium, where it was traditionally brewed using wild yeasts and bacteria.
New yeast strains are being built to streamline souring, and a world of possibilities is opening for adding puree to your recipe. We have a few customers that will carry several sour beers at a time with the same sour base. While some think of sour as an umbrella term, there is a lot of diversity in the category. Salt and lime can be a delightful combination in a Gose; while some of the milder fruits like blueberry or strawberry can shine in a Berliner.
Sours are a great starting point for fruited beer and can be a great place to experiment with different flavor blends. Find that mango and peach work well together? That could be a great pairing to try out in some different styles!
IPAs
Fruited IPAs are a modern twist on a classic and a great way to balance an IPA’s characteristic bitterness with some sweetness. We tend to see citrus and tropical fruit work well with IPA’s. Common fruits used include grapefruit, blood orange, and mango. Need an interesting twist? Try to blueberry or blackberry to infuse a bit of a color into the beer.
Stouts
Fruit stouts are a testament to the versatility of fruited beer styles.
Dark stouts are often infused with fruits like cherries, raspberries, or plum that add a delicate sweetness to the rich taste inherent in the style. Using fruits with tart flavor profiles can sometimes be a bit more difficult, but not impossible. Successful examples include stouts with passion fruit, blackberry, and black currant. We recommend piloting before trying anything tart with a stout.
The future of fruited beer styles is bright and full of potential. As brewers continue to experiment and innovate, we can expect to see even more unique and flavorful beers on the market.
There’s never been a better time to explore the fruity side of beer. Enjoy the journey and savor the flavors. Check out Country Malt Group’s portfolio of Oregon Fruit offerings!
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