What Is Fruit Beer?
Fruit beer. Everyone’s talking about it, but what the Bloody ‘Ell is it? Tomato’s a fruit, therefore does tomato beer count as fruit beer?
When it comes to ‘fruit beer’, much like the words ‘fireplace’ and ‘blackbird’, the clue’s very much in the title. It’s beer with fruit in. However, there’s a little bit more to it than meets the eye. So, get your swimming costume on, grab a can of Beavertown’s delicious 'beer with juice' Cosmic Drop and dive into the delicious world of fruit beer.
Where did fruit beer come from?
Like so many of the good things in life, fruit beer originated in Belgium. You’d be forgiven for thinking it happened when a 13th Century monk holding some raspberries fell into a vat of beer. But it was actually much more intentional than that. And also happened much later than the 13th century. It was invented in the 1930s by some rebellious Belgians who started adding cherries to the beer vats. Then they started adding raspberries and peaches too. And here we are.
So, what is fruit beer?
Fruit beer can subsequently be broken down into 3 forms: American-style fruit beer, wheat fruit beer and Belgian-style fruit beer. They differ slightly in their tastes. American-style fruit beers are fermented with traditional German, British or American ale or lager yeast. They have a balance of fruitiness and bitterness and should have pretty low hop flavours. Belgian-style beers have more variation in their hoppiness and have a really balanced bitterness with the fruit flavour. Wheat fruit beer can be fermented with either ale or lager yeast and has a good balance of hops, IBU, and malty flavours. So they’re all pretty different. But the thing that all 3 of these styles do share is that fruit has been added as a flavouring or additive, lending it a lovely fruity flavour and aroma.
And yes, we know what you’re thinking, tomato is a fruit, does that therefore mean that tomato beer is a fruit beer. And frankly, stop it.
What is fruit beer made of? And how is it made?
Fruit beer is beer. But with fruit added to the brewing process. It’s typically made with strawberries, plums, raspberries and cherries, depending on how sweet or sour you want to go. Fruit beer is made using fruits instead of sugar in the fermenting process and the fruit can be used in many ways; be it extract, puree, fresh or even frozen fruit.
In the case of whole, pureed and juiced fruits, these are added to the final stages of the boil or during the second fermentation – this acts as a quick pasteurisation step and ensures that the beer ages on the fruit. Typically, the fresher the fruit the better the flavour. Bloody ‘Ell beer, for instance, uses blood oranges from Murcia in Spain and employs the hit of the whole fruit, so the juice, the pulp and the oils.
Fruit beer ingredients
Never fear, fruit beer is still beer: it’s made with hops, yeast, malt and water just like any other beer. It just has fruit added to help it ferment. The yeast (a good bacteria that’s used to ferment things like bread and beer) digests the sugars in the fruit and turns it into alcohol. The fruit might be added as extract, puree, juice, or the whole fruit.
Fruit beer flavours
There are a bunch of different flavours you can add to fruit beer. The most common fruits that get added are cherries, strawberries, and raspberries. Peach also gets added quite a lot. Fun fact: In France, they add peach syrup to beer. It’s called a “demi peche”. And it’s delicious.
Another popular flavour? Citrus. Like Bloody ‘Ell. Our blood orange beer. Super zesty and fruity like a marmalade soda (but it’s a beer). Juice, pulp and oils are all added for a zesty summer’s day hit.
We’re a big fan of berries in beer so Cosmic Drop Berry Punch Beer is our idea of the perfect bevvy (other than our other favourite beers, of course). It’s bursting with blueberries and raspberries and is even a striking berry red colour – perfect for a summer BBQ.
And the Berry Punch Cosmic drop isn’t the only place we’ve shoved a bunch of fruit – Cosmic Drop Watermelon Punch Beer is dripping with the flavours of sun drenched watermelons. And the charming pink colour is enough to make anyone blush. And jealous. They’ll totally be jealous.
What’s the Difference Between Beer and Fruit Beer?
Well, prepare to have your minds blown. It’s fruit. Which tends to make them sweeter and less bitter than regular beer. The second fermentation when the fruit is added is another crucial difference. And the use of the fruit’s natural sugars increases fermentation, which can result in a stronger ABV, and even improves their nutritional value.
Is fruit beer alcoholic?
Yes, fruit beers are still alcoholic. Our Cosmic Drop beers are 4% ABV each which is just under average (depending on the beer type). Bloody ‘Ell is a bit more boozy and is 5.5% ABV which is more average.
Fruit beer calories
The number of calories in a fruit beer will depend on each beer. This is because different fruits have different amounts of sugar. And sometimes those sugars don’t all get digested by the yeast (yum). In general, though, they tend to have an average to slightly-higher-than-average calorie count.
- Bloody ‘Ell has about 46 Kcal per 100ml. Which means one of our 440ml cans has about 202 calories.
- Cosmic Drop Berry Punch has 36 Kcal per 100ml. So that’s 150 calories per 440ml can and 119 calories per 330ml can.
- And Cosmic Drop Watermelon has 38 Kcal per 100ml. Which means a 440ml can has 167 calories and a 330ml can has 125 calories.
So basically, fruit beers are the best. They’re juicy and fruity (duh) and totally quench your thirst when you need it (enjoyed responsibly, ofc). They’re a great option for someone looking for a less-beery beer or they’re good beers to try if you don’t like beer.
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