Fruit beer is having a "modern renaissance in the UK", said The Telegraph. Demand for the light, refreshing drink is soaring, with sales up 250% year-on-year at Tesco.
The "conventional narrative in the beer world" is that these fruity tipples "cater for younger drinkers who have a sweeter palate than previous generations", said Pete Brown in The Sunday Times.
But this doesn't have to be the case. There's a growing number of inventive, top-quality fruit beers cropping up on supermarket shelves and in pubs that appeal to grown-ups, too.
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Any fruit beer worth drinking incorporates "real fruit juice rather than artificial syrups" or is "aged in oak barrels with actual whole pieces of fruit". Some use stone fruits like plum or damson to bring out the "forest-fruit notes" you find in ales and stouts, while others pick out the "tropical fruit aromas" present in New World IPAs.
And they aren't necessarily sweet, either. Belgian kriek, for example, is made by adding cherries to lambic and fermenting out the sweetness to leave behind "bright acidity".
Bacchus Kriek gives an "intense cherry hit" with a "mouth-puckering" sourness, said The Telegraph. Ideal for beginners wanting to try Belgian beer, it's "beautifully clean" with a heady aroma that "jumps from the glass".
Another great option for those looking for something more acidic is Gravity Well Brewing's Shall I Give You Dis Pear?, which begins with notes of "fresh pear" and a "persistent sourness" and finishes with "tropical tones of guava". It's the perfect match for a simple walnut salad.
We love Kirkstall Brewery's Judicious juicy pale ale, said delicious. Bursting with pink grapefruit, pineapple, lychee, passion fruit and peach, it's balanced with a "hint of creamy coconut alongside citrussy hops". And for a crowd-pleaser, said Jane Macquitty in The Times, try Indian Brewery's "easy-swigging", "alphonso mango puree-charged" Juicy Mango.
