American-Style Fruit Beer
| Category: | Hybrid |
|---|---|
| BJCP Comparable Category: | 29A - Fruit Beer |
Beer Style Description
This is the description of how the American-Style Fruit Beer style of beer should taste, feel and look. However, there may be perfectly fine beers in this style that fall outside of these ranges and descriptions. This information is just to show the most commonly accepted ranges for the American-Style Fruit Beer beer style.
Fruit aromas, ranging from subtle to intense, should be present and should not be overpowered by hop aromas. Fruit or fruit extracts, used as an adjunct in either the mash, kettle, primary or secondary fermentation, provide harmonious fruit character ranging from subtle to intense. Within the framework of these guidelines, fruit beers fermented with Belgian yeast (Wit, Abbey, Farmhouse, Saison and/or Brettanomyces) should be categorized as Belgian-Style Fruit Beers, or possibly as fruited Brett Beers. Some beers may fit into this category if they contain fruity adjuncts but no actual fruit. As an example, a juniper berry-flavored beer with notable juniper berry fruity flavor and/or aroma could be categorized as a Fruit Beer, whereas a beer in which the juniper berry character is more herbal or spicy should be categorized as an Herb and Spice Beer. Fruit Beers brewed with wheat should be categorized as Fruit Wheat Beers. Fruit Beers brewed with unusual fermentable(s), but no wheat, should be categorized as Fruit Beers. Within the framework of these guidelines, coconut is defined as a vegetable, and beers containing coconut should be categorized as Field Beers. When using these guidelines as the basis for evaluating entries at competitions, brewers may be asked to provide supplemental information about entries in this category to allow for accurate evaluation of diverse entries. Such information might include the underlying beer style upon which the entry is based, or other information unique to the entry such as fruit(s) used or processing which influence perceived sensory outcomes.
- Color: Can range from pale to very dark depending on the underlying style and is often influenced by the color of added fruit
- Body: Varies
- Malt Flavors & Aromas: Not present to medium-low
- Hop Flavors & Aromas: Not present to medium-low
- IBUs/Bitterness: In balance with fruit character and usually at very low to medium levels
- Fermentation Characteristics: American-Style Fruit Beers are fermented with traditional German, British or American ale or lager yeast. Beers fermented with Belgian-style, German-style Hefeweizen or other South German wheat beer or Berliner-style Weisse yeasts should be categorized elsewhere. Fruit beers exhibiting sourness should be categorized elsewhere. Attributes typical of wild fermentation should not be present.
- Commercial Examples: Bell’s Cherry Stout, Dogfish Head Aprihop, Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale, Founders Rübæus
Brewing Properties of American-Style Fruit Beer
These are the functional brewing properties of American-Style Fruit Beer beers, as descided by the Brewers Association. These guidelines reflect, as accurately as possible, the historical significance, authenticity or a common profile in the current commercial beer market.
| ABV The alcohol by volume is shows the amount of alcohol this style of beer should have. |
2.5 - 12.0% |
|---|---|
| Bitterness The International Bittering Units (IBU) scale is used to approximately quantify the actual (not perceived) bitterness of beer. |
5 - 70 IBUs | SRM SRM is a scale for measuring the color intensity of a beer. Low SRM grains impart a pale straw color while higher values mean it will add a darker color to the wort. Learn more » |
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5 - 50 SRM(10 - 99 EBC) |
| Original Gravity Original Gravity (OG) is a measure of the sugar content in the wort before alcoholic fermentation has started to produce the beer. |
1.030 - 1.110 |
| Final Gravity The Final Gravity (FG) is how much sugar is left over in the beer when fermentation is complete. |
1.006 - 1.030 |
If you see an error in our data, please let us know!
Based on Brewers Association 2020 Beer Style Guidelines with changes. Used with permission of Brewer's Association.