Belgian-Style Fruit Beer
| Category: | Hybrid |
|---|---|
| BJCP Comparable Category: | 29C - Specialty Fruit Beer |
Beer Style Description
This is the description of how the Belgian-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 Belgian-Style Fruit Beer beer style.
Fruit aromas, ranging from subtle to intense, should be present and should not be overpowered by hop aromas. Belgian-Style Fruit Beers are fermented with traditional Belgian yeast, (Wit, Abbey, Farmhouse, etc.). Within the framework of these guidelines, coconut is defined as a vegetable, and beers containing coconut should be categorized as Field Beers. Fruit or fruit extracts, used as adjuncts in either the mash, kettle, primary or secondary fermentation, provide harmonious fruit character ranging from subtle to intense. Classifying these beers can be complex. Wood vessels may be used for fermentation and aging, but wood-derived aromas and flavors such as vanillin should not be present. Versions exhibiting attributes derived from wood or liquids previously aged in wood should be categorized in other Wood-Aged Beer categories. Fruited Belgian-style beers which exhibit Brettanomyces may be categorized in this style, when no other category exists for such beers. However, a fruited Saison exhibiting Brett character should be categorized as a Specialty Saison. A fruited version of a Brett Beer is categorized as Fruited Brett Beer when such a Brett-containing beer is not based on an existing underlying Belgian beer style. A Lambic-Style fruit beer should be categorized as a Belgian-Style Fruit Lambic. Fruited Belgian-Style beers brewed with additional adjuncts could fall in this category or perhaps as Experimental Beers. Fruit beers fermented with German, British or American ale or lager yeast should be categorized as American-Style Fruit Beers or as Fruit Wheat 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 dark depending on underlying Belgian style, and is often influenced by the color of added fruit
- Body: Varies
- Malt Flavors & Aromas: Can vary from not perceived to medium-high
- Hop Flavors & Aromas: Low to high
- IBUs/Bitterness: Varies with underlying Belgian style
- Fermentation Characteristics: Acidic bacterial fermentation attributes may be absent or may be present; if present, such attributes contribute to acidity and enhance fruity balance.
Brewing Properties of Belgian-Style Fruit Beer
These are the functional brewing properties of Belgian-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.