The thirst-quenching refreshment of lime. The pleasant puckering acidity of lemon. The pithy, juicy depth of grapefruit. As humans, we love fruit. We’re wired to. For early humans, fruit was literally a source of life, as our hunter-gather ancestors obtained much of their caloric sustenance through foraging for it. So it’s no surprise that we love fruity flavors in beer. From the passionfruit and mango flavors of modern hops, to the pome fruit and banana notes of yeast-derived esters, fruit flavors are all over our favorite craft beer styles.
In fact, real fruit itself often makes its way into many of these same beers, especially once the warmer weather hits and yearning for juicy refreshers hits its height. As summer heats up, we’ve got a veritable grove of fruit-infused brews to cool that patio or beachside heat. Let’s take a look at each one, and see how the real fruit used in each takes those beers to the next level of deliciousness.
It’s difficult to think about fruit in beer without jumping right to one of the most iconic (and beachy) combinations: a pale, highly carbonated lager with a wedge of lime squeezed in. Brewed with real lime purée and peel, Mexican Lager with Lime is perfect for the beach, yes, but also for any other laid back situation you might find yourself in. The gentle acidity and bright aromatics of lime enhance the already satiating character of a well-crafted light lager. Plus, we package our Mexican Lager in cans, which we think is the ideal vessel for sipping alongside sandy waterfronts or shaded in lush backyard gardens (with or without an additional lime wedge.)
Fruit beers are often light and delicate, made for sun-drenched lounging on idyllic afternoons. Ruby’s Revenge Imperial Grapefruit IPA, on the other hand, is a completely different beast. The newest member of our Imperial IPA Series, Ruby’s big in every sense of the term, packing a punch at 8% ABV and cultivating a fierce bite at 75 IBUs. Even bigger is the real grapefruit purée and citrus peel packed into every drop of those 16 oz. cans – 50 gallons of grapefruit per brew, to be precise! The grapefruit-like flavor of Cascade and Centennial hops is a perfect complement to the hint of pithy rind and juicy ruby red grapefruit in this startlingly drinkable Imperial IPA. Best served with your favorite horror b-movie screened with an outdoor projector.
Can’t decide which fruit flavor to fall in love with? With the Crushworthy Collection Variety Pack, you can have more than one crush. Featuring the original Crushworthy brewed with orange and lemon, our newest summer variety pack introduces three new real fruit varieties: Grapefruit, Lemon Lime, and Watermelon. Don’t let the 105 calories fool you. Each Crushworthy variety is brewed with real fruit purée for bursts of juicy refreshment in every sip. We recommend stacking up Grapefruit Crushworthy side by side with Ruby’s Revenge to see how these two totally different beer styles channel the same gushing grapefruit-y goodness in their own unique ways.
Ready to peel open a pack of our fruit-forward brews? Use our Beer Finder to hunt down Mexican Lager with Lime, Ruby’s Revenge, and the Crushworthy Collection at a store near you.
Words by Michael Williams
Photos by Adam Ritterspach
