BJCP · Category 29 · 4 styles
Fruit Beer
Beers with fruit added to a base style, aiming for fruit you can taste without hiding the beer. 29A is the simple version, 29B adds spices, 29C allows other ingredients or processes, and 29D covers the grape ales that originated in Italy.
The 4 Fruit Beer styles
The numbers at a glance
| BJCP style | ABV | Bitterness | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit Beer | per base style | per base style | per base style |
| Fruit and Spice Beer | per base style | per base style | per base style |
| Specialty Fruit Beer | per base style | per base style | per base style |
| Grape Ale | 6.0–8.5% | 10–30 IBU | 4–8 SRM |
How to tell the styles apart
Fruit is the common thread, and what separates the subcategories is what comes with it. Fruit Beer (29A) is the most straightforward: a recognizable base style with one or more fruits. Fruit and Spice Beer (29B) adds spices, herbs or vegetables, and everything should come through at once. Specialty Fruit Beer (29C) adds another ingredient or process, such as an extra fermentable like honey or brown sugar.
Grape Ale (29D) is the only one with its own numbers: 6-8.5% alcohol, 4-8 SRM, 10-30 IBU and an original gravity of 1.059-1.075. It was born in Italy and uses grapes or grape must, so it's closer to a dry sparkling wine than to a fruity beer. In all of them, the fruit can't bury the base.
Brew it yourself
Which one to brew first
Fruit Beer (29A) is the place to start, ideally on a base you've already mastered: a Blonde Ale, a witbier or a simple stout. That way you know what the fruit brings and what comes from the beer. Use frozen fruit, which is easier to sanitize than fresh. Grape Ale (29D) is interesting if you can get grape must at harvest time, but its high alcohol calls for more yeast and more time.
Common mistakes
- Adding the fruit to the boil. The heat sets pectins that cloud the beer and cooks off the aroma; add it in secondary, once primary fermentation is done.
- Not accounting for the fruit sugars at bottling. If any are left unfermented, they add to the priming sugar and carbonation goes through the roof.
- Choosing a very bitter or very roasty base for delicate fruits like peach or strawberry. Hops and roast drown them out; save intense bases for bold fruits.
- Using too little fruit for fear of overdoing it. Some aroma is lost during fermentation, and a fruit beer where you can't pick out the fruit doesn't fit the style either.
How to serve them
It depends a lot on the base, but as a guide, 6-10 °C (43-50 °F). A tulip or wine glass for the most aromatic ones; Grape Ale shines in a sparkling wine glass. Berry beers go with chocolate desserts or cheesecake; citrus and tropical fruit beers with salads, ceviche or Asian food; and Grape Ale with aged cheeses, cured ham or a pasta dish.
Frequently asked questions
Which styles make up the Fruit Beer category?
According to the BJCP 2021 guidelines, 4: Fruit Beer, Fruit and Spice Beer, Specialty Fruit Beer, Grape Ale.
Classification and statistics: BJCP category 29 (Fruit Beer), 2021 edition.