BJCP 29B · Fruit Beer
Fruit and Spice Beer
A beer with fruit plus spices, herbs or vegetables on a base style: every addition should come through and be well integrated.
This is a specialty category, so it has no numbers of its own. Gravity, bitterness, color and alcohol are those of the base style you choose, plus whatever the special ingredient or process adds.
What Fruit and Spice Beer is like
A beer in which fruit and spices combine on a base style. Each element should come through, but the whole has to be harmonious and drink like a beer.
Appearance
That of the base, influenced by the color of the fruit and, to a lesser extent, the spices.
Aroma
Recognizable fruit and spices, with the base style in the background. No spice should dominate to the point of smelling like perfume.
Flavor
Fruit, spices and base in balance. Spices can add warmth, bitterness or herbal notes that go along with the fruit. No medicinal aftertaste.
Mouthfeel
Depends on the base. Some spices, such as ginger or chile, can add a sense of heat or bite.
Where Fruit and Spice Beer comes from
It's a common combination in seasonal and craft beers, where fruit and spices are used much like in baking.
Ingredients
A base style plus one or more fruits and one or more spices, herbs or vegetables. Pumpkin-and-spice combinations go in 30B.
Brew it yourself
How to brew Fruit and Spice Beer at home
Put the fruit in secondary and add the spices very carefully, either late in the boil or as a tincture in a little vodka, which lets you taste and dose at bottling. You have to state the base, the fruit and the spices; judges look for everything to be recognizable and integrated.
Food pairing
Duck à l'orange, apple pie with cinnamon and blue cheeses.
Glassware: Teku glass, a tasting glass that works with almost any style.
Frequently asked questions
What food pairs well with Fruit and Spice Beer?
Duck à l'orange, apple pie with cinnamon and blue cheeses.
Which styles are similar?
If you like it, also try Fruit Beer, Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer and Winter Seasonal Beer.
If you like Fruit and Spice Beer, try these
Classification and statistics: official Fruit and Spice Beer guidelines from the BJCP, 2021 edition. Original text by Hacer Cerveza Casera.