BJCP 29C · Fruit Beer
Specialty Fruit Beer
A fruit beer with an extra ingredient or process, such as honey, brown sugar or other fermentables. Both the fruit and the addition should come through.
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 Specialty Fruit Beer is like
A fruit beer with another fermentable added, such as honey or specialty sugars, or a particular process. The fruit is still the star and the addition has to be recognizable.
Appearance
That of the base, influenced by the fruit and by the added sugars or ingredients.
Aroma
Recognizable fruit alongside the character of the extra ingredient, such as honey or molasses, with the base in the background.
Flavor
Fruit, base and addition in balance. The extra sugars usually ferment almost completely, so they tend to leave more alcohol and a drier finish rather than more sweetness.
Mouthfeel
Depends on the base. The added alcohol can bring some warmth.
Where Specialty Fruit Beer comes from
It's a category for fruit beers that don't fit in 29A or 29B because they include something more, which is common in craft beer.
Ingredients
A base style, one or more fruits and another fermentable, such as honey, brown sugar, maple syrup or molasses, or a special process. If the addition is wood, it goes in category 33; if it's smoke, in 32B.
Brew it yourself
How to brew Specialty Fruit Beer at home
Add the sugar or honey late in the boil or during fermentation, and the fruit in secondary. Keep in mind that those sugars raise the alcohol and dry out the beer. You have to state the base, the fruit and the extra ingredient or process; judges look for everything to come through without throwing the beer off balance.
Food pairing
Aged cheeses, roast lamb and berry desserts.
Glassware: Teku glass, a tasting glass that works with almost any style.
Frequently asked questions
What food pairs well with Specialty Fruit Beer?
Aged cheeses, roast lamb and berry desserts.
Which styles are similar?
If you like it, also try Fruit Beer, Alternative Sugar Beer and Fruit and Spice Beer.
If you like Specialty Fruit Beer, try these
Classification and statistics: official Specialty Fruit Beer guidelines from the BJCP, 2021 edition. Original text by Hacer Cerveza Casera.