English author Gilbert Chesterton once wrote: “Let a man walk 10 miles steadily on a hot day along a dusty English road, and he will soon discover why beer was invented.” Something about the combination of the hot sun and an ice-cold pint just works. So, if you are looking to beat the heat and vibe with the temperatures rising this spring, you should try some tropical fruity brews that are sure to keep you cool!
Today, the world of fruit beer offers more fun, unique, and refreshing brews than ever before. But there is so much more to it than beer shandies and spiked lemonades. Various fruits are used in the beverages and breweries that will be covered, ranging from tart citrus fruits to sweet berries. They may stretch the typical taste perceptions of beer while keeping that iconic hoppy flavor, or they might leave you questioning what beer is capable of becoming.
The poster child for fruity beers would be “The Ain’t No Tang IPA.” This results from a collaboration between Covington’s Rhinegeist Brewery and the acclaimed Green Cheek Beer Co. The inspiration for this brew came from an old friendship and a love for fresh fruit. This sour India Pale Ale is bursting with guava and orange flavor. The beer is a pale grapefruit shade. And to the nose, you smell melon as it leaps out at you. Your taste buds are welcomed with wildflowers as a rich, creamy sweetness sets the stage for a delightfully light body. As the flavors reveal themselves, the beer quickly explodes with hops, exposing a background of papaya, passionfruit, and candied mango. The beer’s brisk acidity takes all the edge off the richness of the malt and intertwines itself with the bitterness of the hops for a refreshing herbal beverage.
Maybe you’re looking for something a little more decadent. The availability of smoothie sour ales is endless, the depths of which appear limitless. Abomination Brewing Company has taken this quite literally with their new creation Endless Depths. Bearing fruits of tangerine, prickly pear, calamansi, mango, starfruit, and blackberries all rounded out by an infusion of black lava salt to round out the parade of equatorial flavors. This take on the style stands out in a meaningful way. Endless Depths pour is dense, slightly rusty in its fog and with the consistency of a milkshake. Your nose is supplied with tropical notes taking you through the kaleidoscope of aforementioned fruits and flavors; the scent seems to cover its bases. Creamy and sweet on its first sip, you get concepts of taffy, popsicles, vanilla cream, and cereal at the front of the palate. As the sweetness settles a bit, the tartness of the underlying ale hits a high mark with the character of citrusy tangerine and blackberry for a deep fruit flavor that heavily favors dark berries. A discernible sense of the salt is present, saving this beer from being a sweetness bomb while providing a salt rim effect to this drink, helping carry you through this tropical-packed brew. Rich, fruity, and complex, this fruited sour lives up to its name with endless depths of flavor.
Suppose you want something more refined with a hint of nostalgia. In that case, this next one is a fascinating beer that straddles the line between beer and beer-based alcoholic beverages (such as a beer cooler). Whatever you call it, it is a great beverage made by Southern Grist Brewing Company. It says “Strawberry Banana Shortcake Melted Snow Cone” on the label, and that’s exactly what they provided. There’s even a bit of a malty bite at the “very” end of the finish to remind you that this is still a beer. You will know what I’m talking about after you pour and notice the smoothie, thick slush with no head in sight. You will recognize the banana, cream, and vanilla as it reaches your senses. The flavor profile replicates the nose pretty closely but with a mild-mannered tartness pulling through the density that highlights the strawberries’ more sour properties as the beer continues to sip like a smoothie. Alcohol is undetectable, but that’s no real surprise, given the 4% ABV. The beer is heavy, rich, and fruity, with the taste of banana split and a tart balance on the late palate that pulls the whole experience together.
All these drinks are only going to be around for the coming season. So, if you are feeling the heat rise and need a sweet treat this spring, please take a moment to check out some of these companies at the Mellow Mushroom; crack open one of these beers and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
-by Dani Jo Black
