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Berry Beer
Berry beer is an aptly named beverage: it's a beer flavored with berries like
raspberries, blueberries and cherries. Many major beer brands offer a seasonal
berry beer.
The challenge in defining berry beer is that any beer, ranging from ale to a
lager, stout to wheat beer, can be turned into a berry beer. As a result, almost
any beer can be "berrified" and thus there is no single brewing style that can
be defined or applied to berry beer.
The challenge, or rather the risk, in pairing beer with fruit is that a mismatch
can result in a horrible tasting beer; as a result, many people either detest
berry beer because they have not had a very good experience with them or
stick to only one brand, which they trust to make a well balanced and tasty
beverage.
Most berry beers are made with pureed berries, which are added during
fermentation. Other breweries add fruit extracts, which some berry beer fans
believe can impart a "chemical" flavor not seen in fresh fruit.
As with any alcohol, when pairing it with food, you must be careful to pair
berry beer with the correct dish or risk having an unpleasant contrast in
flavors, such as avoiding pairing with more tart dishes which may make the
beer seem far more sweet.
Common examples:
Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager
Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale
Wachusett Blueberry Ale
Back to Beer Styles
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© 2009 The Common Connoisseur | All Rights Reserved.
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