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Top 39 Fruit Beers
Explore our list of the Top 39 Fruit Beers, as rated by our panel of judges for the Official Review. The selection ranges from barrel-aged sours with pawpaw fruit to mango fruit lambics, and from lemon lagers to a variety of other options in between.
#18
95
Grapefruit Sculpin
Ballast Point Brewing Co.
Fruit IPA
"The flavor brings out both grapefruit pulp (like biting into a ruby-red grapefruit segment with the membrane still attached) and pithy grapefruit zest from the skin, which plays very nicely with the grapefruit and tangerine hop characters along with some spicy black pepper notes in the background. A very clean fermentation and low yeast notes make for a fairly bitter and dry finish. Crisp and smooth, this was an extremely enjoyable beer. This beer would pair well with bacon, sausage or Eggs Benedict – it's a great breakfast beer!"
- Judge Nelson Crowle
#17
95
Beatitude Mango
Council Brewing Co.
Fruit Lambic
"This could easily have been a breakfast mimosa (orange juice and champagne), and actually exemplifies the Fruit Lambic style. I can picture this beer being fermented in open fermenters with cobwebs on the ceiling and windows left wide open, letting the microflora circulate within the room. Simply wonderful!"
- Judge Richard Wong
#16
95
Nectarine Golden Ale
pFriem Family Brewers
Wild Specialty Beer
"The flavor has mild nectarine fruit flavor and fruit or malt sweetness backed with a refreshingly tart flavor mid-palate and finish from the yeast and wood aging. Just a little bit of oak/wood character can be tasted, and it becomes more noticeable as it warms. All told, this is a wonderful beer that expresses nectarine in subtle, but enjoyable ways, on top of a mildly sour and tart, slightly wild fermentation. For me, this beer provides enough variation – without being overly dominant in any way – to keep me interested in the next quaff, and that is a wonderful quality to find in a beer."
- Judge John C. Tull
#15
95
Oak & White
Upland Brewing Co.
Wild Specialty Beer
"This beer's flavor has distinct yet light oak character--primarily tannin--and is moderately sour. It has a buttery taste and texture, again like white wine. The finish is dry but retains the buttery fullness. Carbonation is moderately high, but feels lower due to the fuller texture. Hops are nowhere to be found in this beer, but it doesn't need them. Overall, this beer's vinous quality makes it analogous to a white grape version of a Flanders Red Ale. An excellent sour ale."
- Judge Jim Koebel
#14
95
The Discreet Charm of the Framboisie
Brooklyn Brewery
Fruit Lambic
"It exploded on my taste buds with a refined mixture of light fruit, intense oak and sourness. Typical to the style, there was no hop flavor and very little perceived hop bitterness. The beer featured a long, very dry finish, with the high level of carbonation and oak/earth character providing a pleasant, lasting impression. This is a very difficult style to commercially brew, and this beer represents an outstanding example of a Framboise, and one that's not to be missed."
- Judge Rodney A. Tillinghast
#13
95
Entwined
Upland Brewing Co.
Mixed-Style Beer
"The overall tartness is moderate, but in good balance with the flavor intensity of the brew. There is a moderate level of carbonation and a dry finish. The aftertaste while being dry does retain a considerable level of malt and tart character. This is a very rich and complex brew that is quite enjoyable and approachable. My only quibble would be that the wood character is extremely subtle for a barrel aged beer in this category. However, that should not dissuade you from searching out and trying this brew for yourself."
- Judge Joseph Formanek
#12
95
Mango Margarita Gose
Gnarly Barley Brewing Co.
Wild Specialty Beer
#11
95
Atrical Rubicite
Jester King Brewery
Fruit Lambic
"The flavor is intensely sour with some grapefruit and a lot of aspirin character. The raspberry fruit is still detectable and provides a very slight fruit flavor along with the perception of raspberry tartness. The mouthfeel of this beer is defined by the puckering sourness that carries well into the finish – and beyond. Enough carbonation is there, despite appearances, to provide some carbonic astringency as an added dimension. Overall, this is an excellent fruit lambic on par with some of the best fruit lambics from the Senne Valley in Belgium. If that is your thing, you would be remiss to pass up this excellent, American-brewed example."
- Judge John C. Tull
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