Find the one for you, and fruit beers can be riotously fun and breathtakingly refreshing

There’s going to be some beer drinkers who’ll turn from this column, pick up their draught or lager, and shake their heads at the state of the world. That’s because there are purists who reckon fruit and beer shouldn’t be in the same glass – much like those who think ham and pineapple are problematic on a pizza.

The counter offer is that fruit beers are the friendly extroverts of the brewing world. Yes, they can be out there, garishly packaged and made with odd-ball combinations, but they can also be breathtakingly refreshing and wildly sessionable. Plus they help diversify what we drink.

Fruit in beer is nothing new

The most ancient of brewers used date syrups and honey as part of their repertoire, while medieval brewers added berries and apples for flavour and preservation. Belgium’s lambic and Germany’s Berliner Weisse traditions have long paired wild-fermented beers with cherries, raspberries and other fruits.

These practices demonstrate that fruit has long been a partner to beer, not a gimmick.

Now, contemporary brewers are starting to embrace fruit again for its versatility – the way it can accent hops, play with malts, add personality. Importantly, fruit can capture a time and place, and the season.

The consequence in Australia is that fruit beers are becoming increasingly mainstream. Perhaps it’s because of the rise and rise of fruity seltzer; perhaps it’s just drinkers wanting an ever-changing kaleidoscope of inventive brews.

Regardless, fruit beers seem to be a mainstay, ranging from the small-scale producers to the bigger ones. Find the right balance for you, and fruit beers are riotous fun.

This is what we like

Grifter Serpents Kiss Watermelon Pilsner, $6

Cold-pressed watermelon gets blended with a light, dry style pilsner; this combo yields a world-beating, ultra-chuggable beer that marries fruit freshness with pleasing bitterness. A buy-the-case kind of situation.

Two Metre Tall Barrel Aged Sour Cherry Ale 2019, $48

This is the most authentic fruit beer in Australia. Made in Tasmania, its completely natural co-fermentation process demands painstaking patience. The result is an astonishingly complex, wonderfully refreshing and vividly cherry-fruity beer of huge vitality and interest.

Hop Nation Proud As Punch Mango Sour Non-Alcoholic, $7

Non-alc does fruit beer? Sure thing. The mango lends a sweetness, while the mango skin adds bitterness to this puckeringly fresh brew. It does the bitter beer element well too. A great speed hump at a party.