4. Fruit beer
Beers brewed with fruit always taste good in the summer, even when they’re not especially sweet. The fourth beer on the tasting agenda is Fierce Cranachan Killer: a beer based on a classic Scottish dessert and brewed with raspberries, which show up well in the aroma. The taste is nicely balanced, because the fruit is not too prominent in this pale ale. The aftertaste is fresh and slightly bitter.
Fruit is also a key element in the Pineapple Weizen from Het Uiltje, though again, doesn’t dominate the beer. This is unmistakably a weizen with its aromas of banana and clove. The pineapple is nicely subtle and gives it that summery feeling.
Want to taste how a bitter fruit naturally fits into a hoppy beer? Choose High Wire Grapefruit from Magic Rock as your next beer. Besides the grapefruit you can also taste tropical fruit, with an aftertaste that is strong and bitter.
5. Summer in Belgium
For the fifth course we go to Belgium. Open up your Chouffe Soleil - the sunny version of the heavier blonde La Chouffe, an iconic beer. The Soleil is fresh and fruity with a typical spicy aftertaste.
Or, go for Malheur 6. This is a Belgian blonde that’s not too sweet, with a soft, fresh aftertaste. The vibrant and fruity character makes it a beautiful summer option.
6. Summery hops
You can brew a cracking summer beer with hops - we'll prove it in these next few beers!
The next bottle to crack into is the tropical fruit bowl, Oedipus Pais Tropical. No fruit is used to brew this one, but there are 6 different types of hops: Columbus, Sorachi Ace, Simcoe, Citra, Mandarina Bavaria and Centennial, which are all hops that give off fruit flavors. The ample hopping here also makes the beer slightly more bitter.
Or choose Wazig from Bruut, a misty IPA, also full of fruit flavors that only come from the hops. This beer is not so sweet but has a dry aftertaste.
You can also opt for a slightly darker beer at this stage. Red Rocket from Two Chefs Brewing, the proof that a darker beer fits very well in the summer: hoppy, tasty and light-footed with a fine, spicy-bitter finish.
7. The grand finale
We'll finish the tasting by picking out the final beers in the pack. These are the heaviest beers, but at around 7% they’re still light enough for a summer tasting. Surf Ale from Davo, for example, is a fruity IPA that's full of hoppy aromas. The other option is Vuig Tuig from De Eeuwige Jeugd, which offers everything you can expect from an IPA: lots of hops, which produce rosy notes, with grapefruit and a decent bitterness.
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