I was recently interviewed by Carly Wood from Food & Drink Technology Magazine. Carly visited the sensory facilities here in Westerham to hear about our business, have a tour of the lab. In particular she wanted to learn more about fruit beers for a segment she was writing in the Alcoholic Beverages section of the magazine.
THE RISE IN POPULARITY OF FRUIT BEER
Fruit Beers are becoming more and more popular as craft beers push new flavours and concepts of beer in the limelight. But actually, according to Carly, fruits have been used as a beer adjunct or flavouring for centuries. I chatted to Carly about how some of them can sometimes be quite challenging to drink, due to their traditionally sour taste. As such, fruit beers that are coming to market today have been sweetened in order to appeal to the general consumer taste.
THE GROWTH OF LOW ALCOHOL BEER
Another area that has progressed from the fruit beer market is low alcohol beer. Traditionally, low alcoholic beers have been viewed as lacking in flavour. However, the low alcohol fruit beer styles are a bit easier to drink. in the current age of moderate drinking being promoted, they make it a much more acceptable and easy drinking alternative due to those extra flavours.
I gave Carly a practical demonstration featuring a number of different beers of different alcohol content, fermentation methods and styles.
Read more on my views on fruit and low alcohol beers in the article in Food & Drink Technology Magazine here, or contact me to find out more!
Dr Debbie Parker heads up the sensory facilities at Marketing Sciences Unlimited. She is one of only 8 female beer sommeliers in the UK
