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Our Top 5 Fruits for the Perfect Citrus Beer
From shandies to Belgians, citrus beer is crisp, refreshing, and oh-so-crushable. Dropping a fresh citrus slice or two is a classic move for brightening up a bubbly beverage, but these days, more and more breweries, microbreweries, nanobreweries, and homebrewers are adding citrus purees directly into their craft beer recipes with outstanding results. Here’s a quick look at five of the best citrus fruits for brewing.
1. Lemon
Lemons are the classic citrus twist for a reason. They exude summertime vibes, due largely in part to what’s arguably the most iconic summer beverage of all time, lemonade. When it comes to brewing citrus beer with lemon puree, shandies tend to be the first style to come to mind. It’s basically half lemonade and half beer, perfect for those sunny, sweltering days when you just don’t want to choose.
2. Lime
Lemon’s zestier sibling, limes are commonly served with pale lagers to add a little something special to an otherwise ordinary cerveza. While some mainstream breweries are known for incorporating lime into their concoctions, it’s really the craft brewers that are doing something special with this little green fruit. Aside from lagers, you can find a wide range of styles brewed with lime puree, including pilsners, golden ales, sours, and Belgians.
3. Orange
There are some common go-to combinations in the world of citrus beer. Besides lime slices and Mexican-style lagers, orange slices and white Belgian wheat ales are arguably the most popular combination folks make at home or order at the bar. Oranges are also one of the best citrus fruits for brewing IPAs and pale ales. Try adding some orange puree to your favorite lager for a twist on the iconic brass monkey!
4. Tangerine
Tangerines may be smaller than oranges, but they pack a bolder, sweeter flavor profile. Tangerine puree makes a fantastic flavoring for hard seltzers, as it delivers an exciting twist on the usual orange taste. Tangerines also work beautifully in a hazy, hoppy double or triple IPA, as the sweetness tames some of the bite. If you’re thinking about brewing citrus beer, consider substituting tangerine. You’ll end up with a taste that’s familiar, but just different enough to keep things interesting.
5. Blood Orange
Finally, we have blood orange, the orange’s goth cousin. They look just like regular oranges, but they hide a dark interior and a flavor profile reminiscent of raspberries. Like tangerines, blood orange puree is an excellent choice for hard seltzers when you want a change from the same old same old. Blood orange also works great in complex IPAs, amber ales, unfiltered gose sours, and even ciders.
Shop 100% All-Natural Citrus Purees
If you’re gearing up to brew some citrus beer, you’ve come to the right place. We have a wide variety of the best citrus fruits for brewing, pasteurized and pureed to perfection. Our purees are always made with real, sun-ripened fruits with no sugar added, and we use aseptic packaging that’s shelf-stable for 18 months with no freezing required. Shop all of our ready-to-use fruit purees now, and make this season’s batch the best one yet.
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