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BREW REVUE: Interview with DRAFT magazine editor Erika Rietz
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BREW REVUE: Interview with DRAFT magazine editor Erika Rietz
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| Erick Wong | SF Chronicle |
The best fruity brew you |
The first few days of warm weather has us thirsty for some patio-friendly quaffs. We caught up with DRAFT magazine editor-in-chief Erika Reitz, who took a moment to talk about� fruit beers' new place in the sun. DRAFT reviewed six fruit brews in their March/April issue � to subscribe, check out their Web site.
Meal Ticket: What are the origins of fruit beer?
Erika Rietz: Oh, I don�t have the best answer for that question � the origin of beer is biblical. Actually, the first beers were fermented from honey. I don�t think there is a� good answer for that question � it�s pretty difficult to say.
MT: Are fruit beers gaining in popularity?
ER: Yes! They are creative beers that people enjoy because they have an idea what they will be � people can relate to it. With new versions of fruit beers, and you�ll find more on the market now because they are popular, and craft breweries are allowed to express creativity and reach out to new beer drinkers.
MT: Are all fruit beers sweet, low-alcohol brews, like the popular Lindeman�s Framboise?
ER: There is a total range. People don�t know that its not supposed to taste just like one fruit.� Say, Watermelon Wheat [from 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco] is a wheat beer and the watermelon is a complement. The well-known Lindeman�s fruit beers are lambics, which are sour and then the fruit is added. People think of those and it�s kind of misleading. Any kind of beer could have fruit added to it. It depends on the baseline style. For example, Gordash Beer Company in Ft. Lauderdale makes Mack in Black, an imperial stout fermented with a Belgian yeast strain with pomegranate added to it. This gives the robust qualities of a stout with pomegranate underlying it.
MT: What foods pair well with fruit beers?
ER: These are so different from one style to the next, so there is no hard and fast rule. It depends on the style of the beer. Sweet beers, like O�Fallon Cherry Chocolate (MO) or Lindeman�s Framboise (BEL), you should pair with chocolate.� If you pair the actual fruit with something, it will probably work with the beer.
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| PSUHockeyGirl's flickr |
| But you can get this tart take on a Berliner Weisse. |
MT: Yes, it seems like some of these beers work best standing alone. That Watermelon Wheat just needs to be paired with a sunny day.
ER: Absolutely! That is such a refreshing beer � you don�t pair watermelon with many other things � maybe a refreshing salad. But those round, big flavor profiles are so complex that they are just great standing alone.
MT: What American brewers are making great versions of fruit beers?
ER: There are so many right now, it�s hard for me to pick just a few! Dogfish Head in Delaware makes a Berliner Weisse, Festina Peche, with some really wonderful peach touches to it. The Watermelon Wheat from 21st Amendment is one of the best. I�ve also had my best fruit beers from homebrewers! You can really find awesome fruit beers at your local brewpubs, as well.
[...] we chatted up DRAFT magazine editor Erika Reitz in March, she was hot on fruit beer, especially the Come Hell or High Watermelon Wheat from 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco. [...]
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