Sour - Fruited

Sour - Fruited is an American Ale beer style. Brewers Association category: American-Style Fruited Sour Ale. It typically presents as can range from pale to black depending on underlying beer style and is often influenced by the color of added fruit.

Notes: Fruit aromas, ranging from subtle to intense, should be present. Fruit or fruit extracts, used as an adjunct in either the mash, kettle, primary or secondary fermentation, provide harmonious fruit character ranging from subtle to intense. Beers exhibiting wood-derived attributes or evidence of liquids previously aged in wood are categorized as Fruited Wood-Aged Sour Beer. Within the framework of these guidelines, coconut is defined as a vegetable, and beers containing coconut are categorized as Field Beer. Likewise beers containing chili peppers are categorized as Chili Beer. Fruited versions of Berliner-Style Weisse and Belgian-Style Sour Ale are categorized elsewhere. Competition organizers may create subcategories which reflect groups of entries based on color, hop varieties, microflora, spices, or other ingredients, etc.

IBU: May vary widely
COLOR / SRM SCALE: May vary widely (May vary widely EBC)

Alcohol & Bitterness

IBU:May vary widely

Perceived Bitterness:

None to high and in balance with fruit character

Color & Appearance

Color:

Can range from pale to black depending on underlying beer style and is often influenced by the color of added fruit

SRM:May vary widely (May vary widely EBC)

Clarity:

Chill haze, bacteria, and yeast-induced haze is acceptable at any temperature.

Gravity & Body

Body:

Low to high

Flavor Profiles

Malt Profile:

Low. In darker versions, any of roasted malt, caramel, or chocolate aroma and flavor attributes should be present at low levels.

Hop Profile:

None to high

Fermentation Character:

Moderate to intense, yet balanced, fruity esters are present. Diacetyl, DMS, and Brettanomyces should not be present. The evolution of natural acidity at medium-low to high levels develops a balanced complexity and is expressed as a refreshing, pleasant sourness, in harmony with other attributes. The acidity present is usually in the form of lactic, acetic, and other organic acids naturally developed with acidified malt in the mash or in kettle or post wort fermentation and is produced by various microorganisms, including certain bacteria and yeasts. Acidic character can be a complex balance of several types of acid and attributes of age. Wood vessels may be used during the fermentation and aging process, but woodderived flavors such as vanillin should not be present. Attributes arising from liquids previously aged in a barrel, such as bourbon or sherry, should not be present.

2026 Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines used with permission of Brewers Association .

No beers have been reviewed in this style.