The Only Acceptable Reason to put Fruit in Your Beer

I'm not a fan of people putting fruit in my beer. Orange wedges, limes and lemons belong in a fruit salad, not in my beer. However, there is one exception to the "no fruit" rule.

Mark and Wendy from The Bull and Barrel Brew Pub in Brewster, NY stopped by our studios with a sample of their Honey Blueberry Ale to enlighten us about the process of making a kick-ass blueberry beer.

Apparently, it's not as simple as adding some blueberries to the mix. Head brewer, Mark Peffers, explains that every blueberry has a different level of tartness and sweetness. Trying to get the right ratio of sweet and sour would be almost impossible by using fresh fruit, so he prefers an extract when it comes to brewing his blueberry ale.

In addition to blueberries, Mark also uses wildflower honey from White Oaks Apiary in Southeast to give Honey Blueberry Ale it's signature sweetness. It's a knockout combination that makes this one of the best blueberry beers out there, and one of the Bull and Barrel's best sellers.

But, of course, no blueberry beer is complete without the addition of fresh blueberries to the glass. And that's exactly how they serve it at the Bull and Barrel. This is my one and only exception to the "no fruit" rule for beer.

Adding fresh blueberries to a blueberry ale creates something magical. As the blueberries collect bubbles on the bottom of the glass they magically rise to the top of the pint, only to fall back down to the bottom again. It's like drinking from a lava lamp.

Try adding some blueberries the next time you have a blueberry ale; it'll create a summer drinking experience that you'll be longing for when winter rolls around again. Or better yet, stop by the Bull and Barrel and have them make one for you.