Frucht: Cucumber
The Bruery

Copenhagen 14/7 2022. 47,3 cl can from Kihoskh, Sønder Boulevard, Kbh. V. Very green can in The Bruery's usual design this time with a lot of cucumber slices.

Pours unclear golden yellow with a small white head. Bubbly. Disappears completely after a few seconds. Leaving what looks like a urine sample from person with kidney problems behind.

Aroma is medium intense with a tart, sourish odor of citrus fruit mingling with a quite distinct scent of cucumber. Citrus and lemon. Tart gooseberries and currants. Cucumber in abundance.

Light carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, soft, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is fairly intense with a moderate sweetness followed by a strong sourness. Aftertaste is tart with some cucumber chiming in. Lingers for a while. Finish is rather dry.

I would say that this beer tastes more of cucumber than the cucumbers in my fridge. So much for greenhouse grown cucumbers packed in tight plastic.

Type: 16-oz. can
Reviewed as: Reviewed as: Berliner Weisse
Glass: Karl Strauss 26th anniversary .25L tulip
Price: $3.00
From: Trader Joe’s in La Mesa, Calif.
Purchased: July 11, 2021
Consumed: Dec. 6, 2021
Misc.: Canned on April 28, 2021 at 9:42 a.m. PT

Grabbed a can of this and a few others on a recent trip to Trader Joe’s. Probably should have had this back in the summer but I kept putting it off. Their website called it “Frucht gains complexity from a blend of Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus. Our Bruers added cucumber to give it a coolness, gaining additional layers of complexity from its time spent in oak foeders. Flavorful, effervescent, and crisp. We can’t come up with enough adjectives to talk about this beer.”

Poured a medium yellow semi-hazy color with 1-to-2 fingers of fizzy off-white head. Noticed just a few bubbles coming up along the sides of the glass. Good foggy, pulpy lacing. Average retention. (Sight - 3.50)

Smelled cucumber, green pepper, herbal, viney berry, white grape and mint. Smelled just as good from the can. (Smell - 4.25)

Tasted about as good as the nose. It is what is advertised. Cucumber, green pepper, herbal, viney berry, Brett, oaky wood, white grape and mint. (Taste - 4.00)

Light body. Oily texture. Lively carbonation. Clean finish. (Feel - 4.25)

Really liked this one. Great for the summer months. (Overall - 4.25)

4.11 | 92 | A-

 

Tart and vinegary.

 

 

A: crystal clear; medium gold in color; with a fairly aggressive pour, less than a 1 finger white head that receded quickly to nothing; no lacing;

S: cucumber;

T: tart cucumber from start to finish; sweet and sour pickles; nicely tart;

M: light to medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: it's exactly what it says it is; having said that, it's not for me;

 

 

Ooofff this is hard to take. A vegetal Berliner just tastes...off, like cucumber water gone horribly awry. Also this is a good deal more sour than is typical for the style. Overall this is a fairly emphatic "no".

 

 

 

 

Pint can packaged 4/27/21
Appearance - clear bronze, light head, settled quickly.
Smell - vegetables
Taste - borderline undrinkable since it's so sour, and I like sours. Definite cucumber flavor - tastes like a whole cucumber in the can. Distinct foeder taste. I ended up putting a large handful of crushed ice in the glass which resulted in a still fairly flavorful beer. Good for hot weather.

 

 

Pours a slightly hazy golden yellow, fizzy 1.5" head that quickly recedes, no lacing. Nose is essentially bread and butter pickle brine with its mix of salinity and sweet malt notes, along with some light oak. Taste, however, plays much more towards a straight sour pickle - tart, salty, and bracing. Carbonation is a little light, however, and the overall feel is a little heavy given the moderate abv.

 

This beer has nice aromatics but there just isn't enough cucumber for the level of acid, especially when compared to the other beers in this series. It needs to be just a little bit brighter to stand up.