Thank you cherry much

There’s a quiet joy in discovering a drink that feels like it was made just for you.

For some, it’s the perfect pint of Guinness, for others it’s a dry white wine with just the right chill. For me, it was Lindeman’s Kriek Cherry Beer.

I still remember that first sip of the cherry beer - deep red, faintly sparkling, with a sweet-tart kiss that danced on the tongue.

Kriek refers to a Belgian style of lambic beer that is refermented with sour cherries.

The word Kriek itself is Flemish for cherry, specifically sour cherry. The first sip of Lindeman’s is as if you bite into a fresh cherry. The beer is available in Rising Sons, The Pav, Old Brennan’s and Bierhaus.

Last week, I discovered Sour Arpus Fruit Heart, a smoothie-style ale from Latvia that tastes like summer in a glass.

Mango, apricot, and pineapple come together in a gloriously thick pour that is bright, juicy, almost nectar-like.

It’s not for the hop-heads or the true beer lovers, but for those of us who want something lush and unexpected, it’s a delight.

It drinks more like a tropical dessert than a beer and I mean that in the best way. It is currently available at the Bierhaus.

Brewed in Cork, I have a soft spot for Rising Sons Raspberry Sour. It’s refreshingly tart, with just the right hit of raspberry tang, sharp, juicy, and properly thirst-quenching.

It’s the kind of drink you could imagine sipping on a warm July evening in the garden, catching up with friends and laughing a little too loudly.

The White Hag brewery is not far behind with their Puca Tropical - Pineapple, Grapefruit, Mango and Lime or their The Puca with Hibiscus and Ginger, although I haven’t tried these yet. The Rascal Brewery in Dublin has a limited edition of Strawberry, Vanilla Shake IPA - again, I haven’t tried that one yet.

Fruit beers might be considered ‘girlie’ but I have seen grown men sipping away on the cherry beer as joyful as myself and that’s the beauty of fruit beers.

They offer an entry point for those who find traditional beer too bitter or heavy, while still providing complexity for seasoned drinkers.

They’re not a compromise; they’re a category all their own. So, it’s not just ‘a girl thing’. But there is something about fruit beers that seems to resonate more with women - maybe it’s the freshness, the fun, the variety, or maybe it’s just the fact that they feel like joy in a glass.

No laddish bravado, no gatekeeping, just deliciousness. So, the next time you’re scanning the shelves or ordering at the bar, don’t skip over the fruit beers. Whether it’s a Belgian cherry, a tropical smoothie ale, or a local Irish sour, take a sip and let it remind you that beer, like life, should never be boring.

And if in doubt, head over to Bradley’s in North Main Street. Michael and his team have a great selection of Irish craft beers – fruity or not.