How Pineapple Became The Hottest Fruit Beer and Cider Trend of the Year

Like citrus fruits before it, pineapple is one of the hottest new ingredients in beer and hard cider, finding its way into everything from hazy IPAs to hefeweizens and farmhouse ales. What's strange about it is pineapple was unheard of as an ingredient just a handful of years ago. While citrus fruits and even other tropical fruits like mango took the forefront, pineapple was waiting in the wings. At a recent seminar at the Craft Brewers Conference on industry trends, Jack Li of Datassential reported pineapple is the quickest growing fruit ingredient on beer menus nationwide, up nearly 100% over the year before. 2018 has been the year of the pineapple in beer and cider."Fruit was not very popular in 1986-88. People would drink a raspberry beer. Now with our fruit vendors bringing more options we have a lot to work with today and a customer base that is looking for a fruit beer experience," says veteran brewmaster John Harris, owner of Ecliptic Brewing.In 2014, Ballast Point Brewing of San Diego took its Grapefruit Sculpin IPA national and helped to bring fruit beers to the mainstream and fruited IPA as a major beer category. In early 2016 the brewery followed it up with Pineapple Sculpin IPA in bottles as the first major beer release using that fruit. Not long after, Portland startup contract brewery Pono Brewing launched with Pineapple Express IPA and helped make Oregon brewers an early adopter.Two years earlier, Portland's Reverend Nat's Hard Cider went all-in on pineapple with the release then billed as Padre Nat's ¡Tepache! This now popular seasonal isn't even cider, but is instead a traditional pre-Columbian Mexican fermented beverage made from pineapple peels and rinds and piloncillo sugar and spiced with cinnamon. In Mexico, it's often served with beer, like a Mexican-style lager, or the fermentation is even kickstarted by a (presumably live) pour of beer. Cidery founder Nat West first heard about the traditional Tepache drink from a 2008 article in Saveur magazine and was intrigued."I made it according to the recipe and it was awful," says Nat. But years later after trying a version that a friend made, he gave it another go. Nat worked on the recipe for six months before dialing it in. "The recipe hasn’t changed since it was first released in 2013." For Nat, part of the appeal of Tepache is "I love it so much since it’s so attached to beer, “requiring” the serving of it with beer.""The recent popularity of pineapples is directly tied to the introduction of the MD2 variety in the US," says Nat West. After all, pineapples have been a popular fruit for a long time and not just in South America. Before the 1990s, most pineapple in America came from a can. In 1961 the Hawaiian based Pineapple Research Institute (PRI) was tasked with developing a new flavorful variety that could be massively produced in America to meet demand. The PRI concentrated on the then most popular type of pineapple, a variety called "Smooth Cayenne." PRI never solved the problem and was dissolved in 1975. Still, the research was not in vain, and in 1993 a review of the institute's findings revealed two hybrids with the potential to be better than Smooth Cayenne. In 1980 the two hybrids were released to Maui Pineapple Company and Del Monte for more research. One of the varieties, called MD-2, was shipped to Costa Rica in the mid-80s for further testing and breeding before it was eventually released to the public in the 90s. MD2 pineapples eventually supplanted "Smooth Cayenne" and became such a successful breed that it helped make fresh pineapples available to the world over."It is a sweeter, tarter, more flavorful pineapple than the previous champion, “Smooth Cayenne,” says West of  MD2, which is what most Hawaiian farmers grow. "Pineapples just weren’t that delicious prior to MD2."MD2 is still primarily grown in Costa Rica, but farming also occurs in Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Reverend Nat's purchases all of their pineapples for Tepache from Costa Rica via Del Monte. They use whole, fresh pineapples that come with just the green spiky stalk heads cut off. "We grind up the whole pineapple, scales and all, and ferment it wild, then press the alcoholic pulp to make Tepache. Straight pineapples fermented to dry taste terrible, so we add back fresh pineapple juice to make Tepache."If the MD2 pineapples made the fruit popular, available, and delicious, in America, then it is processors/distributors like Oregon Fruit Products that brought the fruit into breweries. Unlike Reverend Nat's, most brewers have no need for the full scaly skin of the pineapple, not to mention the extra work processing the meaty fruit. OFP produces aseptic fruit purees for brewing, processed and packaged without the worry of yeasts or bacteria contaminating a beer. Perhaps not coincidentally, OFP introduced a seasonal pineapple puree in 2016, around the same time Ballast Point introduced Pineapple Sculpin IPA in bottles.Sunriver Brewing out of Bend has been releasing two beers with pineapple to great effect. Brewmaster Brett Thomas says, "I think pineapples bring a good balance of flavor and acidity to beer." Pineapple Haze IPA from Sunriver shows off that tropical tang of the juice in a suitably juicy/hazy IPA. Thomas says brewers have been onto pineapples for awhile but perhaps customers weren't ready. "There seems to have been a shift in the American palate that is more welcoming of tropical fruit flavors, including pineapples."Lompoc Brewing and Ruse Brewing both have excellent tart Belgian-influenced and barrel-aged pineapple beers available right now. Lompoc Head Brewer made his Piña Wit during the total eclipse using pineapple puree and aged it in Chardonnay barrels. The beer came out excellent with mild tartness and sweetness from the fruit, bright, smooth creamy mouthfeel from the wheat and Belgian yeast and buttery oak tannins from the chardonnay barrels.Ruse Brewing recently tapped the second batch of Turquoise Mountain, a tart, pinot barrel-aged farmhouse ale also with pineapple puree at about 2lbs  per barrel and added post fermentation. The idea behind this beer was to use the wild yeast strain Brettanomyoces Clausenii, famous for throwing off a lot of pineapple like flavors and aromas. Mission accomplished as this tart, semi-funky beer tastes remarkably like pineapple juice.Ecliptic Brewing is gearing up to release a new collaboration beer with Modern Times Beer in bottles called Pineapple Hazy IPA. The idea to add pineapple was all Modern Times who had used the fruit in beers before. Similar to what Ruse did with pairing Pineapple with the flavors that Brett C. creates, Ecliptic and Modern Times paired the fruit with Denali hops that give off a fruity and slightly pineapple note. Pineapple Hazy IPA is one of the few pineapple beers to be bottled and will be released August 15th at ABV Public House and August 16th at Tin Bucket.Hopworks Urban Brewery is releasing Excellent Pineapple Hazy IPA today at its pub.Cascade Lakes Brewing released Pineapple Kush IPA last April.2 Towns Ciderhouse added Pacific Pineapple hard cider to their year-round lineup in cans earlier this year.And according to RateBeer.com founder Joe Tucker, here is just a partial list of some of the breweries who have made pineapple beers just this year:18th Street Brewery2 Towns Ciderhouse406 Brewing Company450 North Brewing CompanyAbridged Beer CompanyAlmasty Brewing Co.Alpha Brewing CompanyAlt BrewAlvarado Street BreweryAmundsen BreweryArkose BreweryAslin Beer CompanyAustin Brothers Beer CompanyB. Nektar MeaderyB-52 Brewing CompanyBad Shepherd BrewingBadger State Brewing CompanyBarbarian BrewingBarebottle Brewing CompanyBarley's Brewing CompanyBarrel Culture Brewing and BlendingBear Roots Brewing CompanyBearded Iris BrewingBeaver Brewing CompanyBelhaven (Greene King)Bellwoods BreweryBenchwarmers Brewing CoBlack Acre Brewing Co.Black Hops BrewingBlaker Brewing CompanyBlock 15 BreweryBlock ThreeBlue Moon Brewing Company (MillerCoors)Blue Pants BreweryBond Brothers Beer CompanyBreckenridge Brewery (AB InBev)Brew RebellionBrew Your MindBrewheadzBrewT!Brink Brewing CompanyBrokreacjaBrouwerij KeesBrowar MaryensztadtBrunswick BierworksBRUSBrygghus 19Button Brew HouseCampervan BreweryCascade Lakes Brewing Co.Catawba Brewing CompanyCentral City Brewers + DistillersCerebral BrewingCharleville Vineyard & Microbrewerycity'superCombustion BreweryCommonwealth Brewing CompanyCraft Collective BeerworksCycle BrewingDangerous Man Brewing CompanyDe Steeg BrewingDeep Creek Brewing CoDimes BrewhouseDionysus BrewingEdmund's OastElevation Beer CompanyElora BrewingEquilibrium BreweryExile Brewing CompanyFive Churches BrewingFlying Dog BreweryFlying MonkeysFoolproof Brewing CompanyForager Brewing CompanyFort Cerveza ArtesanalFort LapinFretboard BrewingFriendship Brewing CompanyFringe BeerworksGenys Brewing Co.Gletcher BreweryGolden Road Brewing (AB InBev)Growers Cider CompanyHalo BreweryHanoi Cider Co.Harpoon BreweryHell's BasementHoppin' Frog BreweryHudson Valley BreweryHunga Dunga Brewing CompanyIlkley BreweryIMBĪB Custom BrewsJackie O's Pub & BreweryJailbreak Brewing CompanyJan Olbracht Browar RzemieslniczyJoyride Brewing CompanyKCBC (Kings County Brewers Collective)Kills Boro Brewing CompanyKilowatt BrewingKirkwood Station Brewing CompanyLaylow BreweryLazy Beach BrewingLe Saint-Bock - Brasserie ArtisanaleLead Dog Brewing CompanyLeft Field BreweryLion's Tail Brewing CompanyListermann Brewing CompanyLittle Miss BrewingLogboat Brewing Co.Lone Pine BrewingLost Forty BrewingLost IndustryLTD Brewing CompanyLudington Bay Brewing CompanyLuminous BrewhouseMad Fox Brewing CompanyMalmö Brewing CoMBG Global BrandsMERIT Brewing CompanyMiller Brewing Company (MillerCoors)Mirror Twin Brewing CompanyMispillion River BrewingModern BreweryModern Times BeerMoksa Brewing CompanyMonument City Brewing CompanyMoon Dog Craft BreweryMotor City Brewing WorksMountains Walking BreweryNeches Brewing CompanyNerdbrewingNeshaminy Creek Brewing CompanyNew England BrewingNickel Brook Brewing Co.Nine brothersNine Giant BrewingNOLA - New Orleans Lager & AleNorth Brewing CoNorth River Hops and BrewingOdd Side AlesOdell Brewing CompanyOlde Peninsula Brewpub and RestaurantOlde Salem Brewing CompanyOlogy Brewing CompanyOne World BrewingOther Half BrewingOuter Light Brewing CompanyParkside Brewing (BC)Pawleys Island Brewing CompanyPikes Peak Brewing CompanyPivovar AntošPivovar RavenPizza Boy BrewingPoint Ybel Brewing CompanyPontoon Brewing CompanyProof Brewing CompanyQuaff On! (Big Woods) Brewing CompanyRed Dragon Brewery (VA)Resurgence Brewing CompanyRinn Duin BrewingRivertown BreweryRock City Brewing CompanyRokko Craft BreweryRoof Hound BrewingRouge River BrewingRoughtail Brewing CompanySacrilegious CiderworksSadler'sSainte CrucienneSalty Nut BrewerySan Francisco Brewing CompanySerpentine CiderShades of Pale Brewing CompanyShort's Brewing CompanySinistral Brewing CompanySketchbook Brewing CompanySkewed BrewingSmokehouse Brewing CompanySnake River Brewing Co.Sociable Cider WerksSomething BrewerySons Of Toil BrewingSpiriferStamm BeerSteamworks Brewing (Canada)Stone BrewingSunbeamSunriver Brewing CompanyTaiwan Head Brewers Brewing Co.Tatsuuma-Honke Brewing Co.Temescal BrewingThe Beer FarmThe Depot Craft Brewery & DistilleryThe Garden BreweryThe Virginia Beer CompanyThirsty Dog Brewing CompanyThornbridgeTo ØlTrenciansky Pivovar LániusTrillium Brewing CompanyTrophy Brewing CompanyTrue North Brew PubTurning Point BeerTwin Elephant Brewing CompanyUiltje Brewing Co.Upland Brewing CompanyUrban Artifact BrewingVanished Valley Brewing CompanyVenn Brewing CompanyWest Palm BreweryWhole Foods Market Brewing Company (Houston)Wiley Roots Brewing CompanyWoodland Empire Ale CraftWrecking Bar BrewpubWyndridge FarmXylem Cider WorksYork County CiderZagovor BreweryZeroday Brewing CompanyDoes pineapple as a beer and cider ingredient have legs as a trend? It's as distinctive and flavorful an ingredient as any fruit, so I predict it will stay around after the over-saturation of these entries slow down. What's next? Superfoods.