Keeping in line with talking holiday fruit, next in line we have plum. Plum is an underapreciated and underused fruit in brewing today, in my humble opinion. I think that plum has always had a a fixed place in mixed fermentation brews, where the low acidity plays perfect harmony with funky and/or heavily acidic beers.

One place that I’ve always had great luck in using plum is in heavily fruited sours. While it takes imagination to use as the star of the show here, it can be done and done very well, at that. Whether taking inspiration from sugar plums or traditional plum cakes, there are plenty of avenues to make unique and delicious beer. Playing off the low acidity, it makes it very fun to make dessert beers that are festive and perfect for the season. Additionally, this low acidity plays really well with tropical fruits, adding softness and depth that can’t be found with traditional tropical fruits. I’ve used it with Pineapple and Papaya with great success and have been dreaming up more ways to bring it into the mix.

Give plum a try! Bring it in for a sour, a blonde or even a stout! It’s sure to surprise most everyone, including yourself!