by Brian Beauchemin

Strawberries, watermelon, guava, and apricot are just some of the fruits that our Charlotte breweries embraced for June. Encompassed in blonde ales, Kölschs and sours, all sorts of summer fruit flavors make their way into local taprooms this month. Per the norm, there is no shortage of IPAs, albeit many of them also dance with fruit. If you’re the craft fan who loves fruited beers the list below will make you happy. Unless otherwise stated, all products are already available in taprooms and/or in the local market. 

Birdsong Brewing

Available exclusively in the brewery’s taproom, Better In Color is a limited-edition refreshing blonde ale infused with citrus. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Time Out Youth, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ youth.

Spirit Of Radio, an apricot Kölsch-style ale, releases June 13. With a fresh apricot aroma and a bright, crisp finish, the 5,5% ABV Kölsch-style beer was brewed in the traditional German fashion, with sizable additions of Sterling and Huell Melon hops. 

A 6.4% ABV hazy IPA, Fake Plastic Trees is a refreshing and distinctive brew. Lemon citrus notes and a piney hop bitterness compliment a wheat-based malt bill that makes this hazy incredibly drinkable no matter the occasion. Releases June 27.

Cabarrus Brewing 

It’s Not the Heat… is a 6.9% ABV cold IPA brewed with 40% rice and dry hopped with Simcoe and Citra providing citrus and piney notes. It’s the Humidity is a hazy IPA utilizing HBC-586 hops. 

NoDa Brewing  

I Can Survive 55 is an experimental IPA brewed in celebration of Anthony Proctor’s birthday. Proctor manages the brewery’s lab and the beer utilizes a unique yeast from Omega Yeast and a new hop named Elani. The 6.3% ABV brew also bursts with Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, and Magnum hops. On draft at the brewery’s North End taproom.

Releasing June 14, Tony Hop’s Pro Sipper is a 6.5% ABV West Coast IPA. Tangerine in tandem with Simcoe, Citra Incognito, Centennial, and Chinook hops provide big citrus flavors. Available on draft only at the North End taproom

Dreamsicle is a 7% ABV crisp West Coast-style IPA that marries the intensity of Amarillo, Centennial, and Citra hops with the subtle sweetness of vanilla beans and orange peel. The 7% ABV beer releases June 28.

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Brewed in homage to Munich’s Isar River, where folks from across the globe gather for a front-row seat to watch surfers tackle its manmade waves, Surf Bock is a 7.3% ABV tropical-style bock. Enjoy the clash of sweet malt and tropical bursts of pineapple, citrus, peaches, coconut, and mango, complemented by a cool creamsicle twist (while still adhering to the Reinheitsgebot). Available in both taprooms, the beer showcases a silky, creamy body and refreshing yet bitter finish. 

Sycamore Brewing  

This month’s Sycamore Cares charity beer, Tiki Time Guava Gose, is on tap in the brewery’s taproom until supply runs out with all proceeds benefiting the Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital. The beer offers a delightful tartness complemented by malty wheat flavors. It’s enhanced with guava, coconut, and lime. The guava adds a slightly peppery taste with hints of strawberry and pear, while the coconut introduces a touch of nuttiness and sweetness. Finally, the lime brightens the finish, creating a refreshing and balanced brew.

Town Brewing

The brewery will host a watermelon festival on June 29 to promote One in a Melon. The 4.9% ABV Kolsch-style beer was brewed with watermelon, providing bright, refreshing, light flavors with a hint of sweetness and a crisp finish. 

Triple C Brewing

School’s Out is a 5.2% ABV German Helles, i.e., beer-flavored beer. Crisp, pale, maltly, cold… Say no more!

A 6% ABV fruited sour, Orange Creamsicle Sherbet is next in the brewery’s sherbet series. Brewed with several types of oranges for a sweeter and more vibrant citrus flavor, along with vanilla and lactose providing that creamy and silky sherbet mouthfeel. Releases June 14.

Toes In The Sand is a 5.2% ABV fruited American wheat beer. The June 21 release will be draft only and was brewed with sweet strawberry and tropical guava then dry-hopped for a summer thirst quencher.  

Flat Brim returns June 28. The 5.2% ABV hazy IPA is a super juicy and tropical IPA with low bitterness and alcohol, helping provide a delicate mouthfeel. Aromas of fresh mango, perfectly ripe pineapple, and citrus zest pop courtesy of additions from Citra, Mosaic, Motueka, and Azacca hops. 

Wooden Robot Brewery

The use of Amarillo and Eclipse hops in What They’re Having present bold, beautiful, tropical characteristics, while the addition of orange peel gives the brew a little extra pizazz that leaves you asking for more. Proceeds from the 6.1% ABV crisp and fruity brew benefit the Charlotte Pride non-profit organization.

Brewed with 1,200 pounds of delicious strawberries from Bush-N-Vine Farms in York, South Carolina, Strawberry Swirl It! is inspired by the strawberry vanilla swirl ice cream served at the farm. Brewed with local malt and aged with the brewery’s house sour culture, this 6% ABV fruity/sour beer is truly a taste of the Carolinas.