This Fruit Machine is already the third non-alcoholic beer we taste from Vandestreek. Previously, we tasted the Vandestreek Playground Non Alcoholic IPA and the Vandestreek ‘Bock Jij of Bock Ik ‘. The two beers that we have already tasted from this brewery certainly appealed to us, so we had high expectations for this third alcohol-free beer from the brewery in Utrecht.
Different technique, less sugar
For this Fruit Machine they use a different brewing technique at Vandestreek than for the Vandestreek Playground IPA. This new method of brewing must ensure that fewer residual sugars remain in the beer. Vandestreek Fruit Machine is brewed with raspberry and blueberry, with the intention of brewing a fresh, fruity and slightly sour beer. By limiting the sugars in the beer, the beer must also have an additional thirst-quenching effect.
When tasting fruit beers you never really know what to expect. Some of these beers are very sour, while others are artificially sweetened to make them accessible to people who are not really fans of bitter or sour flavours. Since they make it very clear at Vandestreek that this beer is low in sugar, we were hoping for a sour beer. If we want to drink something sweet, we will take a soft drink.
Colour- and tasteful
When you pour the Vandestreek Fruit Machine into the glass, the colour immediately stands out. It is deep pink and very cloudy, but we do not have the impression that this color was obtained by adding artificial colors. The beer certainly foams sufficiently during pouring and the foam is also retained long enough. The colour of the foam is light pink.
When you smell the beer, you are overwhelmed by the scent of forest fruits, which you could expect. The beer certainly does not smell sweet, there is not a bit of caramel in the nose of the Fruit Machine. That is already a relief for us. Furthermore, the smell of the beer seems to be very natural.
The taste is of course the most important thing, because you don’t open a beer to look at it and smell it, do you? And we are an absolute fan of the taste of this beer. The acidity of the fruit is very prominent. Just as we like it. That sour taste seems to come from the raspberry and less from the blueberry. This beer is not at all sweet, just like it should be with an sour fruit beer. In the aftertaste it is clear that the sour taste comes from the fruit, because there some fruity taste remains quite some time.
Conclusion
This Fruit Machine actually tastes just like a sour fruit beer should taste: like red (and blue) fruit that is not dipped in a bowl of powdered sugar, but where the sour taste dominates. If you are a fan of these flavours you should definitely try this Fruit Machine when you get the chance. Given the freshness of this beer, it will probably be best suited to drink on a hot day, but you can absolutely enjoy it on a winter evening in a cozy, warm living room. There is a chance that here and there someone will be disappointed in this beer because they expected an extremely sweet beer when they saw the name ‘Fruit Mchine’. But hey, they should have read this review first.
