Craft Beer Awards 2015 Winner: Spiced, Herb, Fruit & Vegetable

A strange category, but these brews deliver accessible joy.

A strange category, but these brews deliver accessible joy.

The addition of spices is often understood as a modern trend, but herbs and spices were in use before hops were introduced in the late Middle Ages. Early settlers commonly used root vegetables as a source of starch when grains were running low. As for fruit beer, it’s been popular in Belgium for years. Enjoy a flight of tasters with a cheese plate after a meal.600x600_veggieGOLD:Stiegl Radler(Austria)Conceived to refresh cyclists, this lager/grapefruit blend is low in alcohol (2.5 percent), big in taste. Best of Show runner-up! SILVER:Brasserie Dubuisson Pêche Mel Scaldis(Belgium)Start with strong Belgian ale, add peach extracts for a hoppy, bready fruit cocktail that’s 8.5 percent. BRONZE:Mill St. Brewery Vanilla Porter(Toronto)Christmas in a glass, this deeply infused vanilla porter is even better served nitro-charged and creamy.