TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has rolled out three new beers made with pomelo, a citrus fruit now in season that locals love to eat while barbecuing during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Brewed by the Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station, an affiliate of the Cabinet's Council of Agriculture, various parts of the pomelo have been incorporated into the brews to give them their own distinctive aromas. The fruit's thick skin, sweet flesh, and fragrant flowers are all used — nothing is wasted.

Multiple experiments have been conducted to ensure rich flavors and a frothy beer head, according to the station.

Hualien and Yilan are home to 1,243 hectares of pomelo trees, making up 30 percent of the nation's annual total harvest of the fruit. The agriculture authorities have made an effort to diversify the use of pomelos to boost their economic value.

In addition to fruit-flavored beers, the station has over the years developed more than 20 pomelo-based products for consumption and cleaning purposes. These include pomelo teas, sodas, jams, candies, bread, biscuits, popsicles, salt, sauces, essence oils, soaps, and detergents.

To encourage consumption of the fruit, the station has recommended a traditional recipe that involves stuffing fish with pomelo pith before steaming them to infuse the meat with a pleasant aroma.