The Radler: A cyclist’s favorite beer
As the temperatures rise and the sun shines, beer fans and occasional drinkers are once again caught up in the seasonal dilemma of how to enjoy a cold brew without feeling as heavy as a sumo wrestler in a sauna.
Enter the Radler (known as a shandy in the U.S.), a questionable hybrid described as “the mismatched child of a beer and a lemonade stand” when a German bar owner was experiencing a beer shortage and, in the process, created an entirely new style of beer.
A slightly revised history of the Radler
It all started kind of like this…
In the 1920s, angry cyclists who had just finished a race in a quaint German village stormed into Franz Kugler, an innkeeper in a small town outside Munich, demanding that they be given the chance to immediately quench their thirst on their bikes.
With no Gatorade and no mixology degree, the resourceful innkeeper improvised by diluting his beer with lemon soda, and, like it or not, the Radler was born, a drink that some have called “the ultimate summer beer” and others “abomination.”
But here’s the thing: the Radler isn’t just for angry German cyclists anymore.
They’ve invaded beer gardens from Munich to Milwaukee, luring even the most casual beer drinkers with promises of light intoxication, tangy twists and visions of lemonade stand colliding with brewery.
Beer purists are outraged by the idea: “Why dilute the hops and barley honey?” they shout over their sausages.
Radler enthusiasts, on the other hand, think they know better: “It’s a drink that has stood the test of time,” they claim. “It’s a beer that combines the recklessness of youth with the recklessness of a fresh lager.”
But Spam has stood the test of time, and few would argue that processed meat-based foods were a good idea.
(Courtesy of Hormel)
So how does the Radler fare in today’s sophisticated beer world? On the polarization scale, it’s an 11. People either love Radlers or they don’t want to be seen with anyone holding one.
Maybe in America, people who put lemonade in their beer call Radlers shandies to cover their own messes. It’s like a witness protection program.
After all, it looks like Radlers aren’t going away anytime soon, so everyone should relax.
Some see this as a testament to lemon-flavored human ingenuity, while others see it as an act of “beer terrorism,” but whether you’re cycling through the Alps or just lounging in your backyard, the phenomenon looks set to be here to stay for the long haul.
So, Prost! Best regards to you all…
