August 3, 2010

When life gives you lemons and some Hefeweizen

Apocryphally invented at need by a Bavarian innkeeper suddenly beset by a horde of thirsty cyclists while beer levels im Keller were at low tide, this mixture is variously known as Radler, Russ'n, or Alsterwasser ... or "shandy" if you're Anglo.


It's pretty complicated:

  • 1 part pale German beer (e.g., Helles, Pils, Hefeweizen ...)
  • 1 part lemonade or lemon-lime soda
  • Ice if you like

As seen here.
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    2 comments:

    1. TomAugust 4, 2010 at 12:48 PM

      I am just reading a section of "German Wheat Beer" by Eric Warner, and he goes off on this topic. It's kind of funny, I'll reprint a bit of it:

      "...if you shuffle up to the bar in Bavaria and ask for a lemon slice in you Hefe Weissbier, the place will become deathly silent. You will definitely get some mean looks from the other pub goers and the bartender will curse at you under his breath or even directly at you. Really this is quite understandable... Unfortunately, not too long ago in Germany a few heretics banded together and decided to dilute the taste of the world's finest beers by mixing them with soda pop. Yes, that's correct, soda pop. Apparently the trend was started when a group of bicyclists couldn't stand the heat on a summer's day and stopped at a Biergarten for refreshment. Some wiseacre got the idea to mix lager beer and Limonade, the German version of lemon-lime flavor soda pop, in a ratio of 1 to 1. The so-called "Radlermas," or "bicyclists tankard," as born.

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    2. NoChillAugust 11, 2010 at 1:43 PM

      Might just be doing something like this for family members in December. The family isn't full of beer drinkers so this'll be a good way to get them to actually enjoy some homebrew :)

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