Summer has arrived in our fair province, and the warm weather brings many changes, the most welcome of which is sitting on a patio with a cool pint on a sunny afternoon.
Your intrepid liquor reporter seeks out sun-drenched patios at every opportunity, enjoying the best that outdoor boozing has to offer.
Unlike the dark Stouts and Porters that are a staple of my winter imbibing habits, patio drinking is all about the lighter and less malty brews, which makes Radler the perfect patio beer.
For those not familiar, Radler is the German term for a beer mixed 50/50 with soda or fruit juices, most commonly lemonade or grapefruit.
The term was first coined by a Bavarian innkeeper in 1922, who had craftily sponsored the construction of a bicycling trail through the forest to his pub, located 12 miles outside of Munich.
Business boomed almost immediately, with thousands of cyclists descending on his pub each weekend, parched after their long ride, and very nearly drank the pub dry.
Fearing the loss of revenue from running entirely out of beer, the clever innkeeper realized he had thousands of bottles of clear lemon soda in his storerooms, which were virtually unsellable to the beer-loving Bavarians.
Thinking quickly, he mixed the lemonade with beer in a 50/50 ratio, and proudly announced it as a special cyclist-friendly beer that would let them drink to their heart’s content, but not fall off their bicycles on the way home.
The beer was naturally named Radler, after the German word for cyclist, and a new style of beer was born. Popularity grew rapidly, and every German drinking establishment soon had their own version of a Radler, usually made up onsite by the bartenders as they were pouring pitchers.
Those who have vacationed in England may recognize the similarity to the Shandy, a similar beer & lemonade tipple that is popular in the UK.
Today, the Radler market is dominated by an Austrian megabrewery called Stiegl, and the tallboy cans of Stiegl Radler have been a common sight on the patios of Alberta for the last several years.
Made from half Stiegl Goldbräu and half grapefruit juice, it weighs in at a mere 2.5% ABV, and the tart citrus finish makes it particularly thirst-quenching on a hot day, especially if you happened to ride your bicycle to the pub.
As you might expect, once a new beer craze hits the market, imitators quickly jump on the bandwagon, offering their own spin on the Radler style.
The first Canadian megabrewer to produce their own Radler was Rickards (owned by Molson), in the form of their Rickards Radler, which is remarkably similar to Stiegl Radler, down to the same tallboy can and blend of grapefruit juice.
Attentive readers may recall that Rickards brought out a Shandy back in 2013, which didn’t get any market traction, so it was quietly replaced with Rickards Radler in 2015.
As an unrepentant beer snob, your humble narrator eschews most of the output of the megabreweries, and my Radler habits will be no exception.
Fortunately, there are several small Canadian breweries producing Radlers, and your intrepid liquor reporter went on a bicycle-propelled mission from patio to patio in order to find them all.
Looking to the east coast, Moosehead Breweries from Saint John produces the unimaginatively named Moosehead Radler, made from 85% Moosehead Light Lager and 15% grapefruit juice, with just a dash of grape and lemon juice thrown in.
Moosehead Radler is slightly more beer-forward than Rickards, so if you prefer your beer to taste like beer, the Moose is a must.
Looking west to Kelowna, Tree Brewing produces a Grapefruit Radler that was the least syrupy of all the Radlers I sampled, likely due to their use of fresh and natural ingredients.
Tree Brewing has long been a favourite of your humble narrator, so it should come as no surprise that their Radler is as well-made as their other beers.
Weighing in at 2.5% ABV and packaged in the 500mL tallboy can, the Tree Brewing Grapefruit Radler has become my preferred patio beer.
You can find all of these tart and refreshing beers on a patio near you, or at your well-stocked friendly neighbourhood booze merchant.
Celebrate the arrival of summer by hopping on your bicycle and making a beeline for a Radler beer on the patio!
