If you are in Bavaria, I am slightly obsessed with the Mönchshof Radlers. They are the best I’ve found, and yes, I’ve done a lot of “taste testing.” Dunkle Radler: You can now get a Dunkles Radler (half dark beer, half “lemonade”). Funny enough, as much as Dunkle beers remain my top choice of beer, I do not like a Dunkles Radler over a normal one! Amateur word sleuths will note the telltale signs of bullshit here. There is an unusual amount of detail for a word origin: the innkeeper’s full name, the exact month and location of the “invention,” and even the original formula of beer to soda. Add into that the laughable idea that thousands of German cyclists would happily acquiesce to their beer being unexpectedly cut with lemonade or that a German who went to the expense of building a bike trail specifically to bring cyclists to his beer garden would actually run out of beer on a summer day...It’s no wonder that many suspect that Kugler himself spread the story as a sales pitch. Nope.“Lemonade” in Germany is actually going to be something like a Sprite or 7-Up. So, if you are looking for a Radler recipe, and it calls for “Lemonade” it’s not going to taste like a fresh, authentic Radler that you would get in Deutschland.

The problem with this is the in the US, as much as the craft brew scene is taking over, I still found it quite difficult to find a true Helles. Salvator has a mild, sweet aroma of chocolate and imparts a distinctively bold, robust flavor that goes well with hearty meals. Only brewed with water, malted barley, yeast, and hops, Salvator contains 7.9% ABV per 11.2oz bottle. I don’t sell beers that are brewed using cheap ingredients to fit a low price strategy. For the breweries I work with it’s not about making cheap beer to sell to the masses. It’s about quality. I’d heard of radlers, but always as something they did in Germany. It was also something that didn’t appeal to me.If you can actually believe it, I wasn’t a beer drinker before moving to Germany. But what is an even odder twist of events is that the beer that I fell for first in Bavaria was a Dunkel (dark) beer….not even some “easier to drink” light beer. Nope, I headed straight for the liquid bread! A Pils beer is probably going to be way easier to find in the US than a Helles, surprisingly. I’m going to be a snob and say that I don’t think this makes the best radler, but since technically, this is what is more typically used in the North, it still stands that this would be a “German Style Radler!” And hey, beggars can’t be choosers, am I right!? Other Variations In fact, a memoir by Lena Christ, a writer who worked in a Munich restaurant in 1900 and 1901, notes not only was beer served, but also all kinds of lemonades, carbonated water, schorlemorle (wine mixed with sparkling water or apple juice) and radlermasse. The memoir, Erinnerungen einer Überflüssigen ( Remembrances of an Unwanted One), was published in 1912, which clearly predates Kugler’s 1922 claim. She gives no explanation of r adlermasse (the plural of radlermass), which certainly indicates that she was sure her readers would know this drink. Delivery is to the following postcodes only – G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G11, G12, G13, G14, G20, G21, G22, G23, G31, G32, G33, G34, G40, G41, G42, G43, G44, G45, G46, G51, G61, G62, G72, G73, G74, G75, G76, G77. Other G postcodes are covered by Mainland UK delivery. Grapefruit: These are not very common, and you definitely won’t find them at restaurants in Germany, but I have seen Grapefruit Radlers at Aldi before. I can’t say I hated it, but again, there is just something so refreshing about the Zitrone Radler that can’t be beaten! What Is the Difference Between a Shandy and a Radler?

The story goes that a large group of cyclists came to a traditional Bavarian Guesthouse in the small village of Deisenhofen, which is just outside of Munich. The problem was that Herr Kugler was (somehow) running short on beer that day (how does that even happen in Bavaria??), but God forbid he lose any business! So, he whipped up a special “Radlermaß” (A giant Maß/ Stein of Beer “Just for the cyclists”). He told them that it was perfect for bike riding, since it was much lower in alcohol content, so they would be safe to bike home!The grapefruit aroma was apparent, but so was the beer—I could smell clean malt, not just fruit. The first sip sold me. It was cold, of course, but there was a tart and refreshing grapefruit burst, along with a clean, smooth lager beer experience. I drank Stiegl the rest of the night, and the 2.0 percent ABV was a pleasant bonus. I felt great the next morning! One of the flagship products of Paulaner is their Weissbier, also known as wheat beer. This type of beer is made with a large proportion of wheat malt, which gives it a unique taste and a cloudy appearance. Paulaner Weissbier is known for its light, refreshing taste, which makes it a perfect choice for summer drinking. It’s also a great beer to pair with lighter foods, such as salads or fish dishes. So, yup. Basically, a German Radler is just simply Beer and Sprite! Simple enough, right? Well…maybe….. What Beer To Use For a Radler?

The name’s an important thing, though, because the association with cyclists, sports and an active life is appropriate. The 50/50 split with beer and lemonade leads to a drink that’s ideal for integration into that life style. Radlers range from 1.8 to 2.5 percent alcohol by volume, less than the usual light beer, and the “lemonade” is usually a carbonated soft drink based on natural fruit juices with a minimal amount of added sugar. Kölsch – Similar to Champagne, Kölsch is a regionally protected beer variety, produced in and around the city of Cologne. Made using a combination of warm top fermentation and cold lagering techniques, a Kölsch is typically pale and light-bodied, with a very subtle hint of fermented fruitiness. Dortmunder – The German export style, Dortmunders are similar to Pilsners but possess a darker, golden colouring, a slightly softer, maltier taste and generally have a higher ABV – almost always north of 5%. Another popular Radler is the Grapefruit Radler from the Austrian Brewery, Stiegl. The Radler Definition: The history of the German Beer with Lemonade Did the interest in radlers come from the interest in hard seltzers? I don’t know, but I can tell you that I don’t really find seltzers appealing—hard or not—largely because of the mere teasing wisp of flavoring. I’m much more interested in a low-sugar fruit juice-based drink, like the Italian San Pellegrino soft drinks or the Bravazzi line of hard sodas, and radlers slot right into that.

Prices are dictated by ingredients. If a supermarket asks a brewery to brew a beer to a cheap price point it inevitably means inferior ingredients and cheaper production processes. The beers I sell are more expensive because they cost more to make. The best and freshest ingredients that the breweries can find. Kellerbier – Is a type of unfiltered and unpasteurised German lager. They’re subsequently cloudy in colour and possess a sweet, malty, almost bread-like flavour, due to the brewing yeast that remains in the beer.