This season, they overlap nicely with the trend of session beers—lower alcohol beers, typically less than 4.5% ABV—coming out on the market. Session IPAs, like Stone’s new Go To IPA (4.5% ABV) and Founders’ All Day IPA (4.7% ABV) pack a nice hop punch, but there are also tart goses, Berliner Weisses, and fruity, refreshing radlers to enjoy.
I, for one, welcome our new sessionable overlords and declare this the summer of the shandy/radler, a fruity beer blend typically made up of equal parts pale lager and sparkling lemonade or ginger beer. No need to sip it from a snifter or take detailed notes on aroma and body; just enjoy it straight from the can or even over ice. It’s a summer thirst-quencher that tastes great after a bike ride (radler literally means cyclist in German) or a run and pairs well with lighter meals.
The 2.5% ABV Grapefruit Radler from Austria’s Stiegl Brewery is a good place to start. A blend of Stiegl Goldbrau lager and grapefruit soda, it drinks like sparkling grapefruit juice (alcoholic Fresca, essentially) and is hard not to reach for at any time of day. Find it in six-packs of 11.2-ounce bottles, on draft, or in four-packs of 16.9-ounce cans—perfect for the beach or the stoop. Stiegl also makes a lemon radler style, but the grapefruit version has a nice extra kick.