Take a radler for a ride

Opinion

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This article was published 19/06/2015 (3742 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Radlers are slowly gaining popularity in Canada, with several breweries across the nation mixing various juices (lemon, grapefruit or blood orange) with a wheat ale or pilsner. Doing this lowers the beer’s alcohol content to 1.5 to 3.5 per cent ABV.

It has been said that the creation of the radler dates back some 90 years when leisurely cycling became an increasingly popular pastime in Germany.

More than 13,000 cyclists descended down to a small town brewery and, of course, they were thirsty. The brewmaster decided that there would be just enough beer for all the cyclists if he combined a 50/50 ratio of beer to sparkling lemon soda. This became an instant success — in fact, the word “radler” translated to English is “cyclist.”

Here are three of the many radlers that you can buy at Liquor Marts today:

Löwenbräu Radler with Lemonade

Labatt now brews the Löwenbräu lager line of beers for the Canadian market, so this includes Radler with Lemonade. Topping out at 2.5 per cent ABV, the beer pours a lightly watered down golden straw yellow, so it’s a tad lighter than Bud Light. However, it’s incredibly fizzy and carbonated thanks to the sparkling lemonade they use for the beer.

Its head starts off as a big fluffy white cloud but quickly diminishes to nothing. The aroma is a combination of sparkling lemonade and grapefruit juice, slightly grassy and a good amount of sugar.

The taste starts off with sparkling lemonade, fizzy in my mouth. Then there’s a bitterness of grapefruit popping on by. Lastly, a combination of grass and lots of lemon to leave it on a sour note.

I’ve had several product experts at the 10th and Victoria Liquor Mart suggest this beer is delicious. It actually is pretty tasty for being a Labatt product. It’s not overly sweet or syrupy, though it does leave a bit of a filmy aftertaste on my tongue.

You can find this at the 10th and Victoria and Corral Centre Liquor Marts in Brandon as well as Killarney, Russell and Virden for $2.66 per 473mL can.

• Rating: 3.5 pints our of 5

Schöfferhofer Grapefruit

An unfiltered wheat ale straight out of Germany! This was the first radler I ever tried — back in 2006 — and I didn’t particularly care for it because I don’t like grapefruits.

Schöfferhofer Grapefruit pours a very murky orange with little carbonation. The two-fingers-thick, white-as-snow head is diminishing slowly as I write this stuff out.

The aroma is a pungent grapefruit — sour, a tad sweet and it makes me cringe a bit. There are notes of pepper spice, lemon, and it’s slightly musky. After smelling the beer, I’m surprised the grapefruit isn’t as overpowering as it could have been.

The taste is actually pretty smooth — reminiscent of a beer mimosa. There are notes of the German hefeweizen, which gives off a bit of a bready yeastiness, a bit of banana and clove, followed by grapefruit juice and a squirt of lemon. It’s very easy to drink and it’s a classic for a reason.

You can find this beer, packing a gentle 2.5 per cent ABV, at Liquor Marts in Brandon, Roblin and Russell for $2.99 per 500mL can.

• Rating: 3.5 pints out of 5

Waterloo Lemonade Radler

Ontario’s Waterloo Brewing has produced some of the most popular craft radlers over the past few years, and now they’ve introduced a lemonade-inspired radler to the lineup as part of the Coast to Coaster event at select Liquor Marts.

The Lemonade Radler pours a light golden straw beer with a bit of cloudiness. There’s very little carbonation — the foam is slowly going down while the beer is fizzing ever gently.

The aroma has notes of sugar and a bit of a grassy profile, but for the most part, there’s an overabundance of lemon.

The taste is sour and tart, courtesy of the lemon and lemonade. I would have assumed it would be a bit sweeter, but it tastes more like biting into a lemon. It’s not anywhere near as carbonated as the Löwenbräu as it’s more of an upfront lemon sour bite instead.

I find that Waterloo’s Lemonade Radler is slowly upsetting my stomach — the lemon punch may be a bit too much for me — but that being said, it’s an awesome patio beer.

This is the strongest of the bunch at 3.1 per cent ABV. You can only find it at the Brandon Liquor Marts for $3.25 per 473mL can.

• Rating: 3.5 pints out of 5

Cody Lobreau is a Canadian beer blogger who reviews every beer he can get his hands on as he believes that he should try every beer twice to get an understanding if it’s truly good or bad.

» BeerCrank.ca