(The Radler: a cyclist beer fav)

As temperatures soar and the sun beats down, beer fans might find themselves embroiled again in a seasonal dilemma: how to enjoy a cold brew without feeling weighed down like a sumo wrestler in a sauna?

Enter the Radler, (they call it a Shandy in the states), a questionable hybrid said to be “the bastard love child of beer and a lemonade stand” which was invented by German bar owner who found himseld running out of beer, and in the process of solving his situation, created an entirely new beer style.

A Slightly Revisionist History of the Radler

It all began “somewhat” like this…

In a quaint German village, back in the, 1920s, a plague of angry cyclists who had just wrapped up a race, descended upon innkeeper Franz Kugler place in a small town just outside Munich, demanding immediate relief from their pedal-induced thirst.

Lacking both Gatorade and a degree in mixology, the resourceful innkeeper, improvised by diluting beer with lemon soda. And, like it or not, the Radler was born – a drink called the “ultimate summer beer” by some, and “an abomination” by others.

But here’s the kicker: Radlers aren’t just for pissed-off Teutonic cyclists anymore.

They’ve infiltrated beer gardens from Munich to Milwaukee, charming less-discerning beer lovers with promises of a lighter buzz and a tangy twist, and visions of a lemonade stand colliding with a brewery.

Beer purists are outraged by the concept. “Why dilute the nectar of hops and barley?” they cry into their bratwursts.

While, Radler lovers think they know better. “It’s a beverage that has stood the test of time,” they argue, “a brew that blends the recklessness of youth with that of a fresh lager.”

But spam has also stood the “test of time, and there aren’t many who would argue that that processed meat derivative was ever a good idea.

(Courtesy Hormel)

So how does is Radler held in today’s more sophisticated beer community? On a polarization scale it’s an 11. People either love them or don’t want to be seen with anyone who has a Radler in their hand.

Maybe the Radler is called a Shandy is the US as a way for people who enjoy lemonade in their beer to cover their ass. Kind of like a witness-protection thing.

Bottom line, it doesn’t appear that the Radler is going away any time soon, so everybody just needs to relax.

What some see as a “lemon-kissed testament to human ingenuity” and others as an act of “beer terrorism” appears to be here for the long-run, whether you’re cycling through the Alps or just chilling in your backyard.

So, Prost! everyone, we guess…