10 replies to this topic

[ANUSTART]

I've been thinking about having some form of a Radler on tap. I had my first Radler at the Stiegl brewery in Austria. It was damned good. I havent had a good one since. I suspect that's cause they're all in bottles. My understanding is that it's a mix of lemon/lime soda and german lager, maybe pilsner.I thought about some ways to accomplish this, and there are pros and cons of each way.I could have one keg with a mix of a sweet lemon/lime drink and pilsner. This would take up the least amount of space and be the most convenient for dispensing, but I'd be committed to the soda/beer ratio.Another option is to have one keg with the soda and another keg with the pilsner. This would use up 2 of my 3 CO2 taps (4th is beer gas with a stout faucet). Obviously, a downside would be using up limited real estate on non-alcohol. The benefit would be the flexibility on the mix ratio and the option to drink just the pilsner. I'm leaning towards this method.A third option would be to keep a bottle of sprite in the fridge. I've had radlers with sprite and they're just not good. I think the soda part has to have the right flavor, and sprite isnt it.So what about the soda? Anyone got any ideas? I was thinking of experimenting with small batches. Just dumping in lemon juice, lime juice, and sugar or honey, carbing it up with a carb cap, and seeing how it tastes.

[chuck_d]

I've had Radlers in various places in Germany. In München, say at the Hofbräuhaus, it's definitely not Pilsner.. it's Helles. Also, it's made with Lemonade, not soda. They also have the Ruß'n which is Weissbier with lemonade. A Dark Radler is Dunkel with lemonade.Here's the English language menu... https://www.hofbraeu...tandard_en.pdfI didn't have a Radler when I was Stiegl, so I looked it up on their site and they use Goldbräu and soda. Not their Pils, but not exactly a Helles either. Beer Advocate calls it a Märzen/Oktoberfest, I could maybe buy that. So I think you'll want to avoid an overly bitter beer like Pils and stick to the more mildly hopped lagers.If you add sugar to your unfiltered/unpasteurized beer it will get fermented and you won't have that sweetness you desired. But you can try some mixing in glass with say sugarless lemonade powders like Country Time. Just dissolve a little bit into one ounce of water, then pour your beer on top and taste. Then when you have a balance you like, you can try a prototype keg.https://www.stiegl.at/en/stieglat/enjoy-stiegl/stiegl-products/stiegl-radler-158/https://www.stiegl.at/en/stieglat/enjoy-stiegl/stiegl-products/stiegl-goldbraeu-74/

[ChefLamont]

I dont know a lot on the topic, but I would think it would be best mixed at the time of consumption. Do the commercial examples premix?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I dont know a lot on the topic, but I would think it would be best mixed at the time of consumption. Do the commercial examples premix?

I concur.

[chuck_d]

I dont know a lot on the topic, but I would think it would be best mixed at the time of consumption. Do the commercial examples premix?

That Stiegl Radler is bottled, so yes. At a bräuhaus like in München I think that they mix at the time of consumption. If you can find a nice mixing ratio that you enjoy, I don't see a problem with premixing. But I think that mixing in glass is the place to begin. In fact, if you plan on trying the sugar-free lemonade powders, then I would go ahead and buy 1 of each brand and do some side-by-side in-glass mixing.Edit: Also, Stiegl puts out Lemon, Rasp and Grapefruit Radlers.

[ANUSTART]

I dont know a lot on the topic, but I would think it would be best mixed at the time of consumption. Do the commercial examples premix?

All the bottled ones (obviously) are premixed. I think in the taproom at Steigl Brauwelt it was premixed, but i'm not 100% sure. I'm pretty sure my wife got one at another beer garden and it was not premixed, they did it right there from two taps. There was one place in munich, maybe the englisher gardens where they mixed sprite from a soda gun. It wasn't good.

That Stiegl Radler is bottled, so yes. At a bräuhaus like in München I think that they mix at the time of consumption. If you can find a nice mixing ratio that you enjoy, I don't see a problem with premixing. But I think that mixing in glass is the place to begin. In fact, if you plan on trying the sugar-free lemonade powders, then I would go ahead and buy 1 of each brand and do some side-by-side in-glass mixing.Edit: Also, Stiegl puts out Lemon, Rasp and Grapefruit Radlers.

At Brauwelt they also had an elderberry (90% sure) and I think a strawberry one. We sampled them all, I think lemon was the best.

[ANUSTART]

Sounds like a girly drink.

Nah. It's not mead.

[Malzig]

I've had Radlers in various places in Germany. In München, say at the Hofbräuhaus, it's definitely not Pilsner.. it's Helles. Also, it's made with Lemonade, not soda.

I'm not sure how they're made at the HB, but I'm familiar with Radlers from 30 years ago when I was a teenager in Hessen, so it might not be how they're made now or in Bavaria. Anyway, in my day, they were made with "Limonade", not "lemonade". It's a little confusing because it means "soft drink", not necessarily lemonade. In those days you could get a Radler, usually made from the mildest beer they had tapped, either Helles or Export not Pilsner, mixed with either Coke or Fanta. Fanta was different than what was sold in the States; a citrus flavored soda, more lemon than orange but something like Sprite with a splash of orange soda, maybe less sweet. You can still buy it in Germany, I think, but I'm pretty sure I saw orange flavored Fanta, too, the last time I was there. At my local pub, if you ordered a Radler, the bartender would ask if you wanted Coke or "Limonade". If you said "Limonade", you'd get Fanta.They were pretty popular with young teenagers, sort of as a training beer, but you would generally get ribbed if you were over 15 and ordered one.

[chuck_d]

Psssh, Hessen... gotta go with the state of origin, Bavarians know where it's at... I'm kidding. Yeah, it gets mixed with sodas or lemonades, I just tend to like the lemonade (like, regular not lemon soda) better, but it's all about taste which is a personal thing. I think the blends you find will vary region to region, brewery to brewery.Edit: And rib me all you want for ordering one, it will still taste good to me

[Malzig]

Edit: And rib me all you want for ordering one, it will still taste good to me

Yeah, I could care less if someone ordered one now, but it seemed to be important that I didn't order one when I was a kid, especially if there were girls around. I think it was only socially acceptable if you were wearing compression shorts and shoes that made you walk like a duck.Besides, back then 0.5 L of beer cost about $0.50 and 0.2 L of soda cost about $1.50 (I think water was maybe $1), which made the choice even easier for a high school student. I'm not sure I ever saw lemonade, if we wanted juice we drank Apfelwein (I think that was $0.50/L).

[chuck_d]

There's all kinds of weird beverages in Germany. Beer consumption is actually on a slight decline while these crazy soda/alcohol blends are on the rise. I couldn't really get down with carbonated apple juice or mezzo mix, but I like their coke products better, but Coca Light and their Coke mit Zucker.