Radlers are one of those drinks most people will only have come across when travelling through Germany (or the UK in the shape of shandies). Typically a mix of beer and lemonade, they're rarely seen in Australian craft beer circles, even though Burnley Brewing (whose head brewer trained in Germany) have one as part of their expansive oeuvre. Molly Rose founder Nic Sandery reckons there's a market for them, however, and with the non- and low-alc beer sector experiencing huge growth he may be onto something.
His first two releases are a long way from those I'd have made for myself back in the UK, courtesy of a partnership with Collingwood's Strangelove. The radlers are a blend of lager with two of the soft drink specialist's lo-cal sodas. Very Mandarin Lager tells you all you need to know in its name: it pours a vibrant, soft drink-esque gaudy orange and layers cordial like mandarin juice flavours aplenty atop the pale lager base in what's a pretty straight up and down manner.
Rather more intriguing is Lime & Jalapeño Lager, which uses the Strangelove soda of the same name to give an exceedingly pale beer a character that's anything but exceedingly pale. It possesses the limey liveliness of a margarita, then delivers sweeter lime juice to taste, before a tickle of chilli heat that’s present but pleasant rather than overbearing delivers the coup de grace. Rest assured, there will be some of these in the Crafty Esky for this summer's camping trips.
James Smith
- Style
- Radlers
- ABV
- 2.8% & 2.6%
