()
For a country that adheres so strictly to a 500-year-old Beer Purity Law that dictates the only ingredients allowed in the brewing process, the Germans sure do some mind-blowing things to their beer once it’s made. Beer is mixed with cola, banana juice, cherry juice, grapefruit juice and for the health-conscious, versions with pomegranate and the caffeine-heavy guarana are sold as well. In Berlin, mixing up beer with a shot of raspberry or woodruff syrup is common practice.
But there’s one beery mixed drink you’re sure to be able find virtually anywhere: the Radler. A Radler is a mix of a light-colored beer, likely a lager such as a Helles or Pils, mixed with a clear and sparkling lemon soda. In the U.S. and England, you’d know this drink as a shandy. Elsewhere in Europe, the beloved summertime beverage goes by the names clara (Spain), panaché (France) and Sneeuwwitje, literally “Snow White: (Netherlands).
While the term Radler is commonplace across most of Germany, in the north, the drink is more commonly known as an Alsterwasser. It’s named after the Alster River, a tributary of the Elbe, in reference to the water’s yellowish tint.
Bike riders in particular may be aware of the fact that the word Radler is another term for cyclist, and there’s a reason for that. According to a popular tale, on a Sunday in June of 1922, Franz Xaver Kugler, manager of a guesthouse just outside Munich, faced the unthinkable: he would soon run out of beer. The quick-thinking innkeeper mixed what beer he had left with lemonade and served it to the thirsty cyclists clamoring for refreshment. The beer/lemonade mix proved a hit and became a staple not only at the Kugler Alm but throughout the land. While some cite references to the drink’s earlier existence, it’s a fun little story, and that’s the likely reason it’s stuck.
If you haven’t yet enjoyed a Radler this summer, perhaps you should. Lower in alcohol than a traditional beer, they’re particularly refreshing after an arduous hike or exhausting bike tour. Alcohol-free versions are widely available and no less thirst-quenching. You’ve had your swim in a lake? Check. Traipsed through a vineyard? Check. Meandered through a charming Old Town? Check. Imbibed in a well-chilled Rader? Your German summer is well on its way to being complete!
