We all know beer is enjoyed all year, but we'd be hard-pressed not to agree that summertime is beer's finest season. Baseball games, BBQs, picnics, beach trips, and brewery hopping make the warm months the best time to grab a beer outdoors or on a patio.
Like beer, lemons are an ingredient that spans seasons but also saves their best for summertime. Lemons make any food or beverage better, brighter even, without getting in the way. It's no wonder that the ultimate summer refresher combines these two summer favorites as perhaps the OG beer cocktail; we're talking the summer shandy beer.
The popularity of shandies has grown so much that they are produced and enjoyed even when the mercury isn't rising. So, let's take a closer look at the summer shandy beer, its history, variations, how shandy lovers make them, and how you can enjoy them this summer or anytime you need to quench your thirst.
Pro Tip: Once you're done reading, check out BreweryDB to plan your next brewery adventure.
Craft beer purists may scoff at the idea of the shandy – a light, English-style ale mixed with lemonade or lemon soda – but the shandy can be traced back to 19th-century England. In fact, English beer drinkers were quite keen on beer blends.
"Blending beers was commonplace in Victorian Britain," writes Andy Hamilton, author of The Perfect Pint. "Landlords would know what blend each of their customers wanted, and they would run around with jugs full of beer (before we had bars) and serve each customer their preferred blend.”
Many bottled versions of classic English beer examples were born from these customer favorites. So, it would not be sacrilegious to be sitting in an English pub in 1853 and order two-thirds of the Mild and the rest the Bitter. Or, perhaps, a request for a Shandygaff, a mix of beer and alcoholic Ginger Beer.
According to Merriam-Webster.com, the famous author Charles Dickinson once called shandygaff, later shortened to shandy, the perfect "alliance between beer and pop."
Dickinson's reference to "pop" highlights that while the mixes of shandy have changed over the centuries, shandy still is a quintessential refresher to cool off on a hot day, and I bet back then they really needed to cool off; those Victorian clothes look stiff and uncomfortable.
Most shandies use lemonade today, but lemon-lime soda and grapefruit soda appear in popular versions like Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy and Steigl Radler Grapefruit. The key to a great shandy is, first and foremost, refreshment. The beer should always be light and smooth. Perhaps, the lemon's ability to enhance refreshment with a bit of acidity is why summer shandy beers switched from ginger beer to lemonade.
Modern ginger ale is primarily non-alcoholic, but they were potent in the time of Dickinson. The refreshing lemonade helps cut malt density and lower the alcohol by volume. There is a reason barleywines and imperial stouts aren't the preferred patio sippers in July, and the less boozy, more crushable shandy evolved to what it is today.
The second part to consider in a great summer shandy is balance. This, of course, could come down to personal taste, like the beer drinkers in 19th-century England pubs, but I like my beer blends or beer cocktails to taste like beer. A balanced shandy has just enough lemon flavor to be refreshing without overpowering the base beer. Go overboard on the mix, and you end up with lemonade, not shandy, IMO. But you do you.
Shandy isn't the only beer blend to try to quench your thirst this summer. Like beer itself, shandy has its own host of regional interpretations. Most notable is the German Radler, which is essentially a shandy, but the beer used is Bavarian rather than English.
The Radler, or Northern German version Altwasser, is attributed to a Munich foodie named Franz Xaver Kugler in 1922, "usually consisting of a 50/50 mixture of beer and German-style clear lemon-lemonade."
Other German beer blends include the "Russenmass," a combination of Hefeweizen and lemonade, or the "diesel," which blends lager and cola. Radler, which translates to “cyclist” in German, became very popular in German beer gardens as many patrons favored the refreshing beverage after a bike ride. It is also worth noting that the beer garden staff mixed these drinks, not the brewers, because it would have been a huge Reinheitsgebot NO-NO.
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Lemon beer blends exist elsewhere in the world too. In Spain, you have the Clara, which favors a Spanish lager. In France and Switzerland, panache is a beer with simple syrup, lemon juice, and sparkling water. If you are seeking convenience, you can skip the individual ingredients and pour a half-and-half blend of lager and 7-Up or Mellow Yellow soda.
If you are a history buff, nothing is stopping you from going old school with a Shandygaff with alcoholic ginger beer. Most ginger beers and ales are non-alcoholic today, but Crabbies is an alcoholic version you can find in many places that sell alcohol. Non-alcoholic ginger beer options include Goslings, Bundaberg Ginger Beer, or Canada Dry.
Most agree a standard summer shandy starts with a 50/50 blend of lemonade or lemon-lime soda. Any beer can be used, but the best versions use a light ale or lager, like a Pills, Helles, or Blonde Ale.
credit: pexels, Camile camila
If you're feeling the Victorian England shandy, pour your equal parts ale and lemonade into a pint glass. The German version is more appropriate in a liter mug or Maas, but that's where you can leave convention at the door. Feel free to switch up the mixes or add herbs, spices or different fruits. Like your shandy extra cold? Add ice. Add a straw too! And don't forget to add a garnish. The shandy is more of a beer cocktail anyway, so you can even add a parasol; no one will care. They'll probably ask you to share!
Shandy can complement traditional pub fare exquisitely well. A giant pretzel with cheese is nice, but grilled sausages with sauerkraut play wonderfully with the lemon taste. That acidity also pairs well with the fried batter on a cod fillet or schnitzel, too. We particularly like a shandy with shellfish and fresh ceviche – all things that beg for a fresh squeeze of lemon.
What is it about summer that as soon as it arrives, it feels like it's almost over? That's why you need to make the most of it. Get out and enjoy the weather, go to a concert, hit the beach, fall in love, and for God's sake find yourself the perfect summer shandy beer.
While we can't send you a shandy through your screen, we can share the perfect tool to help you sample your local shandy offerings before the summer is over. Visit BreweryDB to explore beers and breweries across the United States. BreweryDB is the ultimate source for researching and planning your beer adventures. Hop on BreweryDB and see for yourself. Summer will only last so long, and those shandies aren't going to drink themselves.