Sure, it’s early days yet, but how does a bold prediction for the rest of the year sound? Fruited sours are about to be overtaken by radlers. Okay, maybe not overtaken but cede a bit of ground. Or some ground anyway. Okay, maybe let’s just say that more radlers might be released in Australia over the next 12 months than were over the last 12. That seems suitably vague and provides enough ambiguity to make a politician proud.
What we can say about radlers with a bit of certainty, is they scratch a similar itch as kettle sours, with both bringing fruit flavours and refreshment at the fore. That’s true of Bad Shepherd’s Citrus Radler, which they’ve made with Beechworth’s Billson’s, a historic brewery and cordial company that’s been impressively revived in recent years. To make it, they’ve made use of Saint Clements Cordial which features a blend of lemon and bitter oranges and, speaking from experience, goes particularly well with gin. Adding to the citrus-scape is lime, which makes the non-beer side of the radler provide a taste like a particularly fancy, slightly spiced lemonade, while not being too far removed from a citrus preserve. As for the beer side, with a lager base, it's all about crisp, clean and dry notes to make it a simple summer sipper that would still pair well with a gin. You could even call it the beer of next summer, if you were so bold.
Will Ziebell
Published February 11, 2022 2022-02-11 00:00:00
