It’s tough to be a fruit beer. Fruit beers, you see, get no respect in the beer world. Lots of beer geeks insult them, eschew them, and curse their very existence. Times are a bit better for fruit beers, though, as these days even they have a style they can look down on: the radler/shandy. Radlers and shandies have been around for a long time, of course; they’re nothing new. Yet while fruit beers are, at the very least, still beer, radlers and shandies are only half beer. Their other component, soda, is almost enough to get them tossed out of the bar completely, if some had their way.

Luckily I’m not one of them, so I ordered up a mug of Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler when I saw it on tap at Taco Mac. The weather was warm and this mix of wheat beer with fruit flavors sounded like just the thing to quench my thirst. Of course, it’s mixed with juice instead of soda, but that’s OK and is every bit acceptable as a radler.

From the website:

Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler is a zesty, refreshing take on the tradition of mixing beer with soda or lemonade to create a light, thirst-quenching beverage ideal for warm weather. Radler (literally “cyclist,”) takes its name from active German sportsmen of a hundred years ago, but our version tastes just as good even if you do nothing more strenuous than lifting it to your lips.

Ingredients, also from the website:

Malt: Pale malt, malted wheat, unmalted wheat

Hops: Bravo, Zeus, Summit

Other: Ginger, lemon juice

Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler has an alcohol content of 4.1% by volume with 12 IBUs. The alcohol content is slightly higher than for a radler/shandy you mix yourself. But only slightly. I paid $6 for a mug at Taco Mac and it sells for $9.99 a six-pack in stores. That is, keeping it real, a bit high for a beer like this.

My mug of Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler arrived a hazy yellow white color with a thin wispy head and a spicy ginger ale nose. Taking a sip, I got fresh lemonade up front followed closely by pungent ginger, then the beer finishes spicy dry from the ginger. Again being honest, this one is not all that beer like but it is very refreshing with lots of spicy ginger.

While I’m glad that I tried Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler and found it refreshing on a hot day, it’s not something I think I would buy again. Better still for me to buy a craft ginger ale, make my own lemonade and then make a radler myself, and save a few bucks in the process.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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