My latest print article for The Bulletin, published last week, revisits the styles of shandy and radler, which I last wrote about for the paper way back in 2017. Both Deschutes Brewery and Worthy Brewing released examples of these this summer, which I tried and reviewed.

The last few weeks of summer call for light, easy-drinking brews that are refreshing warm weather thirst quenchers. There are a number of beer styles that fit the bill, but for something whimsically fun and a little different, why not revisit shandy and radler?

They are more akin to beer cocktails than strictly beer styles, as they are the result of blending a (usually lighter) base beer with fruit juice or a soft drink. They differ mainly in origin and there are a number of variations.

Both Deschutes Brewery and Worthy Brewing Company currently have examples of each available, offering up an opportunity to compare and contrast approaches.

In addition to summarizing what constitutes a shandy and a radler and reviews of both, I have some suggestions for rolling your own.

And, I couldn’t have planned the timing of this article better (albeit it was a coincidence when I submitted it), because this Saturday, September 14th in Bend, Radler Fest from Brian Yaeger’s Grand Craft Brewing returns, with five breweries in northeast Bend participating. From 1 to 7pm, you can roll up to any or all of these breweries to enjoy a radler for the day:

• Bridge 99 Brewery
• Craft Kitchen & Brewery
• Oblivion Brewing
• Van Henion Brewery
• 10 Barrel Brewing East