Cheers to the Radler!

The SBT Crew received some positive feedback from our recent post regarding our hope for a “Deutschland-Tour.”  We would like to see more of the world’s best cyclists pedaling through Germany.  While it seems we want to bring “radlers” (German for “bicyclist”) to more of Germany, the radler (the beverage) is making its way to America.  (My, how the world is shrinking!).  The SBT crew is not talking about radler the rider, bur radler the drink.  Here’s the story…

The radler is beer mixed with lemon soda.  Typically it is a 50-50 split of both main ingredients.  Bikers a long time ago would split beer (a blond lager, usually Helles or Pils) with lemon soda as a nice refreshing drink on their rides.  In U.S. you see lots of “Shandy’s” (inspired by our British cousins) but these are lemonade and beer--not lemon soda--and a bit higher alcohol content as the radlers are only about 2%.  The SBT crew found an Austrian Radler from Stiegl at a local beer place and we feel the German’s are onto something, it was very refreshing after a long hot ride this past summer.

We give credit for the radler to Franz Kugler, a Munich resident who invented the drink in 1922.  This light and refreshing beverage was immediately picked up by the German and European cycling communities and many countries and hamlets throughout Europe have their own variation.  Herr Kugler stumbled across his invention out of necessity.  He was an innkeeper who realized the growing popularity of cycling in Europe following the Great War.  In an effort to draw people to his inn, Kugler constructed a bike trail through the Bavarian woods near his establishment.  The ploy worked and people came, and they came thirsty.  So much so on one weekend of hosting riders the stock of Kugler’s beer was threatened with extinction.  He realized quickly that to thwart a run on his taps Herr Kugler would need to stretch his inventory so using good common sense he added his vast holdings of lemon soda (it wasn’t a popular seller) to his fast disappearing beer supply and as it is with such things serendipity ruled and the radler was born--named for the people for whom it satisfied, bike riders.  The riders in turn assumed the drink was specifically aimed at their sport.  Now the radler is coming to America.

A couple of years ago the radler was first spotted in New York City and it became popular in some of the more trendy restaurants.  Now it is crossing the country and has taken over Chicago, so much so the newest restaurant to serve the concoction is named “Radler.”  (There is truth in advertising.)  The eatery, with a true Bavarian beer hall feel, will be open in the summer of 2013 in Logan Square or at a location near Lincoln Park.  The partners in the Radler project come from Vie, one of Chicago’s landmark restaurants.  Vie knows a bit about mixology having been the first restaurant to serve alcohol in the Second City following Prohibition.   

The SBT Crew welcomes Bavaria to America, “Prost!”  Visit our website www.stickybottleteam.net.