Known in the online beverage community as The Beer Wench, Ashley Routson is a beer evangelist on a mission to advance craft beer through education, inspiration and advocacy. An expert in beer mixology and food and brew pairings, she blogs at DrinkWithTheWench.com opens in a new tab, BeerMixology.com opens in a new tab, IPADay.org opens in a new tab and is a regular contributor to CraftBeer.com opens in a new tab. She’s also the “Director of Awesomeness” at Bison Brewing in Berkeley, CA.
Here, Ashley shares a couple of new shandy recipes.
If there is ever a time for a refreshing shandy, it’s during the hot summer months. Originally called a shandygaff, the shandy has been around in Europe for several centuries. Originating in England, the shandy has also been very popular in Germany and Austria, where it is known as a radler. Although the original shandy was a mixture of beer and lemonade, the term has now come to represent a category of drinks consisting of beer mixed with citrus-flavored soda, carbonated lemonade, ginger beer, ginger ale or hard cider. The proportion is typically half-and-half, but can vary depending on the ingredients.Known as a snakebite, the most popular shandy recipe is cider blended with beer. The original snakebite called for lager and dry cider, but many variations have emerged featuring blends of all sorts of beer styles and types of ciders. The snakebite, is usually served in a pint glass with no ice and it is typically “layered” so that the beer floats on top of the cider. The process of layering a snakebite is similar to that of a black & tan.
Want to try your hand at making a shandy? The following recipes feature two hard ciders developed by Fox Barrel and Crispin. I’ve blended each cider with a light and refreshing beer. The result? Two fruity, crisp and dry summer beverages perfect for an end of summer celebration, a backyard BBQ or just relaxing at home after a long day of work. Cheers!
White Fox [or] Fox Jumped Over the Moon
Ingredients
8 oz. Blue Moon opens in a new tab
8 oz. Fox Barrel Pear Naked Cider
The Nude Stargazer [or] Solar Eclipse
Ingredients
8 oz. Estrella Damm opens in a new tab
8 oz. Crispin Natural Hard Apple Cider
The tools and method are the same for both recipes:
Tools
16 oz. Pint glass
Soup Spoon
Method
Technique is key here. Although both beverages are similar in color, it is possible to float the beer on the cider. First, fill a pint glass with half cider. Then take a large soup spoon and, holding it slightly inside the glass, slowly pour the beer over the back of the spoon into the glass, focusing on pouring the beer on the middle of the spoon.
Have you ever tried a shandy? What’s your favorite brew for cooling off? Let me know in the comments!
