Author: Cade Jobe

Most summers, my dad and his wife, Teresa, host a family get together at their ranch around the July 4th holiday. For years, Teresa’s family operated a renowned barbeque restaurant, The Shed, so we’re usually treated to an excellent meal of smoked brisket and sausage (Teresa’s nephew currently operates the Shed Market in Abilene, Texas, which was recently featured in Texas Monthly magazine!). The nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents all get together to enjoy good food and company. Those adults who care to imbibe also enjoy adult beverages, and there’s usually pink lemonade or iced tea for the kids.

You can imagine the scene this past summer– I’m sitting on the back patio enjoying a cool, refreshing Munich Helles while the nieces, nephews, and cousins are running around the yard or playing in the pool. Dad and Teresa are tending to the brisket, which smells divine. The pitcher of ice-cold lemonade is collecting condensation on the table, when the idea hit me– could I make a beer that encapsulates this moment?

Enter the Smoked Helles Radler.

Allegedly, the term Radler derives from a drink called Radlermass, which means “cyclist liter.” As the story goes, in the 1920s, an innkeeper named Franz Kugler created a bicycle trail from Munich, through the woods, directly to his inn outside of town. One day, several thousand cyclists descended on his humble establishment and began rapidly depleting his beer supplies. Worried that he would run out of beer for his customers, he started blending it with lemon soda. The drink was a hit and the Radlermass was born.

These days Radlers are generally 50/50 mixes of lemonade and beer. When I realized that I might be able to encapsulate my summer moment with a base Munich Helles made with mesquite smoked malt then blending it with lemonade, I knew I had to try it out!

| Making Abilene Summer |

Abilene Summer is a pretty simple recipe, just substituted mesquite-smoked malt for a small percentage of the grist. The single addition of Tettnang hops was meant to provide a touch of bitterness without clashing against the smoke and lemon flavors. I fermented with a clean lager yeast to avoid any esters or phenols.

Abilene Summer Smoked Helles Radler

Recipe Details Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV 5.2 gal 60 min 16.6 IBUs 3.8 SRM 1.044 1.010 4.4 % Actuals 1.044 1.01 4.5 % Fermentables Name Amount % Pale Malt (2 Row) US 8.5 lbs 91.89 Smoked Malt 12 oz 8.11 Hops Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha % Tettnang 28 g 60 min Boil Pellet 4.5 Miscs Name Amount Time Use Type Lemonade 8.00 oz 0 min Bottling Flavor Yeast Name Lab Attenuation Temperature Harvest (L17) Imperial Yeast 72% 50°F - 60°F Notes Water Profile: Ca 51 | Mg 20 | Na 38 | SO4 52 | Cl 54 Download Download this recipe's BeerXML file

PROCESS

My brew day began with the collection of water, which I adjusted to my desired profile as it was heating up.

While waiting on the water to warm, I weighed out and milled the grains.

With the water adequately heated, I stirred in the grains then checked to ensure I’d hit my intended mash temperature.

When the 60 minute mash was completed, I collected the sweet wort and began heating it up, during which I weighed out the hop addition.

Following the 60 minute boil, I quickly chilled the wort.

A refractometer reading indicated the wort was right at my 1.044 OG target.

Next, I transferred the wort to a sanitized Brew Bucket, which got placed in my chamber to finish chilling. Once stabilized at my desired fermentation temperature of 54°F/12°C, I pitched a pouch of Imperial Yeast L17 Harvest.

After 7 days of fermentation, I ramped the temperature in my chamber to 66°F/19°C and left it alone for another 10 days, at which point I confirmed the target 1.009 FG was reached. I then racked the beer to a sanitized keg that was placed in my keezer and burst carbonated overnight. After a couple of weeks of conditioning, I began serving blends of it with an equal amount of store-bought lemonade.

| IMPRESSIONS |

I’m a fan of mesquite smoked flavors in a well-cooked brisket. I enjoy the tart sweetness of a cold glass of lemonade. I love the refreshing crispness of a Munich Helles. But, would I like them all together?

The answer for me was a resounding yes! I was hoping I’d be able to capture the essence of that summer day in Abilene, TX and this beer did not disappoint. It smelled of mesquite grilled toast with a slightly lemony tang. On the palate, the lemon struck first and lingered slightly before giving way to the more subtle smoked toast flavors. The finish was sweet and refreshing, not cloying. I was especially concerned that adding sugary lemonade would alter the body of the beer and turn it into a sweet smoky mess. Thankfully, I didn’t get this impression at all. The lemonade brought just the right balance of tartness and bitterness to match the light character of the mesquite smoked malt. Abilene Summer is definitely a beer I would drink outdoors around a campfire or a barbeque pit with family and friends.

While most tasters thoroughly enjoyed the uniqueness of the beer, there were a couple who had negative reactions. One person described it as tasting “like the scented markers we had as kids,” and another felt the beer had a “lemon Sharpie” character. I have never tasted scented markers, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of these remarks, but I can’t imagine it’d be good.

Ultimately, I was very pleased with how Abilene Summer turned out and will likely brew it again for a family function or camping trip. The restrained alcohol due to being mixed with the lemonade means one can drink several pints without worrying too much about over-indulging. Smoked beers are definitely an acquired taste, as are Radlers, but for those who appreciate both, Abilene Summer is a unique and refreshing palate pleaser.

If you have thoughts about this recipe or experience making something similar, please feel free to share in the comments section below!

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