It’s pretty hot out there right now. So hot, it kinda blows my mind. Where I’m from, there’s still snow on the ground. But Central City must have known this was coming, because they just unleashed a new pair of Radlers on the world.
The first is a standard beer-based Radler. Red Racer Radler is a blonde ale mixed with grapefruit juice and a bit of lemon juice at a 50/50 ratio. It comes off as slightly dry compared to some of its counterparts. That’s not meant as a criticism, though. I quite liked it, and at 3.5%, the ABV is suitably radleresque. This would be tied with P49 for my favourite grapefruit Radler were it not for ……
Hopping Mad Cider Radler (4.3% ABV). This one is the underdog that came in and took everyone else out. Has there even ever been a Cider Radler produced in Canada before? The answer is nope. When I heard there was a Cider Radler on the list, I thought “Yeah OK, that’s cool, wonder if it’ll be any good? I dunno.” Well, it’s good. In fact, it wins the crown as my favourite grapefruit Radler. Now, this may be a surprise – but I don’t like grapefruit juice. For me, grapefruit Radlers tend to be a case of how much the beer can improve a relatively bad drink. But with the Cider, the grapefruit somehow blended in the best possible way. I’ve been told the additional acidity from the Cider likely counters the grapefruit more than beer does.
Either way, for my tastebuds, Hopping Mad Cider Radler is easily the best grapefruit drink I’ve had the pleasure of drinking.
VanFoodies.com 
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