For the City-Times

Point Coast Radler, a refreshing mix of beer and natural citrus flavors from the Stevens Point Brewery, is rolling out to retail stores just in time for the onset of warm summer weather.

Available in six-packs of 12-ounce longneck NR bottles, Point Coast Radler is being introduced during May wherever Point handcrafted beers are sold. Radler is the German version of England’s shandy, according to Point Brewmaster Gabe Hopkins.

“Like the traditional German radlers, Point Coast Radler is designed to be light and refreshing,” Hopkins said. “Point Coast Radler is a light-colored ale brewed with Munich malts and blended with natural lemon, lime and grapefruit. The result is a thirst-quenching brew with a smooth and sweet citrus finish that really hits the spot after a hot summer day outdoors.”

Radlers: Born in Bavaria

Radler is the German word for “cyclist,” and Point Coast Radler, like many of its German counterparts, features bicycle graphics on its brightly colored packaging. The German Beer Institute reports radler was first introduced in the summer of 1922 by an innkeeper near Munich, Bavaria’s capital city, who mixed beer with lemon soda to serve to a thirsty throng of bicyclists who had spent the day in the hot sun pedaling uphill and coasting downhill through the Point Coast Radler Bavarian countryside. The refreshing brew was an instant hit and before long other Bavarian inns and beer gardens were serving their own versions.

The German Beer Institute also points out that radler “generally does not make its way across the sea to North America” – until now. The Point Brewery has high expectations for Point Coast Radler, according to Joe Martino, Operating Partner, who noted it was very well received during initial consumer taste tests.

“It is definitely something different for America’s craft beer lovers, and something different is what we strive to deliver to our loyal fans,” Martino said. “The difference is in the flavor. Point Coast Radler is a tasty, thirst-quenching combination of beer and citrus refreshment, just right for warm weather.”

Stevens Point Brewery

Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, uses only the highest-grade barley malts, specialty malts, grains and the choicest hops to brew their handcrafted beers. Year-round handcrafted beers include flagship Point Special Lager, a premium American lager; Point Onyx Black Ale, a robust dark ale; Point Belgian White, a Belgian-style wheat ale; Point Cascade Pale Ale, an American-style pale ale; Point Drop Dead Blonde Ale, a 110 calorie ale; Point Amber Classic, an American-style amber lager; and Point Beyond the Pale IPA, a robust, hoppy India Pale Ale. Point also brews four year-round IPAs available only in its IPA variety 12-pack: Point Spruce Tip IPA, sweetened with Colorado blue spruce tips; Point Peach Mango IPA, a lively, fruity ale; Point White IPA, a golden brew flavored with Japanese Sorachi Ace hops; and Point One Shot IPA, a series of limited-edition brews featuring different hop varieties and malts in each batch.

The brewery’s seasonal beers are Point Three Kings Ale, a Kölsch-style ale for the spring; Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat, a refreshing, award-winning unfiltered wheat ale; Point Oktoberfest, a Bavarian-style Märzen beer for the fall; Point St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a dark, Belgian abbey-style ale available from November through February.

The brewery’s year-round products include the Whole Hog Limited Edition “big beers:” Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale, Whole Hog Raspberry Saison, Whole Hog Russian Imperial Stout, Whole Hog Barley Wine Ale and Whole Hog Scotch Ale. Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale is a fall seasonal. Point Coast Radler Point also brews four unique and flavorful James Page specialty beers available only in convenient 12-ounce cans: A Cappella Gluten-free Pale Ale, Casper White Stout, Yhaba Dhaba Chai Tea Porter and Ould Sod Irish Red Ale.

Point also produces gourmet sodas, including Point Premium Root Beer, Point Premium Diet Root Beer, Point Premium Orange Cream, Point Premium Vanilla Cream and Point Premium Black Cherry Cream Soda.

For more information about the Stevens Point Brewery, founded in 1857, visit www.pointbeer.com or call (715) 344-9310. Tours of the brewery are available, with schedules listed on the website.