The brewery has reportedly invested quite a bit to be able to make such a non-alcoholic beer, which requires certain technical equipment and a more intensive procedure than the typical beer-making process. “It’s a small category but it’s growing-because people play many sports, they want to live healthy,” Pernsteiner says. Stiegl’s radlers clock in around 2.0% ABV, which serves as a draw to those who might be seeking something light and refreshing without getting the typical buzz they would off a more traditional beer.Īdolf Pernsteiner, lead of exports at Stiegl, says they are looking into making a 0.0% ABV radler within the next few months, particularly since there is a growing demand for non-alcoholic beers and beverages.

Because the drink is a mixture of juice and beer, the radler tends to have a lower alcohol content than traditional beers, making it a perfect post-exercise drink. While radlers are often thought of as the perfect summertime drink, in Austria they’re known for being a popular apres-ski beverage as well. So, people will recognize that if they’re drinking Stiegl radler, or Stiegl product in general, that there is a lot of love and quality inside.” I think if you concentrate on your own to try to make the best product, and you’re not always looking at highest margins, but quality first, I think sometimes the success will take a little bit longer, but otherwise it’s longer lasting. “Yes, we mix it with fruit juices, that is true-some would say you don’t taste anyway, since it’s 60 percent natural lemonade and only 40 percent beer-and we could just make a cheaper beer, but that’s not our plan. “The best possible radler needs the best possible beer inside,” Necker says. Necker says the quality of the radler is important to Stiegl and really sets it apart from other radlers on the market. To make the radlers, Stiegl uses its flagship lager, Stiegl Goldbräu, and mixes it with a variety of locally sourced specialty juices, which are made with no artificial sweeteners or colors. Thomas Necker, export manager at Stiegl Brewery, says the water they use at the brewery comes directly from the Alps through this freshwater channel, making every beer uniquely pure and fresh. From there the brewery sourced its fresh water (and still does) to make its high-quality beer- since it was established 529 years ago in 1492. The brewery’s name, “Stiegl,” refers to the steps leading to the Almkanal river in Salzburg, at the time when the original brewery was still situated in the middle of Salzburg’s oldtown back in the 15 th century. What makes Stiegl’s radlers unique is the quality of their ingredients. Stiegl also offers a raspberry radler and lemon radler, both of which are gaining in popularity. The Stiegl grapefruit-flavored radler had huge success in both the United States and Canada beginning in 20 and continues to be one of the most established radlers in Austria and the United States. Stiegl Brewery in Salzburg, Austria produces arguably one of the most well-known and popular radlers available in the United States market.

Instead of simply mixing canned name brand soda, like Sprite or Fanta, with beer, brewers have begun coming up with new ways of making the drink, using all-natural fruit juices and even, in some cases, making their own juices or lemonades to mix with their beer. The innkeeper running the tavern realized he wouldn’t have enough beer to satisfy every cyclist, so he began mixing the beer with citrus soda, thus creating the radler.Įver since, the radler has grown in popularity throughout Germany and Austria but also in the United States market. As the story goes, the beverage got its start in the Bavarian countryside in southeast Germany, when a large group of cyclists arrived at a local tavern, exhausted and parched for beer. The radler, which is the German word for “cyclist,” is a form of beer mixed drink that is typically made by mixing together a light, lager-style beer with citrus juice, lemonade, or soda. As summer fast approaches, the long-awaited days of patio drinking will soon commence, and consumers will be looking for something light, crisp, and refreshing-something they can sip in the sun on a hot summer’s day.

Stiegl radler grapefruit