Flying Dog Hibiscus Grapefruit Radler

Flying Dog Brewery – Flying Dog Hibiscus Grapefruit Radler – Part of the Brewhouse Rarities Series – 12 oz. bottle poured into a tumbler – 4.2% abv.

Commercial description: Hibiscus Grapefruit Radler is our summer Brewhouse Rarities release that mixes the lemon-tarty flavor of the hibiscus flower with the citrus of the grapefruit to create lower ABV refreshing summer treat.

This beer was sampled from a 12oz bottle (best by date 12/4/16) into a lambic tumbler. The beer is hazy white grape juice in color with billowing but short-lived soda bubbles that erupt then dissipate quickly to nothing. The carbonation is high initially but settles down within a few minutes to leave the beer looking a bit flat.

The aroma is assertive with bright grapefruit zest and something like peach juice and lemonade. It’s certainly in the summer quencher category. The flavor begins artificially sweet like diet peach lemonade. It isn’t cloying, but the Stevia or aspartame character is slightly off-putting. Thankfully, the mid-palate and finish are pretty neutral leaving little sticky sweetness behind. Some lemonade flavor lingers.

Overall, the beer is fruit-forward and refreshing with flavors that push it far out of the traditional beer realm and more into the fruit cocktail realm. I think just about anyone would enjoy this during the summer by the pool, especially those that complain about that “beer taste,” which I still don’t quite know what that means. My only criticism is that it could use a bit more grapefruit acid and less artificial sweetener flavors. Higher carbonation and packaging in cans may also help especially given its poolside profile.