American
Craft Beer
Epicure
It’s Shandy Season
W
hile last summer was
a record-setting high
season for French
Provencal rose, all signs
seem to point to a new
European invasion this year; The
shandy is having its moment.
Hailing from 17th century Europe, a
shandy traditionally consists of beer
mixed with equal parts lemonade,
ginger beer or citrus soda. Originally
known as the “Rich Man’s Shandy
Gaff,” a mixture of champagne and
ale, the drink evolved due to the
vast majority of the general public
who didn’t have the means to spend
for champagne, instead replacing it
with ginger beer or lemonade.
While shandies and radlers have
remained a public house novelty to
date in Europe, stateside, the time
is nigh for mainstream American
acceptance. Vermont-based Traveler
Beer Company is now bridging the
transatlantic gap to reengineer the
Old World beverage for this side of
the pond — with a decidedly
American craft twist.
Inspired by the old European pub
classic, The Traveler Beer Company
takes the traditional shandy and
infuses it with American craftbeer
innovation and passion. Rather than
mixing ale with a citrus flavored
soda or lemonade,
Traveler’s craft
American wheat
beers are actually
made with real
fruit or fruit
juices, such as
lemon and
grapefruit, making
for a refreshingly
approachable and
sessionable
craftbeer.
Rather than
making Labor Day
the last call for
shandy-drinking
season, The
Traveler Beer
Company releases
a variety for all
seasons. Jack-O
Traveler, made
with real pumpkin,
hits shelves in the
fall, and Jolly
Traveler, with
pomegranate,
orange peel and
holiday spice, hits
in November, just
in time for winter
entertaining.
www.
travelerbeer.com/
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