It's the Thursday before Easter Long Weekend, and if you're anything like us, the promise for sunshine and an increase in temperature is as mood-lifting as the upcoming weekend itself. Here in the Shuswap and Okanagan, I am sure many of us will be outside gardening and cleaning up our decks for some future patio-esque happy hours!
And what pairs well with yard work? Why a cold BC craft beer of course! And in keeping with the sunshine theme, and the anticipation for summer-like conditions, I grabbed an Easter coloured can from Russell Brewing Co.
Radler's are perfect for warm weather work: with a low ABV (this one is coming in at 3.5%) it will be just enough to quench your thirst, and not enough to have you longing for an afternoon hammock nap. We see loads of grapefruit Radler, so it makes sense that the citrus of lemon and tartness of a raspberry would make this one an ideal candidate.
Russell Brewing Co's Remon Raz Radler is a delight. They captured it pretty accurately, so I'm going to start things off with how they go about describing this thirst quencher: "A super sensational, surprisingly spritzing, seductive summer Radler. The Lemon Raz Radler is a delicious summer blend of lemons and raspberries. This blend results in a fruity nose, and an even fruitier taste. It immediately demands a second, third and fourth sip to figure out what just happened in your mouth."
Yup.
Listen, raspberry and lemon are probably one of my fave dessert flavour combos (that and peanut butter and chocolate). Raspberry and lemon are like a match made in heaven, and I'd agree they collide pretty well in this beer. This one reminds me of a desert I recently had from our friends at Rock Eatery: a lemon & raspberry cheesecake. It's got almost a creaminess to it, that mellows out what could be quite puckering flavour profiles. The raspberry is prominent enough to discern it, but not nearly as forward as some of the other raspberry beers out there that leave me gasping for, well, not that. This one finishes sweet. Just like the sweet can its packaged in.
Overall, I recommend this one for you this weekend: it's fun and cheerful. It will
pair well with garden work and isolation Easter activities. Plus, it's pink can will look really darling in an adult Easter egg hunt in the backyard. Ha. We might just have to do that this weekend!
You can find this beer at your local liquor store, or if you're in the Shuswap at Blind Bay Village Grocer.
Friends, stay safe. I know Easter can have us yearning for family and friends around the table. Please resist the urge to go visit. I know it's tough. But with us working together, with any luck, we'll be raising glasses in celebration soon.