Grapefruit Radler
Cloud 9 Brewery

no radler or shandy category here on BA, okay. i get that they are blends, but this maybe should exist? i believe this brewery is blending theirs too, that its created on the serve not in a tank, like this isnt brewed with grapefruit rather blended with grapefruit soda or juice, although i cannot confirm. had to be a typo on their menu this time that called this a fresh hop pale ale right? no way this is that, especially this time of year, but this would be the only detail overlooked on this visit, so i assume its in error not actually a blend with hoppy beer from last fall. the grapefruit part of this is nice, seems fresh, even brings some pleasing acidity with the sweetness that runs through it, easy to place as grapefruit in aroma and in flavor, strongest later on, but this isnt terribly effective as a refresher overall, even at this nice low abv which i dig, its malty and fuller, its sweet and not super bubbly, and just doesnt scratch that summer fruit beer itch the way it should, a shame. generic malt sweetness coats the palate and the acid isnt enough to cut it, an almost fruit candy thing lingers. there is an english nature to this, as is present in many of their beers, a house yeast maybe, but its not quite adding to this, and it seems unnecessarily bogged down overall. i appreciate the grapefruit part but there could be more of it, and im not sure the base beer is the typical lager these are meant to be constructed with. not really what we were hoping for with this one...