How to Make a Shandy (Lemon Beer)

A shandy is the perfect summer treat. Half-beer, half-lemonade, it's known the world over as a popular potion of pure pleasure. And best of all, a shandy is about as easy as it gets to make. The dilly-dallying is over, let's make a shandy!

Edit Ingredients

150 ml light beer

150 ml lemonade or "lemon" soda

Ice (optional)

Edit Steps

Choose and pour your beer. As long as you have a lighter beer, you really can't go wrong. Here are some types of beer that you can use as the base for your shandy:
- Wheat beer. Silky and smooth, but a little heavier, pairs wonderfully with the lemon.
- Lager. Crisp and refreshing, this makes a somewhat lighter shandy.
- Pilsner. A little more distinctive-tasting than your average lager, this beer creates a more complex shandy.

Choose and pour your lemonade. Whether you choose sparkling lemonade, regular lemonade, or lemon soda (such as Sprite or Squirt), your shandy is pretty much guaranteed to be good. A couple words of advice:
- If you can, choose all-natural lemonade. With a great beer, natural lemonade tastes amazing. Sure, you can make a perfectly acceptable shandy with lemonade made from concentrate, but it won't have the same pizzaz as all-natural lemonade.
- If using a soda such as Sprite, add a little bit less than the specified amount (~150 ml). Lemon sodas are pretty sweet; a shandy made with lemon soda ends up being a little sweet for many people, overpowering the taste of the beer. You can always add more soda in at the end after tasting.

Add ice to the shandy (optional). If you don't mind your beer a little watery, adding ice keeps the shandy cool while you drink it.

Stir, don't shake, until fully mixed. Shaking will cause the foam in the beer to activate. Stir gently until your beer and lemonade are beautifully intertwined.