Summer Shandy
ClassicA brighter, fruitier Shandy — wheat beer with lemonade and a squeeze of grapefruit.
Light, zesty and softly sweet. The wheat beer brings a smooth, faintly bready base that carries citrus well; lemonade drops the strength and adds fizz, and the grapefruit sharpens it with a clean, tart lift. Fruitier and brighter than a standard Shandy, and just as sessionable. Sunshine in a pint.
Ingredients
- 8 oz Wheat Beer
- 6 oz Lemon-Lime Soda
- 2 oz Grapefruit Juice
- Lemon wheel · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Chill a pint glass.
- 2
Pour in the cold wheat beer to fill it halfway.
- 3
Add the grapefruit juice, then top with cold lemon-lime soda.
- 4
Stir gently and garnish with a lemon wheel.
The Story
Where the classic Shandy simply cuts lager with lemonade, the Summer Shandy leans into the season — built on a lighter, citrus-friendly wheat beer and brightened with fresh fruit. The style was popularised in the United States by seasonal wheat shandies that arrive on shelves the moment the weather turns, and it has become shorthand for warm-weather, patio-side, low-strength drinking. This version keeps the lemonade base but adds a squeeze of grapefruit for a fresher, slightly tart edge — a Shandy dressed for July.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
