Sixpoint RAD

RAD is the inaugural Cycliquid and the beginning of a new cycle of Sixpoint Mad Science. The brew was inspired by the work of a mad scientist from years gone by – an indelible act of spontaneous formulation.

TALES OF MAD SCIENCE

On a fine Saturday in 1922, Franz Xaver Kugler, owner of the Kugleralm Biergarten outside of Munich, Germany, had a serious problem. Years earlier, his grandfather had arranged for a bicycle path from Munich to cut through the woods and go right past his tavern, just as cycling was becoming popular. This trailblazing grandfather made the Kugleralm an ideal stop after a long day’s ride. On this particular sunny day, over 13,000 cyclists took to the route. As parched riders kept pouring over the hills and into the biergarten, they threatened to completely deplete the beer supply at the tavern. Word of thirsty customers turned away would be disastrous, so it was time for some mad science to save the day.

In a brilliant flash of inspiration, Franz blended his beer 50-50 with lemon soda, called it a Radlermass (cyclist’s liter), and said he’d formulated it just for the cyclists. This way, he told them, it will quench your thirst and you won’t fall off your bicycles on the ride home. His radler, as it came to be called, proved an instant success—it took hold all over Germany, and is still a crowd favorite on hot summer days. As for the Kugleralm, the tavern and 2,000 seat biergarten is open to this day, in part due to Franz’s heroics.

With Sixpoint RAD, the cycle of innovation continues. The Mad Scientists reimagined Franz’s concept using a blend of juices, instead of lemon soda, to create a craft radler like nothing you’ve ever seen. “There aren’t many craft breweries trying this with real juice,” Sixpoint Founder Shane Welch noted one night, sitting at the big table in our brewery, trying dozens of different juice blends. “When you see all the complications here, it’s not hard to see why.” You’ve got to begin with the right base beer, balance acidity and sweetness, and pack a ton of flavor into a tiny ABV. Simply put, creating a craft radler is not as simple as Beer + Juice = Totally Radical. But for RAD, the juice was worth the squeeze.

The proprietary blend of fruit juices bursts with citrus essence, balanced by a smooth wheat beer base. It’s the ultimate summer crusher in a 16 oz can. Shane weighed in on the finished brew: “No one in their right mind would dispute it being… TOTALLY RADICAL.The recycling continues!” Available in cans across the Sixpoint network.