Shandygaff anyone?

[nikkuchan]

I occasionally have a drink that I was first served in Scotland. The bartender called it a Shandygaff, and it was beer and ginger-ale, which was quite good, even if it was a little light on the alcohol.

Anyway, in Japan it’s also called a Shandygaff (but sometimes it’s served with coke instead of ginger-ale), but when I actually searched the drink up I found that mostly referred to as a Shandy.

So what do you call it?

 

[Black Adder]

I've never heard of it. It certainly is one of the most interesting names for a drink.

Do you have a mixing formula? What's a good beer to use as a base? I may have to give this one a try.

Don

 

[The Knize]

I think of a "shandy" as half lager, half lemonade.

However, when we were in England and Scotland with my son's soccer team, his coach, who is from England, and actually played in the Premiership, and his something of a ladies man and man about town in general, would often drink lager and Sprite, which I think was probably being called a Shandy. Something like Harp would probably be the typical lager, although in Scotland they often had Russian lager on tap that was cheap and pretty decent.

My wife and I got into what was being called "snakebites" and "diesels" over there. If you look it up on-line they will usually make a distinction between the two with a "snakebite" being lager and cider (specifically the lager should be really be Harps and the cider Strongbow) and a "diesel" having the addition of a shot or so of "cassis," although where we were, and this was multiple places around London and Glasgow, there did not seem to be a distinction made and it was always all three. I love beer of all kinds, and normally I would not think it okay to pollute beer in this way, but they are really good and they really grow on one. It is thought of as a drunk's beverage over there, as for some reason getting one drunker than just beer, etc. I suppose they do go down pretty easy. Pretty odd combination, but I swear to you it works for some unknown reason.

Lager and cider without the cassis is pretty good, too. Strongbow cider seems important to the mix. Maybe it is drier than others.

Now lager and Sprite never caught on with me at all.

 

[The Nid Hog]

When I was in college at Penn State, there was a bar there called the Shandygaff. As far as I can remember, they didn't actually serve the drink.

 

[blantyre]

In England shandy is half bitter and half lemonade. My grandparents used to give me a half pint sometimes when we went to the pub when I was a kid.

 

[tam.audio]

It's always nice to know where the production beer ideas come from. Now I know where Leinie's Summer Shandy originated.

 

[galopede]

Your shandygaff has always been a ginger beer shandy to me, made with half and half bitter (not lager) and ginger beer, not ginger ale, which is the mixer you use with shorts. Great in hot weather but it leaves a layer of scum on the glass!

Lager shandies, like lager itself, is for wusses!

I remember back in uni days a long time ago we all drank Purple Nasties which sounds like a much stronger version of the Diesel. It was a pint of rough cider (about 8-9&#37 with a shot of blackcurrant cordial. Made the rough cider taste better when it came back up an hour or two later!

Gareth

 

[The Knize]

Your shandygaff has always been a ginger beer shandy to me, made with half and half bitter (not lager) and ginger beer, not ginger ale, which is the mixer you use with shorts. Great in hot weather but it leaves a layer of scum on the glass!

Lager shandies, like lager itself, is for wusses!

I remember back in uni days a long time ago we all drank Purple Nasties which sounds like a much stronger version of the Diesel. It was a pint of rough cider (about 8-9%) with a shot of blackcurrant cordial. Made the rough cider taste better when it came back up an hour or two later!

Gareth

Yeah! I think the original diesels actually came out of some kind of Goth and/or punk scene and instead of cassis or black currant liqueur, they used some inexpensive Brit soft drink syrup that is apparently universally used to make drinks for kids in England by adding water.

 

[Spacegeezer]

Ribena maybe?

An important point on shandies is that lemonade isn't quite the same in the U.K.; here it's fresh-squeezed lemons, simple syrup and water, whereas I think it's more like S. Pellegrino Limonata in the U.K. Then again, I moved away when I was five so I may be remembering it wrong.

 

[The Knize]

Ribena maybe?

An important point on shandies is that lemonade isn't quite the same in the U.K.; here it's fresh-squeezed lemons, simple syrup and water, whereas I think it's more like S. Pellegrino Limonata in the U.K. Then again, I moved away when I was five so I may be remembering it wrong.

Yes, Ribena. Wikipedia actuallys says this: "Ribena is also a key ingredient in the "snakebite and black" version of the lager/cider mixture called snakebite (although this is usually made with much cheaper blackcurrant cordials)."

Are cordials actually cheaper than Ribena? Definitely the stuff, though.

Also Wikipedia:

In the Snakebite and Black (confusingly also known as Blackened Snakebite, Blueharts, Snakebite, Diesel, Purple PEP, Snakey B, Sas, Purple Nasty, Purple, Black, or Red Beer) variation, a shot of blackcurrant cordial (or crème de cassis) is added to the lager and cider. Alternative variations can be made by using Bénédictine or green Chartreuse liqueurs. With or without blackcurrant cordial, this version of snakebite and black is stereotypically associated with several post-punk subcultures, most notably Goth. Snakebite and Black is the drink of choice for field hockey players and supporters, especially during hockey festivals, and is also popular among university students in the United Kingdom. In the UK, the Diesel name comes from the similarity to the way in which "untaxed" diesel is marked with red fuel dyes for identification purposes.

 

[thunderball]

Lager shandies, like lager itself, is for wusses!

Though I don't agree with the lager part, I did laugh.

 

[galopede]

Though I don't agree with the lager part, I did laugh.

Whilst I am a Real Ale man, I don't mind proper lagers when in Germany or Belgium. Trouble is, the mainline lagers we get in Britain are sadly made in Britain! They are of very low quality compared to the real thing. All wind and water, plus a nice cocktail of chemicals guaranteed to raise a hangover!

Mind you, if I want a bad head and gut on the cheap, I live in Scrumpy territory, the very strong, rough cider with bits floating in it. You strain it through your teeth...

Gareth

 

[The Knize]

Whilst I am a Real Ale man, I don't mind proper lagers when in Germany or Belgium. Trouble is, the mainline lagers we get in Britain are sadly made in Britain! They are of very low quality compared to the real thing. All wind and water, plus a nice cocktail of chemicals guaranteed to raise a hangover!

Mind you, if I want a bad head and gut on the cheap, I live in Scrumpy territory, the very strong, rough cider with bits floating in it. You strain it through your teeth...

Gareth

I thought Budweiser was the top lager in Britain these days!

Disturbing. Britain is much more an ale tradition, no doubt, and a rightfully proud one!

 

[galopede]

I thought Budweiser was the top lager in Britain these days!

I think the real and original Czech Budweiser Budvar sells far better than that American latecomer stuff. Certainly tastes a lot better!

Never could figure out how the American Bud could have the cheek to sue the Czech Budweiser over the use of the name, even though the Czech brewery had been going a few hundred years before the Americans!

Actually I think Stella Artois, or Wifebeater is probably the top seller, foul fizz that it is. Mind you, it's far better than some of the earlier Brit lagers like Harp and Carling (yes, I know that was originally Canadian). They are really bad.

Gareth

 

[Fnord5]

MMMMMmmm Snakebite!

I make mine with Guinness, or Murphys, and cider(Blackthorn or Strongbow)

I have heard tell that English pubs limit patrons to 2 snakebites, because they have a notoriety for being drank, just to get drunk and rowdy.

I am lucky to have two places nearby that serve snakebite with Guinness and Strongbow.

 

[The Knize]

I think the real and original Czech Budweiser Budvar sells far better than that American latecomer stuff. Certainly tastes a lot better!

Never could figure out how the American Bud could have the cheek to sue the Czech Budweiser over the use of the name, even though the Czech brewery had been going a few hundred years before the Americans!

Actually I think Stella Artois, or Wifebeater is probably the top seller, foul fizz that it is. Mind you, it's far better than some of the earlier Brit lagers like Harp and Carling (yes, I know that was originally Canadian). They are really bad.

Gareth

Good for Britain! Czech Budweiser Budvar is real Czech pilsner, to me beer-making art--any real Czech pilsner is! I am probably not quite as down on American Budweiser as many are, but it ain't no work of beer making art. For one thing, Budweiser has a much rice as it has malt in it.

I had never head of of Stella Artois being referred to as wife beater. Is that a reference to "Streetcar Named Desire"? That is friggin' clever! I wonder how many folks in the States would get that reference? I have to say that I do not at first! Stella is fairly new around here, suddenly everywhere you look, and I would say it is trying to occupy a rather high-end niche. I find it not so bad.

<far better than some of the earlier Brit lagers like Harp and Carling>

That is amazing. Harp around here is definitely rare and expensive. I would say that it has a pretty good rep. And frankly when I am going for a snake bite, what I am really looking for is specifically Strongbow and Harp. I do not think they sell any Carling products in the states anymore and when they did it was Black Label which was cheap and lousy, I sill sure give you that!

So what lagers do folks think are good over there. Is Tennants around? what is its reputation? Are you getting a bunch of cheap Russian lagers? We get a little bit of Baltika around here. I thought it was decent in Glasgow on tap and it seemed to be everywhere!

 

[The Knize]

MMMMMmmm Snakebite!

I make mine with Guinness, or Murphys, and cider(Blackthorn or Strongbow)

I have heard tell that English pubs limit patrons to 2 snakebites, because they have a notoriety for being drank, just to get drunk and rowdy.

I am lucky to have two places nearby that serve snakebite with Guinness and Strongbow.

Hmmmmm, Strongbow! Sounds good!

 

[The Knize]

Whilst I am a Real Ale man, I don't mind proper lagers when in Germany or Belgium. Trouble is, the mainline lagers we get in Britain are sadly made in Britain! They are of very low quality compared to the real thing. All wind and water, plus a nice cocktail of chemicals guaranteed to raise a hangover!

Mind you, if I want a bad head and gut on the cheap, I live in Scrumpy territory, the very strong, rough cider with bits floating in it. You strain it through your teeth...

Gareth

Thing is that Britain really does not have a lager brewing tradition. It has an ale brewing tradition, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Also, there is something about the water around Munich and especially in Czech that is jsut made for making pilsners and lagers.

 

[galopede]

The Guinness and cider mix is called Black Velvet rather than Snakebite which was always butter and (hard) cider. Strongbow is OK for that sort of thing but it's a bit nasty for proper cider drinking! They add sugar to get the alcohol, saves on apples. Proper cider is made with apples alone. I prefer perry myself, which is a "cider" made with pears rather than apples. Should be dry, unlike the profusion of pear ciders appearing like the foul Koppaberg and the Irish Magners.

The original Black Velvet was Guinness and champagne but that turns out a bit expensive! Try it with perry if you can find any. Much more like the proper black Velvet.

As to the Harp lager, made by Guinness, I haven't seen it for years over here. It was never very popular as it was never very good!

We are getting a load of Polish lagers in the supermarkets these days, due to the influx of many Polish immigrant workers. Must try a few!

Gareth

 

[michael.scheller]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radler

In Germany it's a Radler (Deutsch for Bicyclist). There it is lemon lime soda (7 up or Sprite) mixed with a medium dark lager. You can buy it premixed in bottles from many of the Brauereis. Park Brauerei was just down the road from me.



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