- Simple and uncomplicated
- Perfect for warm weather
- Very sweet, very malty
- Higher ABV at 0.9%
Following many continuous days of sunny, warm weather here in the UK, I’m spending my time widening my selection of non-alcoholic drinks.There are two firsts for this review – my first shandy, and my first drink that exceeds 0.5%.
The subject of this review is Bavaria’s Shandy, coming in at 0.9% ABV, which has been concocted using a 1:4 ratio of Bavaria (full strength) with lemon and lime drink.
Whilst I’m not the biggest fan of the Bavaria 0.0, I come into this session without any prejudice clouding my judgement. It’s been in the fridge all day, so let me crack it open and see what we have in store.
Bavaria Shandy Initial Review
Poured into a glass, this shandy smells pretty spot on. On deeper inhale, you can notice a hint of alcohol, but only very slightly.
In a glass, it is fizzy with a thin head. Surprisingly, it is very orange. It looks more like a cider, than a cider, or a beer for that matter.
On first taste, there is the distinctive Bavaria Pilsner taste – smooth but very malty. This is quickly overshadowed by the syrupy lemon and lime. More lime than lemon however.
Whilst the first sip is very malty, this is less distinguishable with following up sups. The alcohol content – even though it is still relatively low – is noticeable. A simple bitterness that is quickly followed by the malt.
My drink came into a 330ml can. And that’s probably enough for one sitting. It is very sweet, after all, it is just alcohol flavoured lemonade. This drink is nothing special, and is very simple in it’s approach.
If you want to sit down and enjoy a complex, flavoured beer, then this is not it. But if you want a mid afternoon treat in the hot weather, this is great.
Grab yourself a multipack, put them in the back of the fridge, and trust me you’ll find a good occasion to enjoy one or two this summer!
Where Can You Buy Bavaria Shandy?
I picked up a 6 can multipack from my local Aldi. I have not since seen it, so it is likely it is one of many limited edition sales.
However, on further research, I’ve found that the best place to find this is at Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco or Morrisons. If you prefer online orders, then Amazon is the place to go. At the time of writing, you can get 24 cans for £10, which I think is pretty good value, and am tempted to purchase myself!
Bavaria Shandy Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories
The ingredients list is as follows:
80% lemon & lime lemonade and 20% of pilsner: 80% of lemonade (carbonated water, sugar, citric acid: lemon acid, natural aroma, colouring agent: caramel 150C, antioxidant: ascorbic acid, quillaia extract)
| Nutritional Information | Per 100mL |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.9% |
| Energy (KJ / KCal) | 23 / 97 |
| Fat (g) | 0 |
| Of Which Saturates (g) | 0 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 4.8 |
| Of Which Sugars (g) | 4.3 |
| Protein (g) | 0.1 |
| Salt (g) | 0 |
Final Verdict
This shandy from Bavaria is incredibly simple; full strength Bavaria mixed with a lemon and lime mix. This shandy tastes like a malty lager shandy, albeit a bit too sweet.
When chilled, this is nice as a one-off drink in the hot weather. There is nothing complex about it, so don’t expect that. Enjoy it for what it is, with only 0.9% alcohol.
