Helena, Montana's Blackfoot River Brewing Company has decided that summer requires a soundtrack, and so they've released a beer named after one. Symphony Under the Stars Summer Shandy is timed to a real event, an evening concert at Carroll College on July 18th, and the beer itself is doing its best impression of a warm night with nowhere in particular to be.
It's a wheat-based ale blended with just enough sweetness to balance the tart citrus burst of fresh lemon juice, which is the brewing equivalent of finding the exact right amount of ice for a lemonade. At 4.0% ABV and a mere 5 IBU, this is not a beer interested in arguing with you. It has one job, refreshment, and it is entirely focused on that job.
Shandies get a bad reputation in some circles, usually from people who think bitterness is a personality trait. But there's real skill in making something this unassuming actually taste good, and Blackfoot River has clearly put thought into the lemon-to-malt ratio here rather than just dumping citrus into the nearest wheat beer and calling it a day.
Blackfoot River has been a fixture of the Helena taproom scene for a good while now, the kind of brewery equally happy pouring a delicate shandy as it is aging an Imperial Stout in whiskey barrels for eight months, proof that range matters as much as ambition. They've also just rolled out a third glassware size, because apparently some nights call for 5 ounces and some call for 13, and Blackfoot River respects your right to choose your own adventure.
Symphony Under the Stars Summer Shandy is on tap now, with the real live symphony following on the 18th. Whether you make it to Carroll College or not, this is a beer built for sitting outside until the sky does something interesting, no orchestra required.