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Porch Swing Shandy is a crisp, refreshing lemonade shandy brewed for warm days and easy drinking. A light wheat ale provides a smooth, bready backbone, while bright lemon flavors and a touch of citrus sweetness deliver the taste of fresh-squeezed lemonade. Clean, balanced, and incredibly refreshing, it's the perfect beer for relaxing on the porch or soaking up the summer sun.

Place the light wheat ale or hefeweizen in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) until well chilled to 38-45°F (3-7°C). Chilling reduces foaming when mixing and keeps the shandy crisp.

Chill the beer

Measure the beer volume. The recipe is written to produce approximately a 1:4 lemonade-to-beer ratio by volume; adjust proportions if you have a different starting beer quantity. If the beer is stronger than ~5% ABV, increase lemonade proportion slightly to maintain drinkability.

Roll 3-4 lemons firmly on the counter to loosen juices. Zest one lemon finely to yield about 1 tablespoon. Halve the lemons and juice until you have 1 cup of fresh lemon juice (roughly 6-8 medium lemons).

Prepare fresh lemon juice and zest

In a small mixing pitcher, combine the 1 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 cup cold water, 3 tablespoons simple syrup, 1 teaspoon light honey, and the 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Stir until the simple syrup and honey are fully incorporated. Taste and adjust sweetness: the concentrate should be bright and slightly tart, sweeter than straight lemon juice because it will be diluted by the beer.

Make the lemonade concentrate

Strain the concentrate through a fine mesh sieve into another pitcher to remove zest and any seeds for a smooth, drinkable final product. Chill the concentrate until ready to blend (ice cold).

In a large chilled pitcher or individual glasses, add ice if desired (about 1/2 cup ice per 12 fl oz serving). For a classic Porch Swing Shandy, pour 1 part chilled lemonade concentrate to 4 parts chilled wheat beer. Example: for a single 16 fl oz serving, use about 3.2 fl oz (approx 3/8 cup) lemonade concentrate and 12.8 fl oz (about 1 2/3 cups) beer. If you prefer a more pronounced lemon flavor, increase the concentrate to a 1:3 ratio.

Assemble the shandy

Gently stir once with a bar spoon to combine—avoid vigorous agitation to preserve beer carbonation. If you want extra sparkle, top the glass with a splash (1–2 oz) of club soda or sparkling water; otherwise omit.

Garnish each glass with a lemon wheel and a sprig of fresh mint if desired. Serve immediately while cold and effervescent. If making a pitcher, keep it cold and consume within a few hours to maintain carbonation and freshness.

Garnish and serve

Light wheat ale or hefeweizen (5% ABV example)

Filtered water (to adjust volume for blending)

Fresh lemon juice

Lemon zest (finely grated)

Simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)

Honey (light, optional for mouthfeel and brightness)

Cold water (to make lemonade concentrate)

Club soda or sparkling water (optional for serving)

Ice (for serving)

Lemon wheels (garnish)

Fresh mint sprigs (optional garnish)

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Make Porch Swing Shandy Recipe in just 30m. Porch Swing Shandy is a crisp, refreshing lemonade shandy brewed for warm days and easy drinking. A light wheat ale provides a smooth, bready backbone, while bright lemon flavors and a touch of citrus sweetness deliver the taste of fresh-squeezed lemonade. Clean, balanced, and incredibly refreshing, it's the perfect beer for relaxing on the porch or soaking up the summer sun.

Porch Swing Shandy Recipe

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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