Shoreman German-style Hefeweizen is wheat beer style after the famous Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier and comes in about 5% ABV. The recipe consists of organic pale malt and wheat malt (a 50/50 split) and hopped with Organic Hallertau hops from New Zealand. The yeast is the actual Weihenstephaner, so I was able to get close (I think they use a touch of Munich Malt to give it that orange glow, could be wrong). This beer came out great and it has been a very nice summer treat, it has the nice clove, banana and bubblegum thing going on in the aroma and a decent wheat profile. I would brew this again, maybe with a touch of Munich for color. Great beer for these hot summer days. I’ve been pairing this with local Striped Bass and Bluefish when the catch is fresh.

Back last fall I took a road trip up to see some friends in a few bike races and picked up some of the best juice I have ever tasted from Phil’s apples. I added the unpasteurized and unfiltered 100% Macintosh cider it to the fermenter with a local American Ale yeast and let it go. The cider was transferred to a secondary fermenter and stored for the winter. I bottled this as a still product…more on the Farmhouse tradition than you will see these days with the bulk of sparkling cider. The cider has such a great nose of fresh apples and comes in at about 4%..perfect for thirst quenching summer days. It still has a touch of sweetness from the ale yeast, but finishes nice and dry. This is by far the best cider I have made to date and I attribute it all to Phil’s raw product. If you would like to read more about Farmhouse Cider, this is a great article.

This morning I picked up a nice bluefish while fishing on Pleasant Bay and figured it would be a perfect day to cook up some food and pair it up with my latest organic homebrew…Rye Mild. The bluefish was rubbed with a blackened mix from Atlantic Spice in Truro and I made two dipping sauces; horseradish and creamy herb. The great salad that I have there is from my CSA farm Pleasant Lake Farm in Harwich. The lettuce is an heirloom from Italy and the fish is on top of Devil’s Tongue another heirloom variety. The rye mild comes in at about 3% ABV and is very flavorful and matched nicely with the fat and spice of the bluefish. The rye adds a touch of spice which is perfect…a nice local fish with locally grown lettuce and a handmade ale.