Sea Dog Blueberry Beer Floats

There are so many things I love and miss about living in Portland, Maine. By now the weather is beautiful on the water; lobster is available fresh out of the water for about $3.99 per pound, and Sea Dog Blueberry beer is being served at the baseball stadium. That’s right, one of Maine’s finest exports comes to life in this truly delectable ale. It’s so great, my mom even averaged about one per day on their trip to visit me….. so that’s really saying something. Sea Dog Brewing Company is housed in Maine, but I have been thrilled to find it available in nearly every place I’ve lived in since. I’ve been missing it now that it’s hot out, which was the start of the inspiration for this dish.

The second inspiration is that blueberries are now in season here in New England! This is a totally foreign concept to this Colorado girl, so when I found out we could go blueberry picking this past homestand, I knew we were going. Ryan and I went with our new baseball friends the Repko family up to Ward’s Berry Farm in Attleboro, MA. You can buy different sized baskets and go pick-your-own berries. It was the most fun we’ve ever had for $6. I alloted Ryan about 1/3 of our pickings, and reserved the rest for these blueberry floats and Berry Cherry Cheesecake Bars (coming Friday).

So now, about these Sea Dog Blueberry Beer Floats. There isn’t much to them. It really only takes about 5 ingredients and 10 minutes of your time. But man, they are gooooddd. It’s all the fun of a childhood root beer float with the added bonus of being an adult. Those adult flavors are amplified by adding just a zing of lemon zest and a pinch of fresh ginger to the warm blueberry compote. Warm berries, cold frozen yogurt, and fizzy, delicious Sea Dog Blueberry beer. The total New England package as an easy dessert for a barbeque or night in warm weather.

Makes: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes   Total Time: 10 minutes

2 cups fresh blueberries
1 lemon, zested
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbs brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1- 6 pack Sea Dog Blueberry beer (found in most liquor stores)
1- half gallon of vanilla frozen yogurt (or ice cream if you really feel like living it up)
12 tall glasses

• Make the compote by combining the blueberries, lemon zest, ginger, sugar, and vanilla in a medium sauce pot. Bring the mix to medium heat and add 1/2 cup of water. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for ten minutes. Stir well so make sure everything is combined.
• Make the floats by layering a few tbs of compote and about 1/3 cup frozen yogurt into each glass. If you wanted to make ahead of time you can stop here and put into the freezer. To serve, add 1/2 of each beer to the glasses and another few tbs of blueberry compote on top. Let the beer settle before serving. Serve with a spoon and or straw for delicious consumption.