It’s no secret that B-ACK Yard BBQ has a great selection of craft beers. The staff runs 10 taps, including one nitro, serving a rotating selection of seasonal brews along with a wide variety of craft beers in cans. Denise Corson, owner of B-ACK Yard BBQ, said her go-to beer for this early summer season is the 

Handline Kölsch from Devil’s Purse Brewing Co., a craft brewery just across the Sound in South Dennis. “The Handline Kölsch captures everything we love about this time of year,” Corson said. “It’s light and crisp, with a subtle citrus note that makes you think of flowers just breaking the surface.” Kölsch is a delicate, pale golden style of beer that originated in Cologne, Germany. The Handline Kölsch is brewed with American Vanguard hops (descended from the German Hallertau hop) and produced in the German style by fermenting Kölsch ale yeast at low temperatures. The lightness makes this beer surprisingly versatile for the table. “It goes great with the meatier items on our menu, but it can also complement a lobster roll,” said Corson. At just 5% ABV, it’s also an easygoing pairing for a picnic, or even just a blanket in the sand.

If you get excited by wines from boutique producers that overdeliver for the price, Company of the Cauldron wine director Jordana Fleischut highly recommends the 2021 E. Pira & Figli Langhe Nebbiolo from estate owner and winemaker Chiara Boschis. “Boschis is a legendary wine pioneer who treats her 11-hectare organic estate with obsessive care,” said Fleischut, a Wine & Spirit Education Trust advanced sommelier. “This wine is a masterclass in small production soul.”

In the wine world, Boschis is known for her role as an influential—and the only female member of the Barolo Boys, a group of winemakers who revolutionized Nebbiolo production in the Langhe in the 1980s and ’90s. Her Langhe Nebbiolo is produced in the same area and with the same grape (100% nebbiolo) as E. Pira & Figli’s acclaimed Barolos, but it’s aged for a shorter period and made in a lighter, fresher style. Langhe Nebbiolo is meant to be enjoyed young. “For those who crave a chillable red, this is a ‘unicorn,’” said Fleischut. It’s a lively wine with fine tannins and firm structure. “In the glass, it’s a shimmering garnet bursting with notes of wild strawberry and rose petals.” The wine’s high acidity makes it an ideal pairing for butter-poached proteins, grilled meats, burgers, pizza, hearty salads and garden fresh seafood and pasta dishes.