The process to make this drink took some creativity. “It is an American peach wheat ale, so that means it has mostly barley, but it does have a hefty amount of wheat that goes in there,” said James Critz, the senior brewer at Blue Mountain Barrel House. “We got local peaches from Monticello’s Tufton Farm. During the brew process, we pit the peaches, sterilize them, hang them in the tank during fermentation, and in the end, add a little bit more puree to balance the flavors.” And a little bit of history. “His orchard was very important to him. Jefferson grew peaches, apples, cherries, and more,” said Stephanie Fox, the director of retail at Monticello. “Our peach trees are abundant here on the mountaintop, and we wanted to incorporate those in a way for people to taste them and see how wonderful they are.” In the end, the two were able to create a refreshing drink that is the perfect concoction for people to enjoy this summer. “It is lovely, it’s a great summer ale, I love how light it is, and you get a little bit of the wheat flavor, but not a lot,” said Critz. “It is incredible. We debuted it on July 4 up here on the mountaintop at our naturalization ceremony and it was very well received,” Fox said. The Rough Draft is available now at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello or at any participating Blue Mountain Brewery stores.