One of the guiding forces at Cape May Brewing Company has always been “we brew beer we want to drink.”

It’s been a good philosophy, one that has served us well for the past eight years. It’s brought forth some award-winning brews and some that have simply become award-winning in the eye of the beer holder.

But, here’s the deal: we don’t necessarily want to drink the same thing all the time. We like to change it up. In fact, that’s pretty much the hallmark of craft beer: innovation.

So, beers come and beers go. It’s a simple fact of nature.

But, sometimes, thankfully, they come back. Like Apple Bomb. Our outstanding not-a-cider apple beer wasn’t on the schedule this year. Until it was.

So, since we’re bringing it back, why not put it in cans?

We first brewed Apple Bomb back in February of 2012, bottling it up for the first time in 2015. When it’s on tap in the Tasting Room, it’s a bit of a flash in the pan -- if you blink, you’ll miss it.

Yet, fans ask for this one over and over.

“This is one that our fans ask for on our social media time and time again,” says Social Media Coordinator Courtney Rosenberg. “At our weekly Innovation meetings, as we decide which beers to do as Tasting Room-only releases, I’m constantly asking production to put this one on the schedule. I guess persistence pays off!”

Innovation Director Brian Hink was a hold-out in the Innovation meetings but realized that Apple Bomb has a lot of value for our fans.

“Apple Bomb is a total fan-favorite,” he says. “It’s a good fall beer, but it’s been a bit since it was available in packaging, so we figured it would be fun to bring back.”

Apple Bomb begins as a basic wheat beer: not much to it, meant to stay out of the way to let the apple flavors take center stage. When they do, it’s the tartness of the apple that shines through with only a minimal sweetness.

“It's a unique offering for us,” Brian says. “It's a fruit beer, but it's high ABV. It’s not sweet -- it’s actually more tart than sweet, and it’s most definitely not a cider but there's still an apple characteristic to it.”

Apple Bomb is a beer that many fans point to as their favorite. In fact, in this week’s staff highlight, longtime CMBC fan and new Brewtique employee Marie Dougherty referred to it as her favorite beer, and she didn’t even know that it was coming out this weekend.

However, one of our Tasting Room regulars is positively bonkers about Apple Bomb. If you’ve ever been to our Tasting Room, the odds are pretty good that Mike Uhler was there. Better known as Shank Guru, if you’re a follower of our Facebook or Instagram, you may have noticed that, no matter what we post, his response will be a very pointed “Apple Bomb.” (And if you don’t follow our FB or IG, what in hell are you waiting for?)

Last week, shortly after canning this limited run of Apple Bomb, we surprised Shank Guru with two four-packs of his favorite elixir. And surprised he was!

“Noice!” he exclaimed. “Eight of my best friends!”

Mike is a transplant to Cape May and has had the good fortune to travel extensively, sampling brews from all around the world. However, one sip of Apple Bomb brings him back to the first time he tasted it: on a whim, he filled a growler with Apple Bomb and spent the day sitting on his porch, falling in love with his new favorite beer.

“Today, I get similar feelings to the first time I tasted Apple Bomb,” he says. “It was great from the start. It just hits it right for me. It’s a classic beer. It’s clean, with a full-flavor wash and a tight tart finish. I can’t describe it perfectly, but there is a lot of sentimental value for the first time I had it and how I enjoy it now.”

Like many of us, Mike is glad to see Apple Bomb return.

“Thanks so much for my favorite beer,” Mike said. “Let’s keep it on forever!”

Well, it won’t be on forever, but it will be available in cans for the first time, this Friday, in the Brewtique. $14.99 per four-pack, one case per customer. Don’t miss it!