His vice of choice may once have been buckwheat pancakes sprinkled with generous helpings of an aromatic green plant, but we’re also sure that erstwhile Red Sox southpaw Bill "Spaceman" Lee enjoys a beer every now and then, too — especially if it’s named after him.

Just in time for summer, the folks at Vermont’s Magic Hat Brewing Company have rolled out Spaceman Ale, billed as "a left-handed, free-thinking, strike-throwing tribute" to their inimitable fellow Green Mountain Stater, a man whose free-spirited persona — philosopher, environmentalist, yoga practitioner — is a perfect match for his adopted home.

Glowing golden and opaque, this medium-bodied ale is well suited for the warmer months, ideal for kicking back on the porch and watching the Olde Towne Team wallop the Yanks on a TV dragged from the living room into the humid evening air. With a pleasing citrus nose and a delicate lacy head, it’s clean and dry until those bitter hops sneak up on you and hang there like a lazy bloop curve.

For all his vaunted eccentricity, Lee was really just a baseball purist at heart. In his autobiography he wrote of longing for a return to "natural grass, pitchers who hit, Sunday doubleheaders, day games, and the nickel beer." This one’s a little more expensive than that. But with all the proceeds going toward the fight against cancer, it’s a worthy cause.

Available for $2.50 to $3 for a 22-ounce bottle at local Blanchard’s, Kappy’s, and Marty’s liquor stores. Bill Lee will be signing baseballs at Copperfield’s, 98 Brookline Avenue, in Boston, on June 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. Call (617) 247-8605.