New Beer Friday - June 24th Edition

This week Siciliano's added a few new labels to its constantly evolving inventory of craft beer and/or other interesting products. Besides four new/seasonal beers, just our second all-time order of bread-making supplies arrived in-store, and with it nine new products never before seen on Siciliano's shelves. Some of these new products might prove useful not only to bakers, but to the more adventurous homebrewers among you as well (the raw agave nectar for example).

Without question, though, the most interesting arrival this week is Doug "the Chug" Dorda's sweet new Michigan/hop tattoo. Talk about devotion! (Old Chug better hope we don't open a Siciliano's down South and transfer him.)

New beers this week

• Arcadia Whitsun, $1.79/12oz cans - Esquire named Whitsun one of the Best Beers of Spring, 2011. Now that it's available in cans, Siciliano's names it one of the Best Beers of Summer, seeing as how you can take it to the beach and all.
• Anderson Valley Summer Solstice, $1.89/12oz can, $2.19/12oz bottle - According to the folks at Anderson Valley, Summer Solstice "is not just your average summer seasonal. This unique copper colored ale is smooth, malty, and lightly sweet, with a delicate hint of spice for that oh-so-drinkable, extra velvety flavor."
• Palm Belgian Amber Ale, $1.69/12oz bottle - From the Palm website: "This smooth-drinking, amber-colored, top-fermentation beer has a sensible alcohol content [5.4%]." All depends on your definition of sensible, I guess.
• Lilja's Hell Hound Imperial Brown Ale, $1.69/12oz bottle - From Sand Creek Brewing Co. in Black River Falls, WI.

New bread/baking ingredients

• Unhulled, non-malted, organic whole barley, $0.99/lb
• Organic Chick peas/garbanzo beans (dried), $2.59/lb - hummus anyone?
• Organic whole yellow corn (dried), $1.09/lb - perfect for cornbread or grits.
• Blue poppy seeds, $2.89/lb
• Organic millet, $1.29/lb
• Organic Amaranth, $2.79/lb
• Organic Kamut, whole berry, $1.19/lb - an ancient relative of wheat, for use in bread or obscure beer recipes.
• Raw organic Agave nectar, $7.89/12oz-bottle - an interesting addition to any homebrew experiment.
• Buckwheat, $2.99/lb

 Quote the week

This week's quote comes from TV's Cliff Clavin...

“Well, you see, Norm, it’s like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it’s the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

Have a brilliant weekend, everyone!