New Beer Friday - April 6 Edition

By Chris Siciliano

This week Scott the sales manager at Saugatuck Brewing sent along a little information concerning SBC's lastest release.

"Most recent is our Delilah DeWylde-Berry Wheat (stacked in your store currently). An unfiltered American wheat with raspberry and other berry flavors. Light hints of the berry aromas and flavors and obvious hop structure make this a summer brew for everyone. Named after the hip rock-a-billy local artise Delilah DeWylde! She will be playing the Tip Top Bar & Grill in GR this Saturday night and the beer will be featured in bottles. Customers can have her sign the bottles too if they like!"

Just a heads up on the Tip Top in case you've never been—it's an awesome place to see a show. Good beers on tap and in the bottle and from what I'm hearing the food is top-notch as well. Or should I say Tip Top Notch. (Ouch. That was bad. Apologies.)

Have fun if you go. And as long as you're on this side of town, remember to check out all the new products at Siciliano's—we're only a couple miles west of the Tip Top.

New (and Returning) Beers

• Saugatuck Brewing Delilah DeWylde-Berry Wheat, $1.69/12oz - See above.
• *Brewery Vivant Zaison, $3.69/16oz - "Zaison takes its inspiration from the famous Saison style of beer madein the southern region of Belgium. Traditionally this beer is made in the coolness of the winter months to be enjoyed in the Spring and Summer. Our special yeast strain gives this beer a little funkiness and is accented with tellicherry black peppercorns and orange peel" (source). *As of press time this beer is not in-store. We expect it to arrive early Friday evening, around 5 or 6pm.
• Sam Adam's Longshot 2011 Variety Pack, $1.99/12oz - In 1984, Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams beers, brewed his first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager in his kitchen. Now you can follow in Jim's footsteps and [like the brewers below] have your homebrew nationally distributed" (source).
• Derf's Secret Alt, homebrewer Fred Hessler - "Fred wanted to go big or go home with his homebrew and decided to brew a kicked up Sticke Alt. This full-bodied ale has a big, malty character balanced by subtle orange and grapefruit notes from the hops. With a light amber color, this brew has a sweet finish" (source).
• Five Crown Imperial Stout, homebrewer Joe Formanek - "For the past 15 years, Joe has been brewing his Russian Imperial Stout. This malt-forward brew has a rich complexity, with roasty and chocolate notes, yet enough hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness. This satisfying winter brew is full-bodied with an enjoyable velvety smoothness" (source).
• A Dark Night in Munich, homebrewer Corey Martin - "Corey has been working on his Munich Dunkel for some time and the result is this amber, medium-bodied brew. With a nice malty backbone, this lager has roasty, slightly spicy notes and a traditional doughy character from the yeast. It is well worth the time he took to perfect it" (source).
• Shiner Ruby Redbird, $1.49/12oz - "Shiner Ruby Redbird is brewed with genuine Texas Rio Red Grapefruit, the signature sweet citrus of the Rio Grande Valley, and ginger. This lager beer features grapefruit tartness and finishes with a ’lil kick of ginger. With Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit and Ginger, Shiner Ruby Redbird is a crisp and refreshing summer beer" (source).
• Brooklyn Local #2, $9.89/750ml - "Here in Brooklyn we’ve combined European malt and hops, Belgian dark sugar, and raw wildflower honey from a New York family farm to create Brooklyn Local 2. Our special Belgian yeast adds hints of spice to the dark fruit, caramel, and chocolate flavors. After 100% bottle re-fermentation, this ale reveals a marvelous dry complexity, enjoyable by itself or at the dinner table" (source).
• Lagunitas Hop Stoopid, $4.79/22oz - "For those mornings when you have to cut right to the chase, this is the one. Sure to blast through just about anything still lingering from the night before, this mouthful of hops and huge rich malt has a gaurantee built right into the name!"

New Mixers

• Powell & Mahoney Vintage Original Cocktail Mixers, $6.79/750ml - "With over 20 years of combined experience in the cocktail mixer and beverage world, the founders of Powell & Mahoney, Ltd. thought it was high time to bring back the genuine, honest taste of America’s classic cocktails, in an all-natural cocktail mixer you would want to use again and again. Using only the finest juices, essential oils and organic cane sugar, we’ve authentically reproduced the classics" (source). Varieties currently in-stock are listed below, with more to arrive in coming days, including regular Margarita and something called Old Bally Castle Ginger.

• Peach Bellini 
• Mojito
• Bloody Mary
• Margarita (low cal)

Picture of the Week

HopCat brewers Stuart Crittenden (left) and Jake Brenner (right)
ponder their next brew while Jeff Williams, head brewer at soon-to-open Pike 51
in Hudsonville, looks on from above.

Cheers!