New Beer Friday - July 6 Edition

July is Michigan Craft Beer Month, a time to celebrate mitten-centric suds by imbibing the best our state has to offer in mass (though...ahem...responsible) quantities. How that differs from any other month of the year, to be honest, we're really not sure. Point is, there's nothing at all wrong with officially dedicating a solid 31 days to the greatest beer (and state) in the nation. Just think of it as an excuse to branch out even further into the world of delicious Michigan fermentables.

In fact, that's exactly the suggestion made by Adam Mills, head brewer at the recently opened Cranker's Brewery in Big Rapids, Michigan. Adam says, "Let's celebrate our state's craft beer scene by extending our beer boundaries and trying one new Michigan craft brewery per week. As you do, post pictures of your pint, on Facebook and Twitter, and tell your friends about it. Also, challenge them to do the same. Make sure to tag your post #MichiganCraftBeerMonth or #MICraftBeerMonth."

You can read Adam's complete recommendation for Craft Beer Month on his personal blog (here) and you can sample his brews anytime by visiting Cranker's tap room. From what we hear, Adam, like the majority of Michigan brewers, is making some damn fine beer these days.

Speaking of beer, here's what's new this week at Siciliano's.

New (and Returning) Beer

• Founders Devil Dancer, $5.09/12oz - "When you dance with the Devil, the Devil don’t change. You do. Massive in complexity, the huge malt character balances the insane amount of alphas used to create it. At an incredible 112 IBUs, it’s dry-hopped with ten hop varieties" (source).
• Dark Horse Kmita Kolsch, $1.79/12oz - "Fairly light in color and body with mild flavors of malt. Aroma and finish are hoppy from use of Polish hops" (source).
• Short's Strawberry Short's Cake, $2.19/12oz - "A golden ale creates the perfect foundation for one of our most popular concept beers. The addition of strawberries and milk sugar transform this beer into rose colored nectar that is pleasingly sweet with hints of cream. Biscuit flavors and aromas arise from the use of large amounts of Victory malt" (source).
• Berghoff Rock River Red, $1.39/12oz - "This copper-reddish beer belongs to the category of the American pale ales, which are of medium bitterness with a slightly malty character still present. Berghoff Amber [aka Rock River Red] is made with Brewer's Two-Row Malt, Caramel 40 Malt, Carapils Malt and domestic hops" (source).

Picture of the Week

Vander Mill cider at Stella's in GR

Cheers!