New Beer Friday - August 31 Edition

By Chris Siciliano

In all the years I worked the floor at Siciliano's there was one beer-related question that was asked exponentially more than any other: "Do you guys have that beer from Colorado, Fat Tire I think it's called?" Used to be we could only say, "Sorry, no, it's not available east of the Mississippi." As of Monday we can finally say, "Actually, yes, we have plenty."

That feels pretty good and tastes even better. It also leaves a void to be filled by another question. My guess is it will be this one: "Do you guys have that beer from California, Pliny the Younger I think it's called?"

Not yet we don't. But judging from the current trend, maybe it's only a matter of time.

New (and Returning) Beer

• New Belgium Fat Tire, $3.99/22oz - "Named in honor of our co-founder's bike trip through Europe, Fat Tire Amber Ale marks a turning point in the young electrical engineer's home brewing. Belgian beers use a far broader palette of ingredients (fruits, spices, esoteric yeast strains) than German or English styles. Together with co-founder, Kim Jordan, they traveled around sampling their homebrews to the public. Fat Tire won fans with its sense of balance: toasty, biscuit-like malt flavors coasting in equilibrium with hoppy freshness" (source).
• New Belgium Red Hoptober, $3.99/22oz - "Fall is here and with it our seasonal ale, Red Hoptober. Shining like autumn leaves in a globe glass this beer pours a dark and lovely garnet as it builds a bright, inviting head. The Eldorado hops are bold and present with a distinct, piney flavor while the caramel malt and roasted barley provide a backbone to stand Red Hoptober upright. Centennial and Cascade hops offer hints of citrus, tickling the nose, while the tongue carries a subtle, roasty tone that pairs pleasantly with the warming bite of bitter. Red Hoptober is perfect for shortening days and campfire nights" (source).
• New Belgium Ranger IPA, $3.99/22oz - "Bring out the hops! This clear amber beauty bursts at the starting gate with an abundance of hops: Cascade (citrus), Chinook (floral/citrus), and Simcoe (fruity) lead off the beer, with Cascade added again for an intense dry hop flavor. Brewed with pale and dark caramel malts that harmonize the hop flavor from start to finish, Ranger is a sessionable splendor for all you hopinistas" (source).
• New Belgium Trippel, $3.99/22oz - "Our Trippel Belgian Style Ale (pronounced triple) opens with a bold blast of hops that slowly gives way to the fruity esters implied by our Belgian yeast strain. In the Belgian tradition of brewing singles, doubles and triples, Trippel is the strongest with the longest fermentation. Remarkably smooth and complex, our bottle-conditioned Trippel is spiced with a trace of coriander" (source).
• New Belgium Shift Pale Lager, $2.29/16oz can - "New Belgium employee-owners work in shifts to brew to life world-class beers. Those efforts are rewarded daily with a shared end-of-shift beer. We’re passing that welcomed occasion onto consumers in this lightly-hopped Shift Pale Lager. From work to play, from bottle to can, from bold and heavy to refreshing and sessionable; Shift salutes the shift in occasion, package and beer. So, go ahead and get your Shift beer, you’ve earned it" (source).
• Kuhnhenn Braggot, $9.69/12oz - "Gold to amber color. Strong earthy honey aroma, medium sweetness, honey dominates over the malt character. Pours a nice head. This mead is made from Michigan Star Thistle honey. Braggot is made from 2/3 honey and 1/3 malt. It required 1 year of aging for this mead to reach maturity. This Braggot will handle age beautifully. We recommend you try a bottle today and an aged one in a few more years. This mead is carbonated naturally in the bottle, so there will be a yeast sediment int he bottom. Recommended serving temperature is 50 F. This example is one of just a few Braggots available in the world" (source).
• Dogfish Head Punkin, $2.59/12oz - "A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, organic brown sugar and spices. As the season cools, this is the perfect beer to warm up with" (source).
• Harpoon Pumpkin UFO, $1.69/12oz - "Imagine a pumpkin vine wound its way in a field of barley, and a brewer harvested it all to make a beer. Add Northwestern hops and a blend of spices, and you’ve got UFO Pumpkin. The malt combination provides a smooth body and slightly sweet flavor, which balances perfectly with the earthy notes derived from the pure pumpkin. And like all of our UFO beers, UFO Pumpkin is unfiltered so all the wonderful flavors are right there in your glass" (source).
• Breckenridge Autumn Ale, $1.79/12oz - "Our fall seasonal combines the malty goodness of a German lager with the clean crispness of an American ale. Brewed with Munich malts and a delicate blend of Bavarian hops, it's a full-bodied treat with a nutty-sweet middle, a warming alcohol level and notes of toasted grains. A pre-winter winner" (source).
• Arcadia Jaw Jacker Ale, $1.79/12oz - "Jaw-Jacker balances our finest malted barley with a bit-o-wheat and is complimented with a citrus hop kick and just the right amount of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice for a nice marriage of pumpkin pie and beer. Made in the fall to celebrate the changing of the season" (source).
• Jolly Pumpkin De Viento, $15.79/25oz - "A dark and smoky sour Saison full of rich aromatic coffee and the spicy heat of a secret Algerian spice blend. Proceeds go to the Dexter Relief Fund" (source).
• Sierra Nevada Tumbler, $1.59/12oz - "As the nights grow cool, the leaves on the valley oaks begin to turn and fall. In honor of this yearly dance, we bring you Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale and invite you to enjoy the show. We use malt within days of roasting at the peak of its flavor to give Tumbler a gracefully smooth malt character. So pour a glass, and grab a window seat to watch as the leaves come tumbling down" (source).
• St. Ambroise Pumpkin, $2.59/12oz - "Brewed with victory malt and has a less pronounced hop profile that allows the spices to come to the fore and contributes to a harmonious, balanced brew. September to December" (source).

Picture of the Week

Sierra Nevada Brewery brass kettles
(Read the account of the Boss' trip to SN by clicking here)

Cheers!