New Beer Friday - October 12 Edition

Siciliano's T-shirts - Now on sale!

By Chris Siciliano

We're going to kick off this week's edition of New Beer Friday with one of our favorite all-time television quotes. It comes courtesy of the original beer nerd, 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 is 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. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, 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. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

See below for the latest beers to arrive at Siciliano's. Also, check out the brand new Siciliano's Market T-shirts, now on sale for $12 (see above picture). Have an intelligent weekend, everyone!

*Big thanks to Jo at tshirtwonders.com for the great looking shirts.

New (and Returning) Beer

• Founders Furniture City Stock Ale, $6.99/22oz - "Furniture City Stock Ale is a malt-forward beer brewed with seven different varieties of malts and grains. Our version of this historic style of beer pours a deep mahogany and is smooth and easy to drink. Each 750mL bottle has a suggested retail price of $6.99 and will be available at participating West Michigan retailers beginning on Monday, October 8. Our taproom will also be pouring this beer on draft and selling bottles out of our coolers" (source).
• Thirsty Dog Cerberus, $3.39/12oz - "This beer is made with one grain and 4 Belgian yeasts, a deceptive golden color, and a malty palate lend complexity to this Belgian Trippel Ale. ABV = 10%, IBU’s = 31, OG = 23.1 P" (source).
• Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, $5.79/12oz (limit 2) - "Brewed in honor of the 1000th batch at our original Clybourn brewpub. A liquid as dark and dense as a black hole with thick foam the color of a bourbon barrel. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than your average case of beer" (source).
• Sierra Nevada Hoptimum, $2.49/12oz - "Hops, hops and more hops are the stars of this big, whole-cone Imperial IPA. Resinous ‘new-school’ and exclusive hop varieties carry the bold and aromatic nose. The flavor follows the aroma with layers of aggressive hoppiness, featuring notes of grapefruit rind, rose, lilac, cedar and tropical fruit – all culminating in a dry and lasting finish" (source).
• Lagunitas Lil Sumpin' Wild Ale, $4.79/22oz - "Another big sister of the Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale. Loads of malted wheat for a curious malt foundation and a light color. But our Belgian yeast leaves a huge flavor and complexishness" (source).
• Shiner Brewing Wild Hare Pale Ale, $1.49/12oz - "Wild Hare is a classic American Pale Ale-richly hopped, fruity and floral. Munich malt nicely balances the assertive character of the U.S. Golding and Bravo hop varieties that give this brew its signature bitterness and aroma" (source).
• Shorts Black Cherry Porter, $2.19/12oz - "This Short’s brew is available seasonally, as soon as the local Northern Michigan sweet black cherries are ripe. Eight different malts, in conjunction with three varieties of hops, provide the deep radiant flavor profile and create the dark opaque color. A slight purple lace from the fruit puree enticingly leads into smooth soft hints of roasted chocolate and pleasurable black cherry flavors. This is quite possibly the most anticipated beer we offer" (source).
• Anderson Valley Winter Solstice, $1.89/12oz cans, $2.19/12oz bottles - "Each year, when people are starting to unpack their winter clothes and replenish their firewood, our tiny brewery in the coastal redwoods of Northern California makes seasonal preparations of a different kind. As the cold arrives, we release a unique beverage created to add warmth to even the coldest and darkest of winter's days. Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale begins with a very high original gravity to create a hearty and spicy brew with a deep amber hue and a smooth finish. Anderson Valley Brewing Company wishes you the very best for the holiday season and the New Year" (source).
• New Belgium Lips of Faith Super IPA, $6.69/22oz - "Alpine might be small, but their brewing chops are mighty. We teamed up to create this triple dry-hopped imperial IPA bursting with Columbus, Amarillo, Centennial and Simcoe hops. Consider yourself a hero for getting an Alpine beer outside of San Diego" (source).
• Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela,  $14.39/750ml - "Ok, so the joke was that Jolly Pumpkin doesn’t brew a pumpkin beer. Well, now we do. Just this one. Packed with real pumpkins, hints of spice, and a gentle kiss of cocoa to liven the soul. An everyday easy way to fill your squashy quotient. Guess now folks will have to find something else to joke about" (source).
• Sierra Nevada/Russian River Brux, $15.09/750ml - "BRUX is a "domesticated wild ale", or an ale fermented with Belgian yeast, finished by a secondary bottle fermentation with Brettanomyces bruxellensis. It's a little more than 8% alcohol, very dry, earthy, spicy, and tasty" (source).

Picture of the Week

Peanut Butter Porter?
(Picture courtesy of The Mitten Brewing Co.) 

Cheers!