New Beer Friday - November 30 Edition

Mitten Brewing Co. Pesto Pizza

By Chris Siciliano

Before we get to naming the latest and greatest beers to arrive at Siciliano’s, I want to first express a sincere thank you to Chris Andrus & Max Trierweiler, founders, brewers, and proprietors of the newly opened Mitten Brewing Co.

Last Friday, after my wife and I had a few beers and lunch in their new taproom, Max and Chris treated us to a tour of the small brewing operation, the pizza kitchen, and then the rest of the 100+ year old building.

I’ll save my extended and overall impression of the Leonard Street nano-brewery for a stand-alone Tuesday Review. I will say now that the pizza is excellent, the service is friendly, and, most important, the beers are solid, well on their way to becoming something special.

Speaking of special beer, this Saturday, December 1, representatives from Vivant will be conducting an in-store tasting at Siciliano's from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Stop by and see us!

New (and Returning) Beers

• Harpoon El Triunfo Coffee Porter, $6.69/22oz - "Caramel and dark chocolate accentuate the bittersweet notes of the locally roasted coffee beans. The end result is a balanced beer with a sweet, smooth body complemented by the delicate flavors and aromas of fair trade Mexican coffee (source).
• Boulder Beer Co. Killer Penguin Barley Wine, $3.89/12oz, 8.59/22oz bottles - "Traditional winter seasonals are warm and comforting - not this Penguin. Diving in at around 10 percent alcohol by volume, Killer Penguin uses over twice the malt as other winter beers, and is aged for over 6 months to perfect the condition and flavor of this barleywine style ale. This beer doesn't ferment, it hibernates, and wakes up with an attitude" (source).
• Founders Furniture City, $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" (source).
• Bell's This One Goes to 11, $3.09/12oz - "This One Goes to 11 Ale opens with bright, juicy aromas such as tropical fruits & ripe cherries, largely derived from massive kettle & dry-hop additions of Southern Hemisphere hop varieties such as Galaxy, Motueka, and Summer. The citrus & resinous pine notes of the Pacific Northwest hop family are also well represented, making their presence known through Simcoe, Citra, and the newly released Mosaic varietal, just to name a few. A wide range of specialty malts anchor the hops to this IMPERIAL RED ALE, contrasting the assertive bitterness & juicy aromatics with a robust, toasty depth of flavor. Fermented with Bell’s signature house ale yeast, This One Goes to 11 Ale finishes with a lingering warmth" (source).
• Short's  Cup a Joe, $2.19/12oz - "A brew uniquely different from most coffee stouts, we cram Higher Grounds roasted fair trade espresso beans into every facet of the brewing process. Prominent aromatics of malt, espresso, and cocoa are abundant and create a flavor robust with big malt characters fused with cream and coffee. The perfect morning night capper" (source).
• Malheur Brut Reserve - $28.69/750ml - "Malheur Brut Reserve is suitable as an aperitif, dessert or digestive: strong but silky-smooth, with a powerful, dry aftertaste, very aromatic, velvety peach and rose, apricot, vanilla, orange, lemon rind, strongly bound and quietly controlled" (source).
• Dogfish Head Hellhound, $14.39/22oz - "2011 marks the 100th birthday of Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson who, according to legend, sold his soul down at the crossroads in a midnight bargain and changed music forever. Working again with our friends at Sony Legacy (yup, the same folks we did our Miles Davis-inspired Bitches Brew with), Dogfish Head pays tribute to this blues legend by gettin the hellhounds off his trail and into this finely-crafted ale. Hellhound is a super-hoppy ale that hits 100 IBUs in the brewhouse, 10.0 ABV, 10.0 SRM in color, and dry-hopped with 100% centennial hops at a rate of 100 kilos per 100 barrel brew-length. Can you tell we at Dogfish are stoked for this mighty musical centennial? To accentuate and magnify the citrusy notes of the centennial hops (and as a shout out to Robert Johnsons mentor Blind Lemon Jefferson) we add dried lemon peel and flesh to the whirlpool" (source).
• Point St. Benedicts Winter Ale, $1.19/12oz - "St. Benedict of Nursia lived in the late 5th to early 6th centuries. Legend has it while living in solitude, he was befriended by a raven that later saved his life. He is most remembered for writing the Rule of St. Benedict that, among other virtues, teaches humility. Inspired by this Rule we humbly offer St. Benedict’s Winter Ale, a hand-crafted ale using generous amounts of dark roasted malts and the finest noble hops for a robust warming flavor" (source).
• New Belgium Biere de Garde collaboration with Vivant,  Price TBA*/22oz - "Famous in Michigan for farmhouse ales, our friends at Brewery Viviant introduced us to their biere de garde ale yeast strain. From there, we imagined a slightly tart, intentionally dry beer with hints of bergamot citrus that pairs perfectly with French cheeses" (source).

Picture of the Week

John's version of the Heisman

Cheers!

*As of early Friday morning, when New Beer Friday went to press, the New Belgium Beire de Garde had not yet been delivered to the store; therefore, no price was available. Please contact Siciliano's for pricing updates.