New Beer Friday, Homebrew Seminar & Party Edition (5/10)

Stan Hieronymus

By Chris Siciliano

After hosting a successful event like last weekend's Big Brew on Calder Plaza, you'd think the crew at Siciliano's would take a Saturday off. Not so with this bunch. Another big weekend for area homebrewers kicks off this afternoon (Friday, May 10), with celebrated beer writer Stan Hieronymus signing books at Siciliano's from 3 to 5 p.m.

If you can't make it up to Siciliano's for the signing, don't worry. Stan is also speaking at this year's annual homebrew seminars. The seminars are scheduled to take place from 6 to 10 p.m. tonight in the covered pavilion at Johnson Park in Grand Rapids. Stan and our other speaker, Walter Catton—who is opening a distillery in Holland—will each speak at length and answer questions on their respective areas of expertise.

Enthusiasts interested in attending the seminars are not required to purchase tickets in advance—cost for the seminars is $5 payable at the door. The same is not true for Saturday's 10th Annual Homebrew Party, however. Unfortunately, tickets for this event sold out weeks ago and, at this point, anyone without a ticket will have to wait until next year to attend. If it's any consolation, here's the list of the latest beers to arrive at Siciliano's Market.

New (and Returning) Beers at Siciliano's Market

• Arbor Demetrius Barrel Aged Sour Double IPA, $17.49/750ml - "Arbor Brewing Company is proud to offer this exclusive, limited-edition, hand-packaged and bottle-conditioned ale in the Belgian Aged Pale tradition. Our interpretation of this rare Belgian style was created by aging our Larry Hoppe Double IPA for six months in gueuze-innoculated oak casks and then bottle conditioning for a minimum of two months. The result is a unique ale with a bright golden hue, moderate carbonation, and a burst of complex fruity, spicy, sweet-tart, and earthy flavors, with a quenching acidity in the finish. As with most bottle-conditioned ales, there may be a thin layer of sediment on the bottom of the bottle. For best results, uncork slowly and decant gently into a glass without disturbing the sediment" (source).
• Oberon Mini Kegs, $19.95/5L mini-keg - "The five-litre cans feature a new design every year and have become somewhat of a collector's item. This year's look features a canoe paddling through a waterway that's an amalgamation of Michigan rivers and lakes. The design comes from Kent Elliott, Creative Director at Black Lab Five in downtown Kalamazoo" (source).
• Bardic Wells Apple Clu, $10.49/22oz - "Honey apple wine with hops. Bardic Wells' Clurichaun is a perfect tribute to its mischievous Celtic namesake. With each lightly carbonated sip the combination of honey and hops mystifies the senses. Its potency is wryly belied and by the bottom of the bottle, Clurichaun has elusively worked its magic" (source).
• Bardic Wells Raz Clu, $10.49/22oz - "Honey raspberry wine with hops. Bardic Wells' Clurichaun is a perfect tribute to its mischievous Celtic namesake. With each lightly carbonated sip the combination of honey and hops mystifies the senses. Its potency is wryly belied and by the bottom of the bottle, Clurichaun has elusively worked its magic" (source).
• Vivant Big Red Coq, $2.69/16oz - "Citrus with mango & pineapple notes give way to a big malty character. Made with our house Belgian yeast to give it that Vivant-ness you would expect" (source).
• Right Brain Dead Kettle IPA, $6.49/22oz - "Dead Kettle has a nice hoppy nose with them exploding on the palate. Very refreshing for the hop heads. It’s Dead Kettle, because during the first handful of brews, the kettle would die. So John made due and stumbled onto this. A happy accident. We also got a new guy to fix the burner unit. Oh, dry hops really help" (source).
• Kuhnhenn Simcoe Silly Ale, $5.89/12oz - "This Pale American Belgo style beer was 2010 GABF’s silver medal winner. It has notes of spicy pineapple, mango bubblegum aromas which comes from the unique marriage of a special Bel-gian yeast and an American Simcoe hop. This beer has an initial soft malt sweetness with orange fruitiness and finishes with a hoppy dryness" (source).
• Kuhnhenn Aldebaran, $5.89/12oz - "An Imperial Red IPA made with caramel rye malt and many other exotic malts. Made with very generous quantities of Summit and Newport hops, this beer is quite a balanced treat. Our brewers decided they wanted more out of an IPA so they used a Belgian yeast strain giving it a wonderful Belgian like aroma" (source).
• Unity Vibration Bourbon Peach Kombucha, $7.89/22oz - No commercial description available.
• Unity Vibration Kombucha Pale Ale, $7.19/22oz - "No commercial description available.
• Dogfish Head 61 Minute IPA, $2.89/12oz (2 bottle/person limit) - "The continually hopped India Pale Ale brewed with Syrah grape must" (source).
• Left Hand Twin Sisters Double IPA, $10.09/22oz - "Thanks for purchasing another offering in our series of "Big Mo" Beers. For as long as people have inhabited Colorado’s Front Range, the Twin Sisters have had a strong impact on Colorado residents. The views from atop the 11,428’ peaks are breathtaking and afford sweeping views of the entirety of Rocky Mountain National Park. As an expression of admiration we have crafted an ale that exhibits a profound impact all its own. At 11428 IBU’s (just kidding), Twin Sisters is a mountainous testament to hops, and that they bring. A feeling of ease and relaxation become apparent for all whom would dare to climb it. So for all that enjoy summiting ales with copious hops additions to achieve a felling of contentment and awe, we offer Twin Sisters Double IPA" (source).
• Southern Tier Plum Noir, $9/2922oz - "Plums are a diverse group of species, with somewhere between 19 & 40 varieties depending upon whom you ask. We’re using what we consider to be the best to brew with. the Italian plum has beautiful dark skin & the flesh is perfect for fermentation. Plum Noir’s mild sweetness is derived no necessarily from the many malts we use. A bit of plum flavor is present as well as earthy, toasted grains, & hints of caramel with mild coffee overtones" (source).
• Southern Tier 2xSteam Double Uncommon, $1.99/12oz - "Brewed with 2 varieties of hops and 3 types of malts. ABOUT THE BEER STYLE: Double Uncommon BREWED SINCE: 2013 ABV: 8.0% FERMENTATION: Lager yeast at ale temperature, two varieties of hops, three varieties of malts COLOR: Deep Gold EFFERVESCENCE: Light carbonation NOSE: Earthy, woody, slight mint aroma FLAVOR: Lightly toasted malts with woody and earthy hops, subtle but firm bitterness BITTERNESS: Low BODY: Low-medium SERVING TEMPERATURE: 40-45ºF GLASS: Nonic pint, mug AVAILABILITY: Spring-summer / 12oz (6pk and 24 bottle cases) / Draught CELLARING: 40-45ºF" (source).
• Odd Side Ales Simcoe Sensation, $1.99/12oz - "Session IPA" (source).
• Atwater Traverse City Cherry Wheat, $1.99/12oz - "TC is the cherry capital of the world and now Montmorency Cherries from this colorful town in Michigan’s 'Up North' have made their way into a wheat beer for the ages, for a taste that’s totally cherry" (source).

LO Nuevo Sorbo A Sorbo 2010 Garnacha | Featured Wine

LO Nuevo Sorbo A Sorbo 2010 Garnacha, $10.49/750ml - "Mildly smoked red bell peppers mingle with freshly ripened cherries in a cascade of medium tannins that leave the palate pleasantly dry." (Tasting notes from Doug Dorda and Sarah "Cheetah" Derylo) 

Vote GR for Beer City USA