New Beer Friday, All New Eight Pack Edition (June 21)

Preamble by Doug Dorda

Jeff enjoying his new eight pack

How often has this happened to you? You walk through the aisles of Siciliano’s with a freshly filled six pack and begin to approach the register. But on your way there you uncover the very beer you were there for in the first place! Obviously you desire that beer so you grab one, or two, and proudly place the arrangement of beers on the counter.

Up until this very moment, beer carrying technology has supplied us with flimsy cardboard four or six packs that offer no insulation, can become soggy due to condensation, might break (causing the appalling loss of one or more beers), can hold only four to six beers, and simply do not provide the proper canvas for a beer lovers sticker collection.

Scientific breakthroughs in hold-my-beer-for-me technology have finally provided us with the solution to the problematic packs of the past. Meet the new fan-plastic eight pack, designed right here in Michigan by Adam Harden.

This eight pack will comfortably hug eight beers of your choosing inside its protective walls of high density plastic that is nigh indestructible. The pack can be coated with ice and will show no signs of degradation. It can even be washed in the case of thorough soaking.

Adam designed the pack with the craft beer populace in mind. No longer shall we be shackled by the constraints of six beers alone, or how to comfortably fit six beers or more into a bag or box. Arrived are the days of the four beers for you and four beers for myself scenario. Homebrewers, bring eight samples of your creations to a friend's house or club meeting with a brand new panache!

Now, being that the eight pack is new to the market and this will be its first iteration, Adam would like to welcome anyone who purchases one to contact him directly with suggestions for improvement or to provide any insight you may have.

You may be wondering how much this pack will cost, perhaps $20 or $30 dollars? Act now and we'll give you the entire eight pack for the low low price of $12, Siciliano's "Brew On" sticker included. Ironically, there are only six selections on this week's list of new beers at Siciliano's. What are the odds of that?

New and Returning Beers at Siciliano's Market

• Dogfish Head Sixty-One, $2.59/12oz - "The continually hopped India Pale Ale brewed with Syrah grape must" (source).
• Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA, $5.09/12oz - "Founders most complex, most innovative, most feared and yet most revered ale produced. Massive in complexity the huge malt character balances the insane amount of alpha’s used to create this monster. More IBU’s than any brewery has documented, more than you would believe and dry-hopped for twenty-six days straight with a combination of 10 hop varieties. Dangerously drinkable and deliciously evil. We dare you to dance with the Devil. 112 IBUs" (source).
• Nectar Ales Red Nectar, $1.99/12oz - "Boasting a ruby hue and an exquisite floral aroma, Red Nectar is a robust yet elegant brew with distinctive accents of toasted malt, caramel, spice and residual sweetness. The beer that started it all… Red Nectar was considered a strange bird when it was first released in 1987. After all, where did a robust, handcrafted all-natural amber ale fit into the massive flock of American industrial lagers? Answer: it didn’t. So it blazed its own trail, helping set the pace for the craft brew revolution. Enjoy Red Nectar for its dazzling reddish copper hue, original flavors and caramel spice accents" (source).
• Nectar Ales Nectar IPA, $1.99/12oz - "Our IPA is created from a base of Pale and Crystal malts and is aggressively hopped throughout the brewing process with a final hop addition in the conditioning vessel. A beautiful flowery hop aroma will greet you as you dive into this hop lover’s dream. A middle caramel malt presence balances high hop bitterness with hop flavor end to end... learn to love hops!" (source).
• Nectar Ales Humboldt Brown Hemp Ale, $1.99/12oz - "Affiliated with the Nectar Ales experience through shared origins at Humboldt Brewing Company, Hemp Ale is a one-of-a-kind brew that boasts an incredibly rich profile and unique herb-accented flavor that is attributable to the incorporation of hemp seeds into the brewing process. A wonderful brown ale full of complexity Hemp Ale is great with food or by itself. American hops create a perfect balance to the darker malts used in this brew. This brown ale is the Gold Medal winner for first place in its category at both the 1999 and 2000 California State Fair Craft Brewing Competitions" (source).
• Frankenmuth 150th Anniversary Lager, $24.19/34oz - "Special 150th Anniversary Dark Lager blended with a portion of a Frankenmuth Dark batch from 50 years ago. Only 1862 1 liter bottles produced" (source).

Picture of the Week | The White Whale of Beers

Buzz editor Chris Siciliano found this gem at a bar
in a little mountain town in Southern Oregon
during his recent vacation. 

Cheers!