New Beer Friday, Say it with Hops Edition (Aug 16)

By Chris Siciliano

I've been sitting here for the last hour trying to think of something interesting to write for New Beer Friday. Well, it finally occurred to me: Sometimes the only way forward is to shut up and let the hops do the talking.

A big thanks to Siciliano's longtime friend Tim Chilcote for this picture taken at his small, one-acre hobby hop farm near Muskegon.

This season marks Tim and family's first foray into hop growing and, depending on the harvest, they may have a few pounds available to interested homebrewers. Stay tuned for updates. See below for the list of new beers to hit the shelves this week at Siciliano's.

New & Returning Beer

• Ommegang Scythe and Sickle Harvest Ale, $2.79/12oz - "Scythe & Sickle Harvest Ale is brewed with barley, wheat, oats and rye. Scythe and sickle is a seasonal brew that celebrates the richness of the grain harvest. Brewed with barley, wheat, oats and – in a nod to traditional upstate New York grains – rye, this fine ale is malty and creamy on the palate. The flavors of the grains and earth shine through. Enjoy the refreshment of the season and joys of fine brewing" (source).
• Arbor Mackinac Island Fudge, $2.29/12oz - "A roasty, dry stout made with real fudge for a subtle chocolate-fudge character without being sweet. Top with whipped cream for a special treat!" (source).
• Brooklyn Oktoberfest, $1.69/12oz - "Brooklyn Oktoberfest was introduced in 2000. It is true to the original German style, full-bodied and malty, with a bready aroma and light, brisk hop bitterness" (source).
• Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin, $1.69/12oz - "Post Road Pumpkin Ale is a revival of a beer brewed by the early American colonists. Pumpkins were plentiful, flavorful and nutritious and they blended nicely with barley malt. Hundreds of pumpkins are blended into each batch of Post Road Pumpkin Ale, creating a beer with an orange amber color, warm pumpkin aroma, biscuity malt center and crisp finish. Post Road Pumpkin Ale is spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg" (source).
• Fort Collins Hoptitude Imperial Extra Pale Ale, $2.89/12oz - "What’s better on a warm day in the mountains (or at sea level, for that matter) than relaxing with a strong beer that drinks easy? Hoptitude has an aromatic orange rind nose courtesy of a late addition of Pacifica hops from New Zealand, a bready malt backbone, a refreshing hop flavor reminiscent of dry grapefruit, and a palate cleansing finish" (source).
• New Belgium Pumpkick, $1.69/12oz - "What’s that bite of tartness doing in a pumpkin beer? Adding the unexpected kick of cranberry juice to brighten this traditionally spiced seasonal ale. PUMPKICK is brewed with plenty of pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, but it’s the cranberries and touch of lemongrass that send your tastebuds sailing" (source).
• Heavy Seas Riptide, $1.99/12oz - "Riptide white IPA is a beer brewed with a malt body similar to a Belgian style Wit with loads of torrified wheat. It’s hopped like an IPA, but we use a unique blend of Czech Saaz, French Strisselspalt, Calypso, Centennial and Cascade hops to create a big citrus nose and flavor with floral accents. To complete the feel of the wit style, we push the beer through our hopback which is loaded with Spanish sweet orange peel, Curaçao bitter orange peel, coriander, and a generous helping of hops. It’s fermented with a classic Belgian Wit yeast which provides all of the fruity and spicy notes you’d expect. We then blast the tank with our hop cannon which is loaded with Calypso, Strisselspalt, and Citra hops and more orange peel. The beer is then lightly filtered to retain all of the exceptional yeast character" (source).
• Heavy Seas Red Sky at Night, $1.99/12oz - "This beer is brewed in the Belgian Saison style (country farm house ale). A potent yet delicate ale, brewed with a unique Belgian yeast which develops a spicy, fruity flavor. Enormously complex. Available from May to around August" (source).
• Anderson Valley Fall Hornin Pumpkin Ale, $2.19/12oz - "With a brilliant, deep copper hue and creamy beige-colored head, our Fall Hornin' Pumpkin Ale has inviting aromas of caramelized malt and baking bread with highlights of cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin and seasonal spices. The pleasantly creamy mouthfeel and silky body embrace the sweet caramel flavors and tang of spices (with just a hint of hops) that ends in a smooth, round finish." (source).

Reminder of the Week

 Siciliano's Annual Homebrew & Winemaking Sale is the week of September 9.

Visit New Beer Friday, Big September Sale Edition for more details.

Salud!