New Beer Friday, Brewers Please Apply Edition (May 30)

Photo courtesy of
Marinade's Facebook page

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

This past week I got a call from a local business owner who told me he was looking for a new head brewer to produce a lineup of hand-crafted beer on the restaurant’s small in-house system.

Aaron Zainia, the owner of Marinades Pizza Bistro, said the brewer would receive a flat fee for each keg of beer produced and would work for the restaurant as an independent contractor.

The downtown Rockford location has been producing and pouring its own hand-crafted beer for the last three years and is looking to expand production. Aaron said that eventually he would like to have five in-house brews on tap.

This sounds like a great opportunity for a homebrewer looking to take steps toward the eventual goal of becoming a brewing professional. Anyone interested should call Aaron at 616-901-8370 or email him at aaron@marinadespizzabistro.com.

In other news, I can’t believe this is the last New Beer Friday of May, but time flies when you’re busy and having fun. We were certainly busy this past month working on the Big Brew on the Calder and the 11th Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Party and, as anyone who attended these events knows, they were certainly a lot of fun.

Next up is the National Homebrewers Conference which is coming to Grand Rapids the second week of June. Since Siciliano’s Market is both the Keynote Speaker sponsor and the Volunteer sponsor for this event, the busyness continues for Barb, myself and the staff. If you’re attending the conference make sure you stop by our booth. There will be some fun things going on. Until then, please enjoy the latest new beers to hit the shelves at Siciliano's.

New and Returning Beer

• Goose Island The Ogden, $3.19/12oz - "This limited release Belgian style Tripel is dry hopped to balance spicy, tropical American hop flavors with a unique Belgian yeast, giving it a bold more complex palate" (source).
• Saugatuck Hop on a Blonde, $2.59/12oz - "This hopped up version of Oval Beach Blonde maintains a crisp and refreshing feel. Hop on a Blonde is an excellent summer beer with a little extra kick of hops (without all the bitterness). I rate this as an exceptional beer that can please many palates" (source).
• Green Flash 30th Street Pale Ale, $6.19/22oz - "30th Street Pale Ale is a strong pale ale that is well dry-hopped making it taste like an IPA by many hop head’s standards. The beer was brewed to recognize the synergy behind the craft beer culture on 30th Street in San Diego and was released for the Green Flash 6th Anniversary Celebration" (source).
• New Holland Rye Hatter, $4.79/22oz - "Rye lends spiciness to the caramel-malt base, while creating a creamy texture. Dry-hopping contributes a fresh citrus finish. Pairings: blue cheese, blackened seafood, herb-roasted poultry" (source).
• New Holland Black Hatter, $4.79/22oz - "IPA brewed with black malts which add dark roasted flavors. Dry hopped. Centennial finish. Pairings: Aged cheddars, arugula in vinaigrette, portabella sir-fry" (source).
• New Holland Michigan Awesome Hatter, $4.79/22oz - "The epitome of Hand Crafted, Michigan Awesome Hatter celebrates community, collaboration & local agriculture. Centennial hops from the Leelanau Peninsula provide bright citrusy counterpoint to the delicious and earthy malt notes from Michigan grown and malted 2-row barley. Thanks to our collaborators, Michigan Awesome" (source).
• New Holland Imperial Hatter, $4.79/22oz - "A robust renovation of the India Pale Ale. Assertive dry-hoppying provides an aromatic telltale nose, indicative of the bitter symphony to follow. Bold hop character with lively grapefruit and citrus notes" (source).
• Schloss Eggenberg Samichlaus Classic, $5.79/12oz - "The once strongest beer in the world is back ! Brewed only once a year on December 6. Samichlaus is aged for 10 months before bottling. This beer is perhaps the rarest in the world. Samichlaus may be aged for many years to come. Older vintages become more complex with a creamy warming finish. Serve with hardy robust dishes and desserts, particulary with chocolates, or as an after dinner drink by itself. Brewed under the exclusive licence of Feldschlösschen-Hürlimann-Holding, Switzerland" (source).
• Left Hand Nitro Sawtooth Ale, $2.19/12oz - "Sawtooth Ale is an English style Extra Special Bitter. It is an extremely well balanced beer, with significant hop character, medium body, and a maltiness which increases in evidence as the beer warms to its "proper" drinking temperature. . The water used is quite hard, bringing it to near Burton on Trent levels, keeping it true to the style. This gives it the appropriate character and improves the malt extract significantly" (source).
• Redhook/Resignation kcco, $1.69/12oz - "A Resignation Recipe Brewed In Collaboration with Redhook. A toast lager with notes of chocolate and coffee. Unlike a heavy porter or a stout it’s amazingly light, crispy, and sessionable. KCCO Black is a delicious misfit" (source).

Video of the Week | Pure Michigan Craft Beer

We've posted this before, but it just seems appropriate
with summer finally here.

Cheers!