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| Medals from a previous year |
Team Siciliano has been putting a lot of time in lately working out the specifics of our annual trio of spring homebrewing events. Running a good-sized homebrew competition, organizing a massive Big Brew Day in downtown Grand Rapids and throwing a large celebration of homebrewing in a county park may be a lot of work, but I can’t think of more rewarding ways to give thanks to our loyal customers for their continued support.
Information regarding the 12th Annual Homebrew Contest was presented in a previous post and is now listed on the competition web site. More detailed information on the 3rd Annual Big Brew on the Calder and the 12th Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Party will be coming shortly. In the meantime here are a few of the pertinent details.
- Despite the inclement weather our second Big Brew Day was another huge success and if Mother Nature cooperates this May I’m confident that the 2015 edition will be even better. The 3rd Annual Siciliano’s Big Brew at the Calder is scheduled for Saturday, May 2. Details on how to captain or participate on a team will be posted in the February 20th edition of New Beer Friday.
- We are returning to the popular Johnson Park on Saturday, May 16, for the 12th Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Party. Tickets will be $40.00 per person and will go on sale Monday, March 23. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance.
- General registration for the competition will open this year on Monday, March 9, at 8 a.m. and will close Sunday, April 12, at 10 p.m. Complete competition details as well as bottle label printing can be found on the competition site. Please note that the registration for judging and stewarding is open now. Anyone who is interested in volunteering as a judge or a steward for the competition can find pertinent information under Volunteer Info.
Finally, I’ve had a few inquiries as to whether we’ll be using the new BJCP guidelines for this year’s competition. The 2014 guidelines have been drafted but have not officially been adopted and the BJCP is asking that they not yet be used in competitions. In view of this, we will be using the 2008 guidelines for the 2015 competition.
New and Returning Beer
- Dark Horse Reign in Blood Orange, $2.19/12oz - "A pale ale made with blood orange peels & fruit" (source).
- Dark Horse Plead the 5th Imperial Stout, $3.29/12oz (limit 4 per) - "It's big and full bodied with lots of roasted malts and balanced with heavy hops to put this imperial in a league of its own" (source).
- Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree, $4.49/12oz (limit 4 per) - "Have you read the description for the regular Crooked Tree yet? Well this beer is almost the same just double. We actually took the Crooked Tree recipe and doubled all of the ingredients except the water, just the way a DOUBLE should be made. Big hops balanced with tons of malt give this beer a huge body. Although this beer is as cool as "the Fonz" when first purchased, it gets really mellow and smooth with some age. After a year or two stored in a cool dark place you'll notice the heavy caramel and malt flavors are trying to sneak past the hops, they’re just not fast enough. This beer is hugely delicious so it will need your undivided attention" (source).
- Coronado Brewing / Devils Backbone Devils Tail IPA, $8.19/22oz - "This is a tale of shared passion, mojo and simpatico that spells the impetus of this fine collaboratively birthed IPA. Picture it, Washington D.C., May 2014: Brewers hailing from both sides of the country find each other in a tightly packed room. They share beers, stories and laughs, forming a friendship that will stretch far beyond SAVOR, the two-day beer-and-food fete that’s brought them together. Skip ahead to fall of the same year and it’s plain to see, 2014 has been a good year for both factions, with Coronado Brewing Company being named Champion Mid-Sized Brewing Co. and Brewmaster at the World Beer Cup and Devils Backbone Brewing Company capturing Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival. Such feats are made to be celebrated and, in the brewing industry, beer is how that’s done. This is the first of two collaboration beers this dynamic duo will brew-an IPA collaboration with Virginia’s award winning Devils Backbone Brewing Company. This beer has bright citrus and tropical fruit character care of Centennial and Mosaic hops, plus a burst of woody rusticity from the Northern Brewer hops. Consider it Chapter One of an epic saga that’s only getting started" (source).
- Triporteur From Heaven, $5.29/12oz - "A heavily hopped beer brewed using home-baked malt. Triporteur From Heaven is the modern version of traditional hopped Belgian ale. It is a heavenly beer brewed with home-baked BOM malt" (source).
- Triporteur From Hell, $5.29/12oz - "Triporteur From Hell is a dark beer brewed with hellish burned and roasted BOM malt. The beer reminds us of chocolate, caramel, recently brewed coffee and freshly baked bread. The wheat malt in the unfiltered beer can cause a slight cloudiness. The taste of Hell keeps evolving in the bottle" (source).
- Dupont Triomfbier Vooruit, $11.99/22oz - "Brewed only once before in celebration of the 100 year anniversary of the Vooruit art center in Ghent. An innovative updated version of the classic Saison style made with the addition of smoked crystal malt. Brewed with the same yeast used to make the award-winning and world famous Saison Dupont. A Belgian Smoked Saison with citrus flavors of sweet orange peel and grapefruit balance with a hint of campfire smoke. An easy-drinking session beer that will please even the most sophisticated beer lover" (source).
- 5 Quinto Belgian Blonde Ale, $6.09/12oz - "Brewed for the opening of the new Dilewyns brewery and sold as Dilewyns Openingsbier. Marketed since 2012 as Vicaris Quinto" (source).
- Gruut Belgian Wit, $3.99/12oz - "Gruut is an ancient Flemish coin. In medieval Ghent, brewers used Gruuts to pay taxes on the richness of their brew. Gentse Stadsbrouwerij has revived this tradition with Gruut Wit Beer. Enjoy it’s natural cloudiness, golden color, and refreshing finish (source).
- Lupus Wolf 7, $4.79/12oz - "Golden beer with a beautiful firm white head. In the aroma you distinguish mainly vanilla, white pepper and some fruity scents. The main palate is soft sweet, creamy with a sober alcohol impression. In the aftertaste you notice some stone fruits (peach, nectarine) and a soft and smooth bitterness is elegantly present. In short, a savoury blond with a complaisant character" (source).
- Lupus Wolf 9, $4.79/12oz - "Deep-amber coloured beer with a dense rocky head. It has a fruity aroma with scents of banana and pear. The palate is sweet and fruity, with some apricot. The finish is strong and spicy, with a sweet, warm alcohol impression" (source).
- Shepherd Neame Spitfire, $2.19/12oz - "An infusion of three Kentish hops adorns this beautifully balanced, blood-orange tinted British bitter with an acutely aromatic allure. Hints of marmalade, red grapes and pepper are thrust from a springboard of warm, mellow malts. The floating fruity finish signs off with a smidgen of spice and raspberry" (source).
- Dinkelacker Schwaben Bräu Das Naturtrübe, $4.19/500ml - "Das Naturtrübe is an unfiltered natural Pilsener beer which has been brewed from selected ingredients. Brewed according to all rules of brewery and the German Reinheitsgebot, this beer will be the perfect choice for all experts and lovers of extraordinary beers" (source).
- Schmohz Barley Wine, $5.99/12oz - "A very special celebration ale, crafted from unbelievable amounts of barley and hops. Enjoy the complex hop tones as you warm the glass in your hand and smell the gentle roasts. Citrus and plum flavors will dance on your tongue as you taste each sip. Enjoy in moderation with friends to take the edge off the cold days of winter" (source).
- Weyerbacher Insanity, $4.29/12oz - "Insanity, 11.1% ABV, is made by aging our Blithering Idiot Barleywine Ale in whiskey barrels. The barrel aging imparts an additional level of complexity to an already intense malt profile by adding a combination of vanilla, oak and whiskey notes" (source).
- Weyerbacher Tiny, $9.29/22oz - "Tiny is a Belgian inspired Imperial Stout weighing in at 11.8% ABV. You’ll find big chocolate and roasted notes, balanced with the Belgian flavors from the Abbey yeast strain" (source).
- Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, $3.39/12oz - "Blithering Idiot, 11.1% ABV, is brewed in the British tradition of balanced, hearty ales. It’s a deep-copper ale with notes of date and fig. The finish is warm and fruity and begs for the next sip" (source).
- Weyerbacher Double Simcoe, $3.39/12oz - "Double Simcoe IPA, 9.0% ABV, is a full flavored ale with hints of pineapple and citrus up front, a good malt backbone in the middle and a clean finish" (source).
- Weyerbacher Merry Monks, $2.69/12oz - "Merry Monks, 9.3% ABV, is a Belgian-style Tripel. Pilsner malt combined with an Abbey yeast strain yields a remarkable and complex flavor packed with notes of spice, banana and pear. Nicely balanced, with a moderate to dry finish" (source).
- Weyerbacher LAst Chance IPA, 2.29/12oz - "Last Chance IPA, 5.9% ABV, is a full-flavored hop assault delightfully lacking in balance. We’ve added a combination of Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe® and Columbus hops to produce pungent aromas of grapefruit, pine and citrus" (source).
Book of the Week | Grand Rapids Beer
Grand Rapids Beer by Pat Evans is now available at Siciliano's.
Cheers!
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