New Beer Friday, Grand Rapids Cider Week Edition (April 3)

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

If you’re a fan of the excellent products being produced by Michigan’s commercial cideries you have got to be excited about the slate of events on tap during the inaugural Grand Rapids Cider Week.

Sponsored by the Michigan Cider Association (MCA), the series of events will run from April 8 through April 12 and will include educational workshops, cider tastings, cider pairings and cider dinners featuring cider producers and apple growers from around the state. All workshops and cider-related activities are open to the public.

On Wednesday, April 8 Siciliano’s Market will be co-sponsoring a home cider-making class with Tandem Ciders from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market. The $35.00 fee includes cider tastings, appetizers and a complimentary MCA pint glass.

To register for the home cider-making class and for a complete schedule of the MCA Cider Week events go to MCA website.

In addition to the MCA sponsored events, there will also be a number of cider tastings at Siciliano’s Market. Dates and times for the free tastings are as follows:

• Tuesday, 4/7: Vandermill 5-7 pm
• Wednesday, 4/8: Farmhaus 5-7 pm
• Thursday, 4/9: Tandem 5-7 pm
• Friday, 4/10: Sietsma 5 -7 pm
• Saturday, 4/11: Uncle John’s 1-3 pm, Blake’s 3-5 pm

Also on Saturday Klein Cider Mill will be selling fresh squeezed juice in our back parking lot between the hours of 10 am and 1 pm. The price for Klein’s award-winning cider will be $3.75 per gallon and you must supply your own containers.

Wyeast Private Collection Pre-orders

Available April through June 2015. Orders can be placed over the phone or in store. Orders will be made Monday morning for the following Thursday.

Wyeast 3191-PC Berliner Weisse Blend™

Beer Styles: Berliner Weisse, Lambics, Geuze, Fruit Lambic, Flanders Red Ale

Profile: This blend includes a German ale strain with low ester formation and a dry, crisp finish. The Lactobacillus included produces moderate levels of acidity. The unique Brettanomyces strain imparts a critical earthy characteristic that is indicative of a true Berliner Weisse. When this blend is used, expect a slow start to fermentation as the yeast and bacteria in the blend is balanced to allow proper acid production. It generally requires 3-6 months of aging to fully develop flavor characteristics. Use this blend with worts containing extremely low hopping rates. Alc. Tolerance: 6% ABV Flocculation: low Attenuation: 73-77% Temp. Range 68-72°F (20-22°C).

Wyeast 3538-PC Leuven Pale Ale™

Beer Styles: Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Dubbel and Tripel, Belgian Strong Golden and Dark Ales, Belgian Blonde Ale, Flanders Brown Ale

Profile: This vigorous top fermenting Belgian style strain produces a distinct spicy character along with mild esters. Phenolics developed during fermentation may dissipate with conditioning. 3538 is an excellent choice for a wide variety of Belgian beer styles. Alc. Tolerance 12% ABV Flocculation high Attenuation 75-78% Temp. Range 65-80°F (18-27°C).

Wyeast 5151-PC Brettanomyces claussenii™

Beer Styles: Old Ale, Historic Porters & Milds, Foreign Extra Stout, Wild & Sour Ales, Fruit Lambic, Flemish Red Ale, Belgian Specialty Ales

Profile: Notes of tropical fruit, pineapple and, to a lesser extent, peach and blueberry round out a classic Brett profile. Produces “horse blanket,” leathery, and smoky character, but at lower level than other Brett strains. Can be used as the primary strain for fermenting, but is often used after a primary fermentation with an S. cerevisiae strain, and in blends to produce sour beers. It is highly attenuative, given proper time to fully ferment out, and is known to create a pellicle during fermentation. Alc. Tolerance 12% ABV Flocculation low Attenuation 80%+ Temp. Range 65-80°F (18-27°C).

Reminder(s) of the Week

The window for entering the 12th Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Contest is now open. Rules and entry information can be found on the competition website.

We are returning to the popular Johnson Park on Saturday, May 16 for the 12th Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Party. Tickets are $40.00 per person and are now on sale. Space is limited and tickets must be purchased in advance. Please note that party attendees will again be receiving T-shirts this year and we will be asking for sizes at the time you purchase your ticket. If you are purchasing tickets for a spouse, friend, family member or significant other, you will need to know the correct size. Please don’t guess.

New and Returning Beer

• New Belgium Summer Skinny Dip, $1.69/12oz - "Skinny Dip is a full-bodied, figure-friendly tribute to the lightly attired summer months. This guilt-free lager’s frisky character and sunny flavor make it the perfect choice for kick-starting seductive summer fun. Lively Cascade hops and complementary peaches brighten a wash of bready malts with sunny citrus flavor and a slight fruity pucker, creating a crisp sip as invigorating as a frothy dip in a mountain pond. Shed your inhibitions this season and take the plunge: Grab a friend, go bottoms up, and share a Skinny Dip" (source).
• Ace Pineapple Cider, $1.99/12oz - "Our Ace Pineapple is another first [thirst] for the California Cider Company. We believe it to be the original pineapple cider made anywhere in the world! We add pineapple juices to our fermented apple base to produce a 5% ABV cider that has a great pineapple nose and a semi-sweet initial taste with a tart finish. It is extremely refreshing and very quaffable for cider, beer, or wine drinkers. It is delicious when consumed ice cold. We got the idea for the cider on one of our many visits to the beautiful and inspiring Hawaiian Islands. It’s the ideal tropical drink especially in hot and humid climates" (source).
• Tapistry Reactor IPA, $2.59/16oz - "This dry-hopped American IPA is brewed for those hopheads that appreciate the finer flavors in life. We use a blend of Chinook, Columbus, and Cascade to present you with a bitter IPA that finishes with a citrusy aroma. We love drinking this beer and we know you will too" (source).
• Tapistry Mr Orange Wit, $2.59/16oz - "Belgian Oat Witbier brewed with Blood Orange, Chamomile and Rose Hips" (source).
• Tapistry Bring Da Ruckus, $11.09/22oz - "Double IPA with Galaxy, Amarillo, Mosaic" (source).
• Great Lakes Rye of the Tiger, $1.69/12oz - "This kitty has claws. Named for its one-two punch of fierce hops and sharp rye content,our Rye of the Tiger India Pale Ale is a thrilling ale with bite, handcrafted for the fighter in all of us. Like tigers creeping through tall grass, hopheads will stalk this majestic golden brew, rising to the challenge of its bold flavor attack. Full-bodied and loaded with hops, our Rye of the Tiger IPA is brewed with rye malt, adding a spicy complexity to every sip. It’s an ale meant to inspire feats of strength and skill, a worthy contender in the bout against the flavorless. If you can step into the ring with this hopped-up cat, you’ve earned your stripes" (source).
• Great Lakes Spring Mixed, $19.99/12pk - "A twist on our Year-Round Variety Pack, the Spring Variety Pack will release in April, and will feature four lighter-bodied seasonal beers" (source).
• Southern Tier 2xOne, $1.99/12oz - "Slightly nutty and bready notes from the malts, with citrus, tropical fruits, floral and herbal aromas. Elements of lemon, lime, papaya, apple and green pepper will be noticeable on the palate" (source).
• Rogue Brutal IPA, $2.59/12oz - "Brutal combines Oregon hops with English Malts. The Oregon grown Crystal hop is a triploid variety developed from the German Hallertau aroma hop variety with contributions from Cascade, Brewers Gold, and Early Green. Crystal is the only hop used in brewing Brutal and it provides a massive amount of aroma without dry-hopping. The English malts used are floor malted Pipkin (a mellow cross of Maris Otter and Warboys, from an English company called Beeston), Cara Vienna and Cara Wheat" (source).
• Anthem Hops Cider, $3.29/12oz - "Traditionally Fermented Cider finished with Oregon grown hops. Cider true to character; dominant notes of fermented apple accented with floral and mineral notes of dry hopping" (source).
• Anthem Pear Cider, $3.29/12oz - "Anthem Cider finished with a blend of Barlett, Bosc and D’Anjou pears from Hood River, Oregon for the first 7 batches. Ripe pear aromas with a smooth unripe green pear skin finish" (source).
• Wandering Aengus Oaked Dry Cider, $7.59/500ml - "Rich tannins and spicy aromas with a mild oak finish. Blend of English and French bittersweet apples rounded out with aromatic and sharp heirloom apples" (source).
• Wandering Aengus Bloom Cider, $7.59/500ml - "At Wandering Aengus Ciderworks we craft intriguing ciders from blends of organically grown, heirloom cider apple varieties renowned for their complexity. Bloom Cider is an authentic medium sweet cider that offers an aromatic apple nose and a bright clean finish" (source).
• Wandering Aengus Wanderlust Cider, $7.59/500ml - "WANDERLUST CIDER is an authentic semi-dry cider with a rich body and long ginger spice finish. Serve slightly chilled and enjoy with BBQ,pork,turkey or aged cheddar" (source).
• Greenbush Doomslayer, $3.49/12oz - "And the maple shall make you happy With a nice hit of straight maple sap - no watery substitute here, this delightful brown ale will usher in a whole new season. Hasn’t winter been enough of a drag? Grain: Maris Otter Pale, Caramel Malt 40, Extra Special Malt, Chocolate Malt, White Wheat Malt Hops:North down, Brambling Cross, Nottingham Yeast: House yeast Extras: Maple Sap " (source).
• Dogfish Head Black And Blue, $14.39/750ml - "Black & Blue is golden Belgian Ale made with over 300 lbs of fresh blackberries and blueberries. With a deep purple full body and a long-lasting lacy pink head, this ale is both attractive and delicious! It is tart and fruity, like our brewers! The subtle bitterness of Hallertau and Saaz hops shines through the fruit forward flavor and sets the palate aglow. (30 IBUs). This tasty brew has smooth but noticeable alcohol warmth. Belgian yeast gives this brew a characteristically dry spicy finish. The beautiful interplay of fruit, spice, and alcohol is complimented by a soft malt profile, and a high level of carbonation" (source).
• Southern Tier Mokah, $9.29/22oz - "As scientists, our brewers utilize their materials to exacting standards. As artists, they couldn’t resist the temptation to combine two of our highly acclaimed Blackwater Series Imperial Stouts: Jahva and Choklat. Alone each is perfect, but together as Mokah they are an inimitable expression of two of the world’s most sought after flavors. Enjoy Mokah stout with – or as – your favorite dessert" (source).
• Duvel Tripel Hop 2015, $4.79/11.2oz - "Thanks to the third additional hop variety Equinox, our 2015 selection is characterized with the aroma of grapefruit, lemon and a hint of fresh green pepper" (source).
• Chimay Dorée, $5.89/11.2oz - "Historically not sold in the commerce. Only available at Auberge de Poteaupré, Chimay, Belgium, as "Speciale De Poteaupré". This beer is usually reserved for the use of the Chimay Trappists" (source).
• Alaskan Imperial Rye, $7.59/22oz (1 per) - "Our Imperial Rye IPA has a big fruity hop aroma with the drying clean taste of Rye that provides some spiciness especially in the finish. The dry hopping of Mosaic, Amarillo and Calypso provides notes of pine, tangerine and pears. This is a big beer with a strong bittering element of three hop varieties in the boil to bring focus to the flavor. It is a crisp and refreshing beer and the Rye flavor is a unique twist on a double IPA" (source).
• Black Rocks Flying Sailor, $2.09/12oz (3 per) - "This beer has been an employee/pub favorite for the last few years. Falconer's Flight hops hold up against the spicy, peppery, full-body from the crystal rye malt. No lack of flavor here, so quit playing with your dingey and round the break-wall" (source).
• Black Rocks Barbaric Yawp, $8.29/22oz - Please see video below.
• Vivant Contemplation, $3.39/16oz (2 per) - "Clover honey added during the boil contributes color and complexity but adds no sweetness to the beer as the sugars are broken down during fermentation. Look for whispers of apricot and nectarine on the palate, mixed with the floral aroma of the hops grown in northern Michigan" (source).

Video of the Week | Yawp

The Barbaric Yawp Scotch Ale, a one time limited bottle release.

Cheers!