New Beer Friday, Beer City Big Brew Edition (Feb 26)

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

We are pleased to announce that on Saturday, May 7, Siciliano’s Market is teaming up with Coldbreak Brewing and Gravel Bottom Craft Brewery & Supply to sponsor an American Homebrewers Association Big Brew Day on the Calder Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids.

As the sponsors for the Beer City Big Brew on the Calder, the above mentioned homebrew supply shops are donating and providing the following:

• The ingredients for sixty-five all-grain batches of Beer City Saison
• Bottled water for brewing
• A chilling station capable of simultaneously cooling six kettles of wort
• Platform hand carts for moving brewing equipment to and from vehicles and transporting kettles of wort to and from the chilling station

We are now asking those who wish to participate in this event to contact steve@sicilianosmkt.com with the following information:

• Whether you would like to brew one of the sixty-five batches of Beer City Saison with your own equipment (mash/lauter tuns, propane burners, kettles, etc.) and be designated as a captain of a brewing team
• Whether you will need electricity for your brewing system. Spots with electrical access are limited and will be assigned on a first-come basis
• Whether you would like to brew but are unwilling or unable to transport your equipment to the event. In this case you will be assigned to a brewing team 
• Whether you would like to participate as a member of a specific brewing team. If so, indicate the captain you would like to brew with
• Whether you wish to participate as a volunteer helper

While we will do our best to accommodate everyone who would like to participate as a brewer at this event, please keep in mind that the number of donated batches and the number of spots per team is limited.

Big Brew on Calder Plaza, 2015

New and Returning Beer

• Summit Pilsener, $1.69/12oz - "Authentic Saaz hops from the Czech Republic give our Pilsener just the right amount of spicy floral aroma. With a crisp, refreshing malt backbone and lightly spiced hops, it’s a taste of the Bohemian life" (source).
• Summit Horizon Red, $1.69/12oz - "An inspired hybrid that blurs the boundaries between IPA and Amber styles. The exceptional blend of American hops (including the harder-to-find Horizon variety) gives it an intense pine, citrus and earthy character in the nose and on the tongue" (source).
• North Peak Furry, $1.89/12oz - "The black IPA is a wonderful winter beer. Its hoppy character is sure to warm you up on a chilly Michigan winter night. Made with Chinook, Columbus and Cascade hops and Pilsner, C-40, Midnight Wheat and Carapils malts" (source).
• Short's Contro Ale, $1.99/12oz - "Loaded with hops like an IPA, yet drinks like a Pale Ale, we simply decided to call it a Strong Pale Ale. The fragrant, earthy citrus laced nose is instantly detectable. Large amounts of toasted grains and high alpha Simcoe hops form a perfect union that creates the cool sensation of toasted sourdough covered with zesty grapefruit hop marmalade" (source).
• Big Sky Ivan the Terrible, $3.29/12oz - "Big Sky Brewing’s Ivan the terrible Imperial Stout is brewed according to the traditional style using english hops and the finest american malt. It’s aroma and flavor balance well between esters of dried fruit and roasted cocoa with a slight bourbon presence" (source).
• Lagunitas Citrusinensis, $2.19/12oz - "We took some fresh Sanguinello Blood oranges, juiced ’em, concentrated that juice (without heat) and threw it into a wheatier version of our New Dogtown Pale Ale. The end result? A refreshingly hopped pale-ish ale with a huge citrus burst" (source).
• Ballast Point Pineapple Sculpin, $2.19/12oz - "Our Pineapple Sculpin IPA came from one of many small-batch cask experiments to enhance the flavor of our signature IPA. With so many tropical hop notes in Sculpin, how could we not try adding some sweet, juicy pineapple? The combination of fruity flavors and hop intensity definitely packs a punch" (source).
• Oddside Beerjito, $1.99/12oz - "Blonde ale brewed with lime and mint" (source).
• Grassroots Artic Saison (Anchorage Brewing), $15.99/750ml - "This ale embodies the spirit of perpetual creative collaboration in conjunction with disciplined brewing endeavor. We trekked to Alaska and helped craft this rustic Saison, bring with us the essence and imagination of our Vermont Farmstead Family. Share. Consider. Enjoy... Ale Fermented in Oak Tanks with Brettanomyces" (source).
• Grassroots Artic Soiree (Anchorage Brewing), $15.99/750ml - "Ale fermented and aged in oak tanks with Brettanomyces, lime juice and hibiscus" (source).
• Anchorage/Mikkeller Invasion IPA, $14.99/750ml - "Bottled with Brettanomyces" (source).
• Haand Odin's Tipple, $11.99/500ml - "Odins Tipple was meant to be a strong beer, but we changed our minds...its still strong but we wont follow the mega strong trend. It should be possible to make great beer without the extreme alcohol potency. Odins Tipple is now approx 11% abv, it’s a dark almost black beer from lots and lots of chocolate malt. Its the malt that contributes the flavor...no added coffee or anything else, Its got a great body without being old engine oil and still very drinkable due to the wild yeast we use. This beer is made with a single strain of wild yeast and the recipe is dead simple" (source).

Pic of the Week | Big Lake Brewing

Thanks to Big Lake Brewing for the tour last weekend.
If you haven't been to this Holland brewery,
you really need to check it out.

Cheers!