New Beer Friday, Bottle Some Delicious Edition (April 15)

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

Winexpert has announced that two new port-style wines are being added to the company’s portfolio of seasonal releases. Peppermint Mocha and Red Velvet are the latest offerings in the company’s popular dessert wine category and will debut with perennial favorite Chocolate Raspberry in special releases this fall.

Each of these three gallon kits will retail for $109.00 and are available only on a pre-order basis. Orders may be placed in person at Siciliano’s Market, by calling 616-453-9674 or via email at this address. Deadline for ordering is Tuesday, May 10th.

Descriptions for the 2016 Winexpert dessert wine offerings are as follows.

• Chocolate Raspberry Dessert Wine: Warm cherries and plums are supported by a racy zing of bright raspberry and luscious chocolate.
• Peppermint Mocha Dessert Wine: Dark chocolate and cool peppermint blend seamlessly with the rich coffee notes and dark fruit.
• Red Velvet Dessert Wine: Rich and velvety notes of dark berry with a hint of moist sponge cake enveloped in decadent cocoa.

UPDATES & REMINDERS

The Siciliano’s Homebrew Party will be held this year on Saturday, May 21, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the enclosed shelter at Johnson Park. Tickets are $45.00 and are now on sale. Seating is limited so if you plan on attending one of Beer City USA’s most popular homebrewing events you are encouraged to reserve your spot early.

We have been busy making final preparations for the Fourth Annual Beer City Big Brew on the Calder. On Saturday, May 7, forty-nine teams of homebrewers will be brewing batches of “Beer City Saison” on the Calder Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Beer City Big Brew on the Calder, sponsored by Siciliano’s Market, Coldbreak Brewing and Gravel Bottom Brewery & Supply, is free of charge and open to the public.

We have a few hop rhizomes left from this year’s pre-order that we are selling on a first-come first-serve basis for $5.00 each. Call 616-453-9674 for the specific varieties.

New and Returning Beer

• Bell's Oatsmobile, $1.79/12oz - "Aromatic. Approachable. Unique. Intriguing. Happy-go-lucky. Full-bodied. And we’re not just talking about the horse. This hop-forward session pale ale uses a blend of classic and modern Pacific Northwest hops, including Mosaic, Equinox and Glacier, for a pungent blend of peach, mango and tropical aromas. The signature ingredient - oats - are what makes Oatsmobile Ale stand apart, and gives it a body that you don’t see in most other session Pale Ales" (source).
• Griffin Claw Clubhouse, $2.19/16oz - "In addition to their line of signature favorites, Griffin Claw is now making something super special for baseball season. Their Clubhouse Cream Ale, a new brew concocted in honor of our home team, will be available in cans inside Comerica Park all season long" (source).
• New Holland Dragon's Milk Chocolate Coffee, $4.29/12oz (4 per) - "“Indulgence” is Dragon’s Milk aged with coffee and chocolate. Rich, indulgent chocolate flavors are seductively punctuated with dark and roasty coffee bitterness" (source).
• New Holland Incorrigible, $5.49/22oz (1 per) - "Incorrigible celebrates the beauty of mischief. Wild yeasts and bacteria run free in our sour-aging cellar, the House of Funk, creating vibrant sour and acidic character in this delicate, yet complex wheat beer. The refreshingly tart session beer will tease your palate with a subtle, layered nuance" (source).
• Saugatuck Daze on Saison, $1.79/12oz - "Go to a whole new dimension with this off the wall Farmhouse Ale. Dry hopped with copious amounts of Mandarina & Mosaic hops for an interesting twist" (source).
• Moosehead Raddler, $13.99/12pk - "A hugely popular beer-based mixed drink in Eastern Europe, Radlers are seen as an incredibly refreshing alternative for beer drinkers looking to try something new. Moose Light Radler is Moosehead’s take on the traditional Radler - a recipe developed using award winning light lager infused with a hit of natural fruit flavours" (source).
• B. Nektar Tuco-Style Freakout, $8.19/500ml - "Tart lime engulfs the tongue followed by a creamy sweetness of honey and agave. Medium bodied with a lime pith bitterness on the semi-dry finish. A zip of acidity adds to the wonderful balance of the sweet, tart, and bitter flavors" (source).
• B. Nektar Stupid Man Suit, $8.19/500ml - "Crisp apple and cherry forward. The sides of the tongue garner the tartness of dry apple and unripened berries while a mild sweetness rounds and balances. Medium body with a dry, refreshing finish" (source).
• Abita Shotgun IPA, $4.69/22oz - "The shotgun house is a New Orleans classic. Fire a shotgun through the front door and it will pass out the back door and never touch a wall... or so the story goes. Shotgun Double IPA is wall-to-wall hops with plenty of pale malt. First hopped in the brewhouse with multiple varieties, including Amarillo, then dry hopped with Simcoe, Sitra and Cascade. A blast of intense flavors and aromas of pine, citrus and tropical fruit" (source).
• Boulevard Heavy Lifting IPA, $1.69/12oz - "Heavy Lifting is our newest year-round beer based on our popular Tasting Room beer Mid-Coast IPA. Mid-Coast became a favorite among hopheads for its big, bold hop presence. Heavy Lifting takes that legacy further in fine style, exploding with flavor and a huge helping of five remarkably zesty and piney hops" (source).
• Boulevard Sixth Glass, $9.99/750ml - "Our quadrupel ale, also meant for the mature connoisseur, is a deep and mysterious libation, dark auburn and full-bodied, its sweetness deceptive" (source).

Video of the Week | Bell's Oatsmobile

Now available at Siciliano's.

Cheers!