New Beer Friday, Last Call for Tickets Edition (May 6)

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

If you’re planning on attending the Siciliano’s Homebrew Party this year and if you want a nice commemorative T-shirt to be included in your bag of gifts, please be advised that you must purchase your $45.00 ticket by noon on Monday, May 9. We will continue selling tickets at a discounted rate ($35.00) until Monday, May 16, but because we need a two week lead time to order apparel, we will not be able to provide a shirt to anyone purchasing a ticket after the May 9 deadline.

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. Here are other pertinent details:

• Bring some homebrew to drink and share. If you are not a homebrewer, simply bring a mixed six-pack or two of your favorite beer from Siciliano's.
• Tickets must be paid in advance with cash, check or credit card either in person at Siciliano's Market or over the phone. Tickets purchased over the phone may be picked up on the day of the party.
• Snacks and munchies will be provided and brats, hamburgers and sides will be served from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. 
• Attendees will receive a logoed Siciliano’s tasting glass along with some other nice gifts when they check-in.
• Entertainment will be provided by Jimmie Stagger.
• Score sheets for the Thirteenth Annual Homebrew Competition will be available for pick-up. Medals will be presented and the Best-of-Show winner of the Siciliano’s Cup will be announced at 4:30 pm. Score sheets for those not attending the party will be available for pick-up at the store on May 22. If you live outside the Grand Rapids area and would like your scoresheet (and medal) mailed to you, contact steve@sicilianosmkt.com.

It appears that the weather is going to cooperate for tomorrow’s Fourth Annual Beer City Big Brew on the Calder. Four years ago Siciliano’s Market sponsored the first Big Brew in downtown Grand Rapids and the event has since become one of West Michigan’s most popular public homebrewing celebrations. This year fifty teams of dedicated homebrewers will be brewing batches of Beer City Saison on this highly visible stage. Samples of hand-crafted, homemade beer will be available to those of legal drinking age and at 1 p.m. mayor Rosalynn Bliss will lead the gathering in a simultaneous, country-wide toast to this life enriching hobby.

We are pleased that Coldbreak Brewing and Gravel Bottom Craft Brewery & Supply have signed on this year as co-sponsors of the event. The Beer City Big Brew on the Calder is free of charge and open to the public.

New and Returning Beer

• Dark Horse Kamikaze Kaleidoscope, $1.79/12oz - "Kamikaze Kaleidoscope appears hazy straw in color with a bright white head thanks to the healthy amount of wheat in this friendly summer Wit, making it very approachable. Sweet wheat and citrus aromas come to the scene next with a slight hint of Wit yeast that makes this such a unique and drinkable beer. Subtle flavors of Orange and Lemon lace in nicely with a big wheat mouthfeel and a slight tartness thanks to the Wit yeast used in this beer. Finishing dry and clean, this beer will definitely be on your list of summer beers to crush from now on" (source).
• Founders Sumatra Mountain Brown, $3.09/12oz (4 per) - "Brown Ale with Sumatran coffee added" (source).
• Stone Enjoy By 5.30.16 Tangerine IPA, $2.99/12oz - "After brewing this intense double IPA with more than 10 different hops and consistently delivering it faster than any bottled IPA on the planet, we decided to do something different with this Stone Enjoy By IPA—we took it to another level, again. Puréed tangerines were added to the batch to create a devastatingly fresh IPA with a tang of tangerine. The flavors yielded by this addition to the recipe meld beautifully with the bitterness of the hops. True to this series, Stone Enjoy By Tangerine IPA is brewed specifically NOT to last, and should be enjoyed within 37 days" (source).
• Sierra Nevada Hoptimum, $2.59/12oz - "Hoptimum is a hurricane of whole-cone hop flavor. Hopped, dry hopped and torpedoed for incredible hop flavor and complexity, Hoptimum is the pinnacle of whole-cone hoppiness and the biggest Imperial IPA we have ever produced. It features resinous hop varieties: Magnum, Chinook, Simcoe and a new experimental hop variety exclusive to Sierra Nevada. With intense hop flavors and aromas of grapefruit rind, pine, herbs and tropical fruit, Hoptimum is an aggressive drinking experience. Originally created as part of our Beer Camp program, Hoptimum throws down the gauntlet to all other IPAs" (source).
• Goose Island Fulton and Wood Calm Raddler, $1.69/12oz - "Wheat ale brewed with cucumber, lime and mint" (source).
• Goose Island Halia, $26.09/750ml (1 per) - "Goose Island Halia is a sour peach saison aged in wine barrels with Brettanomyces Claussenii and fifty pounds of peaches per barrel " (source).
• Deschutes Black Butte XXVI, $17.19/22oz (1 per) - "Our 26th anniversary Imperial Porter was aged in bourbon barrels and dry spiced with Theo Chocolate’s cocoa nibs, revealing hints of vanilla and chocolate. Pomegranate molasses and Oregon cranberries complement the robust flavor with a hint of fruit and just enough tart to make you smile" (source).
• Perrin Lil Griz, $2.99/12oz - "Deliberately blazing our own trail, we brewed this barrel aged brown ale believing there is room for a new craft beer category: “Sessionable Bourbon Barrel Aged Beers”. Weighing in at 6.8% ABV ( Alc. 6.8% by Vol. ), the rich chocolate notes & creaminess of the flaked oats easily justify this beer bringing home a FoBAB medal this year. We hope you enjoy the ‘Lil Griz" (source).
• Short's Ocho de Mayo, $1.99/12oz - "Ocho de Mayo is a light and refreshing Gose Ale with delicate citrus and prominent wheat aromatics.  Initial flavors of big tangy lemon and lime, combine with subtle tastes of blue agave and a lip licking saltiness to create the sensation of drinking a cool carbonated margarita.  An ample dry finish encourages the need to sample again and repea" (source).
• Southern Tier Hop Sun, $1.69/12oz - "Pour Hop Sun Summer Wheat Beer into a pint glass, give it a long whiff and you’ll realize that this isn’t your average wheat beer. Filtered to a golden clarity and dry-hopped to perfection, Hop Sun is a fantastic session ale in which flavors of wheat, barley and hops co-mingle to a refreshing and zesty conclusion. Hints of lemon and sweet malts waft to the fore as a touch of bitterness contributes to Hop Sun’s bright finish. Enjoy Hop Sun all summer long as a perfect balance to your outdoor recreation. Summer never tasted so good" (source).
• Atwater Traverse City Cherry Wheat, $1.99/12oz - "TC is the cherry capital of the world and now Montmorency Cherries from this colorful town in Michigan’s “Up North” have made their way into a wheat beer for the ages, for a taste that’s totally cherry. Prost!" (source).
• Ballast Point Calm Before the Storm, $2.59/12oz - "Calm Before the Storm came from a quest for a warm weather alternative to our Victory at Sea Imperial Porter. Like its more robust cousin, we infuse a punch of flavor using cold brewed Caffé Calabria coffee and a hint of vanilla. But this time, we added it to a lighter-bodied golden cream ale. The end result is a surprisingly bright, coffee-forward beer that’s perfectly refreshing" (source).
• Odd Side Grapefruit, $2.59/12oz - "A wheat beer brewed with grapefruit" (source).
• Jolly Pumpkin Saison Z, $15.29/750ml (1 per) - "Why is there a sword and shield wielding bat riding a 4 tusked hog? The same reason we put chocolate, kumquats, amaranth and orange peel in Saison Z, because it’s weird and we do what we wan" (source).
• Jolly Pumpkin Rojzilla, $14.39/750ml (1 per) - "A 100 bbl foudre of La Roja, aged for a year and a half, blended with a few “normal” sized barrels of varying ages to create a complex mellifluous blend of flavor and sophistication" (source).
• Jolly Pumpkin Hamajang, $14.39/750ml (1 per) - "Blend of Sea Buckthorn Fandango (collaboration with Mikkel, in oak for 1 year and 4 months) and Innovatorman (collaboration with Jeppe and Charles Psenka, in oak for 1 year and 3 months)" (source).

Picture of the Week | Founders Tasting

A friendly reminder that Siciliano's hosts free tastings with your favorite breweries
on a regular basis. Many bring swag to hand out to our patrons.
Keep an eye on our Facebook page for announcements.

Cheers!