New Beer Friday, Call for Entries Edition (February 10)

Gold!

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

From its humble beginnings fourteen years ago, the Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition has developed into one of Michigan’s most respected competitive homebrewing events.

We are pleased to announce that this year’s Best of Show brewer will again have the opportunity to brew his or her winning recipe at Trail Point Brewing Company in addition to winning a $500.00 gift card to Siciliano’s Market and, per tradition, having his or her name engraved on the prestigious Siciliano’s Cup.

See below for contest rules and regulations for the Fourteenth Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition. Best of luck everyone!

• Every homebrewer is allowed one (1) beer entry. All entries must be brewed by the registrant on a homebrewing system. Please do not submit entries under the names of significant others, insignificant others, siblings, offspring, distant relatives, estranged roommates, pets, fictional characters, imaginary friends or anyone else. 
• Beers are submitted according to the 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines. Ciders and meads are excluded from this contest. If you are unsure of which is the correct style for your beer, contact us and we will help. 
• Entries require two (2) plain, unlabeled/unmarked 12-ounce amber bottles. Please no clear bottles or bottles of any other size. 
• We are again using Reggiebeer as our competition website. Go here to enter your beer and print bottle labels. 
• The entry fee is $7.00. 
• The total number of contest entries will be capped at 200. Do not delay in submitting your entry. Once the cap is reached no additional entries will be accepted. 
• Online registration for entries will be accepted from Monday, March 20 through Sunday, April 9 or until 200 entries are submitted, whichever occurs first. 
• Entries must be received by Sunday, April 9. Entries will not be accepted after that date. If mailing an entry, please include paperwork and submission fee. Ship in a well-packed box to: Siciliano’s Market // 2840 Lake Michigan Dr. NW // Grand Rapids, MI 49504

All entries in the Siciliano’s Homebrew Competitions are judged by industry professionals and/or trained judges according to the standards of style, not in comparison to each another, with the exception of Best in Show. Entries that receive scores falling within designated point totals will be awarded bronze, silver or gold medals.

A reminder too that we are looking for judges and stewards to help us evaluate all that homebrew. Judging will be held on Saturday, April 22 at the Guest House in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Registration for judges and stewards is now open. Please visit this page for sign-up information.

New and Returning Beer

• Dark Horse Rain in Blood, $1.99/12oz - "Our tribute to the late Jeff Hanneman and the greatest band of all time, Slayer. This pale ale is brewed with fresh blood oranges and blood orange juice that is hand squeezed at the brewery. It should be enjoyed fresh and paired with delicious heavy metal" (source).
• Founders "T"all Day Cans, $1.99/19.2oz - "Naturally brewed with a complex array of malts, grains and hops. Balanced for optimal aromatics and a clean finish" (source).
• Latitude 42 Cosmic Charlie, $2.09/16oz - "Session Pale Ale" (source).
• Latitude 42 Honey Amber, $2.09/16oz - "Our American amber ale features locally harvested Michigan wildflower honey from Schoolhouse Honey Farms in Scotts, MI, and Willamette and Nugget hops. Malty, sweet and well-rounded" (source).
• Bruery Share This: Molé, $16.99750ml - "Let’s move beyond the concept of grabbing a beer, and reach for something bigger. Share This beer and be part of helping friends become mobile for the first time in Mexico – the source and inspiration of select ingredients in this beer. Each release in our Share This series spotlights unique ingredients and an important cause. Share This: Mole is a mole-inspired imperial stout collaboration with Chef Anne Conness, featuring ancho chilies, chipotle peppers, cinnamon, vanilla and cacao nibs. For each bottle we produce, Free Wheelchair Mission receives one dollar" (source).
• Bruery The Order, $12.69/750ml - "Monastic breweries wrote the book on complex ales that weave notes of dark fruits, spices, caramelized character and warmth into each sip. The Order summons that tradition and adds local inspiration. Our darkening, Belgian-inspired abbey ale features dark-fruited character from dates, Belgian-style sugars and subtle spicing from coriander, which compliments the Belgian yeast esters" (source).
• Bruery Terreux Frucht with Boysenberry, $14.19/750ml - "Welcome to Frucht, our land of fruited Berliner Weisse-style beers. Known for a tart flavor profile and traditionally low ABV, our German-style wheat beer gains even more funky notes and natural earthy-woodiness from fermentation in one of our twin oak foeder vessels - the largest known to be fabricated in this country. Each installment in the series features a new fruit, or Frucht, if we’re Sprechen sie Deutsch. This installment has boysenberries added, which impart a puckering jamminess and gem-like hue" (source).
• Thirsty Dog Barrel Aged Siberian Night, $6.89/12oz - "We took our award winning Siberian Night Russian Imperial Stout and aged it for 11 months in fresh bourbon barrels. The result blew us away. The dark chocolate malt yields a milk chocolate flavor that blends perfectly with the vanilla flavor from the barrel. The bourbon aroma adds the finishing touch" (source).
• Thirsty Dog Barrel Aged Wulver, $6.89/12oz - "We made this beer specifically for bourbon barrels. The result is our most acclaimed bourbon barrel beer. Bourbon barrel aging and specialty malts create flavors of vanilla and carmel that blend in perfect balance" (source).
• Oscar Blues Deviant Dale, $2.29/16oz - "Deviant Dale’s Imperial IPA (8% ABV, 85 IBUs) was born at the cross roads, in a juke joint, as if Dale’s Pale Ale sold its soul to balance Deviant’s foreboding aromas of citrus, grapefruit rind and piney resins with a copper ball-of-fire color and inscrutable finish. The 2011 Great American Beer Festival Silver Medal Winner (American IPA Category) is the Devil incarnate with untold amounts of malt and hedonistic Columbus dry-hopping" (source).
• Ommegang Siren Song, $3.29/12oz - "Roasted malt and burnt sugar aromas lead, followed by flavors of dark fruit and notes of dark caramel. The finish is smooth and balanced with subtle bitterness" (source).
• Dogfish Head 60 Minute, $1.89/12oz cans - "Our flagship beer. A session India Pale Ale brewed with Warrior, Amarillo & ’Mystery Hop X.’ A powerful East Coast I.P.A. with a lot of citrusy hop character. THE session beer for beer geeks like us" (source).
• Boatyard Black Eyed PA, $2.99/16oz - "After we had a great response to our Lost Peninsula IPA, we decided to create an IPA with a dark side.  What was forged in our brewhouse was Boatyard Brewing’s Black-Eyed PA.  We made this ale with the same malt backbone as our Lost Peninsula IPA, but we shifted a few of the caramel malts to the darker end.  We tossed in our beloved Black Prinz and chocolate malts and the deed was done.  This IPA was our first to be dry-hopped, but it still reflects our love of British IPAs" (source).
• Boatyard Blonde, $2.99/16oz - "This blonde is made with a great combination of pale ale and crystal malts which produce a smooth caramel backbone.  Then we blend in a little rye just to spice her up.  The Palisades hops and traditional Irish ale yeast create one of the most drinkable ales you will ever meet.  This blonde is great all year round, but shines on a hot summer afternoon" (source).

Video of the Week | Dark Horse

Now available at Siciliano's.

Cheers!