New Beer Friday, Pro-Am Edition (March 24)

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

We are pleased to pass on some exciting news for homebrewers who live in the environs of Beer City USA. The Beer City Brewers Guild has finished hammering out the details of an annual brewing competition that will pair Guild members with local award-winning homebrewers. Original collaboration beers brewed by the Pro-Am teams will be judged by a panel of qualified experts and the winning team will be announced at the Guild’s annual HopStock festival.

Homebrewers who reside in the Beer City Brewers Guild area (Kent County, or a township that directly borders Kent County) and who meet the following criteria will be eligible to participate in the inaugural Pro-Am event:

• Gold Medal Winner – 2016 Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition
• Category Winner (Top 10) – 2016 O’Connor’s Homebrew Competition
• Top 3 Finisher – 2016 West Michigan Homebrew Competition
• Top 3 Finisher – 2017 KDaLe Homebrew Competition
• Monthly BOS Winning (Individual) Brewer – 2016-2017 Home Brew League Season

Visit the Guild’s Facebook page for periodic updates.

Speaking of competitions, a reminder that entry registration for The Fourteenth Annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition is now open. Go here for complete details.

New and Returning Beer

• Right Brain Irish Goodbye, $6.49/22oz - "Smooth, easy drinking Irish Red. Notes of caramel with a slight hop finish. Great choice for someone new to craft beer" (source).
• Perrin Grapefruit IPA, $1.89/12oz - "Thirst quenching Grapefruit IPA has become Michigan's warm weather requisite for a balanced and refreshing craft beer. With aromas of citrus and tropical fruits, a delicate Grapefruit tartness and a sweet malty backbone ending in a clean finish; This IPA is the first of its kind cheers to short sleeves and long days" (source).
• Perrin Cherry IPA, $1.89/12oz - "Let your taste buds bloom into the season with our Michigan Cherry IPA made with 100% Traverse City cherries and a well-balanced collage of fresh hops. This fruit IPA balances a subtle sweet kiss of tart cherries alongside a deliberate edge of floral bitterness" (source).
• Alaskan Summer, $1.69/12oz - "Alaskan Summer Ale balances a softly malted palate with the clean freshness of hops. In the tradition of the style, neither overpowers the other. Both hops and malt come together to refresh and renew the palate. The straw-gold color and easy drinkability are an enjoyable way to celebrate summer" (source).
• Black Rocks Flying Sailor, $2.09/12oz - "This Red Rye IPA combines Falconer’s Flight and Falconer 7C’s hops, along with Malt and Rye to form the perfect storm of flavor, aroma and color. Pour it in a glass and get shipwrecked in the ruby hues, citrus notes, and distinct Rye bite. So quit playing with your dingey and round the breakwall" (source).
• Founders P.C. Pils, $1.29/12oz - "A Founders take on a classic Pilsner, featuring Corn & Carapils malt, Chinook, Cascade & Centennial Hops" (source).
• Latitude 42 Bourbon Barrel Aged Lucifer's Cuvee, $15.99/22oz - "Dangerously devastating, Lucifer’s Cuvee is our Double Chocolate Oatmeal Stout. We then Aged this beer in Bourbon Barrels" (source).
• Stone Enjoy By 4/20, $8.99/22oz, $2/99/12oz - "Our all-important, hop-driven quest to deliver the most devastatingly fresh IPA on the planet facilitated a paradigm shift in 2012 with the launch of Stone Enjoy By IPA. Not only did we brew this beer with more than 10 different hops, we brewed it specifically NOT to last. Acclaimed for its groundbreakingly short shelf life, this intense double IPA brought forth a whole new concept of what constitutes “fresh” — guaranteeing fans the ultimate level of hoppiness. This devastatingly dank stash of our dry-hopped, hop-bursted double IPA won’t last long. Get your hands on this dank, golden beauty before everyone else gets wind of it" (source).
• Short's Prolonged Enjoyment, $1.99/12oz - "Prolonged Enjoyment is a Session IPA brewed with Amarillo, Simcoe, and Citra hops. The beers abundant aromatics of intense grass, pine, and citrus complement the great malty backbone and balanced bitterness. At 3.5% ABV, this brew is an incredibly sessionable IPA" (source).
• Anderson Valley Summer Solstice, $1.99/12oz - "This copper colored ale is a silky, creamy dream. It’s malty, very mildly hopped, and lightly sweet, with a delicate hint of spice for that oh-so-drinkable, extra velvety flavor" (source).
• Great Lakes Grandes Lagos, $1.69/12oz - "Colorful hibiscus flowers bloom against a picturesque malt backdrop in this refreshing cerveza from south of the border (of Canada, that is)" (source).
• Epic Son of a Baptist, $2.39/12oz - "Son of a Baptist is an 8% ABV imperial stout. It is not barrel aged like its father, Big Bad Baptist; instead its flavor profile was designed to highlight the complex and often unique flavors of small batch coffees. Instead of sourcing a coffee that would play well in a beer we sought out creative and innovative roasters, then asked them which beans they’re passionate about. Each resulting release of Son of a Baptist is widely different depending on the coffee selected. Some are fruity and sweet with notes of jam and chocolate, others are rich and earthy with a big roasted finish. Each limited release will return to the Roaster’s home market where the beer and the coffee can be sampled side by side" (source).

Video of the Week | Grand Rapids

Big thanks to Keith D. for bringing this video to our attention.

Cheers!