New Beer Friday, Get Your Grapes Edition (August 25)

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

If you live in the environs of Beer City USA and are thinking about making wine from fresh grapes this fall, there are options available for home vintners who are looking to source locally grown fruit. Here is the contact information for Taylor Ridge Vineyards in Allegan and Morgan Vineyard in Coopersville, both good sources for fresh wine grapes:

• Taylor Ridge Vineyards
• 3843 105th Ave. Allegan, MI 49010
• Email: bctaylor@btc-bci.com
• Cell: 269-491-1512
• Home: 269-521-4047

• Morgan Vineyard
• 15775 40th Avenue, Coopersville, MI 49404
• Email: morgangrapes@gmail.com
• Phone: 616-648-3025

We will be offering the free on-site use of our fruit crushers and basket presses from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on four consecutive Sundays in the parking lot behind the store. Dates for the free use of the equipment are as follows:

• Sunday, September 10
• Sunday, September 17
• Sunday, September 24
• Sunday, October 1

Bryan Taylor, Taylor Ridge

New and Returning Beer

• Bell's Oktoberfest, $1.89/12oz - "Crafted as a flavorful session beer and perfect for autumn, Octoberfest spends a full six weeks fermenting. With herbal hop aromas, this balanced amber lager focuses on lightly toasted malt that lends body without too much sweetness. Perfect for a week-long wedding celebration in Germany or the start of the Michigan autumn" (source).
• Founders Mosaic Promise, $1.29/12oz - "Mosaic Promise showcases two unique ingredients: Mosaic hops and Golden Promise malt. The versatility of the hop’s pleasing aroma and flavor characteristics and the traditional barley’s depth of flavor comprise this clean, rich, golden beer. We can brew complex beers with the best of them, but we recognize that there is also beauty in simplicity" (source).
• Latitude 42 Party at the Moon Tower, $2.29/16oz - "Double IPA" (source).
• Revolution Anti-Hero, $1.79/12oz - "Our flagship IPA is supremely aromatic, crisp, and drinkable. This iconic ale features a blend of Chinook, Centennial, Crystal, and Citra to create a crisp clean bitterness and imparts massive floral and citrus aromas. The Warrior hop is also used to add additional bitterness to the brew" (source).
• Revolution Mosiac Hero, $2.19/12oz - "This speciality IPA is quite unique with a heavy usage of a rare and sought-after hop, Mosaic. Mosaic Hero is brewed with Pale and CaraFoam malts and Naked Golden Oats to yield a rich copper color and smooth mouthfeel. Finally, we dry hopped this unique IPA with Mosaic and a small amount of Crystal to enhance the aromas of tropical fruit, citrus, and fresh pine" (source).
• Revolution Oktoberfest, $1.79/12oz - "Classic German-style Oktoberfest Lager that goes down smooth with a pleasant, toasty, malt flavor. 100% German malts establish a supple and flavorful base for this traditional Oktoberfest lager. Brewed with a hop called Hallertau Gold, grown on only one farm in the whole of Bavaria, to deliver a hop profile which is at the same time both classic and unique" (source).
• Weihenstaphener Oktoberfest, $2.09/12oz - "A full rich bodied, hoppy, seasonal lager. Especially brewed for the Festbier season. This beer truly represents the Bavarian way of celebrating. Deep gold color, great mouthfeel and lots of flavor" (source).
• Against the Grain Citra Ass Down, $3.89/16oz - "This is a very hop forward American style IPA. Brewed with Pale, Vienna, Munich and wheat malt for a solid base for all American hops, focusing mainly on the variety “Citra.” Citra hops are a relatively new variety introduced in 2008. It was bred as a hybrid of a number of different hops, including Hallertauer Mittelfrüh, U.S. Tettnanger, East Kent Golding, Bavarian, Brewers Gold, and other unknown hops. The resulting hop, Citra, has a distinct citrusy and tropical fruit flavor and aroma. In Citra ass down we used American Columbus for bittering and 11# of Citra at the end of the boil for late kettle addition flavor and aroma. Then we added 6 more pounds Citra and 5# Centennial post fermention for aroma. Rebrewed for your tasting pleasure" (source).
• Pike 51 Onward and Upward, $5.79/12oz - "Session Wild Ale" (source).
• Pike 51 Beer City Kolsch, $2.89/22oz - "Beer City Pro-Am collaboration with Jeff Carlson" (source).
• Pike 51 Satisfied Mind, $10.79/22oz - "Double IPA" (source).
• Odd Side Blood Orange, $2.19/12oz - "A hop forward IPA that boasts an abundance of hop aroma to go along with a blast of citrus and blood orange flavor" (source).
• Odd Side Honey Blue Blue, $2.39/12oz - "Honey Ale with blueberries" (source).
• Anderson Valley Blood Orange Gose, $1.99/12oz - "A tart, refreshing wheat ale that is kettle-soured with lactobacillus and brewed with sea salt and coriander, featuring liberal additions of blood oranges" (source).
• Anderson Valley Holy Gose, $1.99/12oz - "With a bright, golden color and tight creamy head, the earthy wood undertones in our Gose develop into a light mineral aroma with a hint of lemon zest and tropical fruit. Before boiling, the wort is kettle soured with lactobacillus, imparting an initial refreshing tartness that gives way to a subtle fullness. Flavors of guava and peach are followed by a slight sea salt dryness and lemon sourness that is enhanced by coriander and post-fermentation additions of salt. The finish is dry, effervescent, and lemon tangy, reminiscent of a fresh sea breeze" (source).
• Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose, $1.99/12oz - "Born from our passion for experimentation, our Briney Melon Gose boasts a thirst-quenching tartness that is perfectly balanced by subtle watermelon flavors and aromas.  Gentle additions of sea salt create a refreshing harmony between the acidity and fruity sweetness leading to clean, dry finish" (source).
• Short's Peachy Pom Pom, $2.39/12oz - "Peachy Pom Pom is a rosy colored American Sour Ale brewed with peaches and pomegranate. Tart berry aromatics accentuate the sweet and sour fruit flavors within this beer. A huge tangy mouth feel with some initial acidic citrus qualities shocks the palate before a clean and lightly dry finish" (source).
• Weyerbacher Tiny, $3.29/12oz - "TINY is a Belgian inspired Imperial Stout weighing in at 11.8% ABV. You’ll find big chocolate and roasted notes, balanced with the Belgian flavors from the Abbey yeast strain" (source).
• Avery Coconut Porter, $13.79/22oz - "Copious quantities of coconut coupled with time basking in bourbon barrels complement the chocolaty and sumptuous nature of this delectable porter" (source).
• Atwater Teufel Bock, $1.99/12oz - "Our Weizen Dopplebock is dominated with 60% wheat that imparts a nutty-bisquit flavour. Ir is complimented with Perle and Hersbrucker hops for a nice sweet finish. Our biggest beer yet" (source).
• Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot, $4.79/22oz - "Rich, smooth, dangerous, and chocolatey. It's a big ol' hoppy Imperial Brown Ale to help you with your slippery slide on into the heat of the night" (source).

Video of the Week | Green Zebra

Green Zebra is now available at Siciliano's.

Cheers!