New Beer Friday, Post Judging Edition (April 27)

The Judging

Preamble by Joseph P. Sprinklehead

When I got to the judging venue last Saturday all the entries in the Siciliano's 2018 Homebrew Competition had been assessed and scored and the volunteers were enjoying a post judging lunch. I walked up to the buffet and put three soft tacos on one plate, a heaping mound of tortilla chips on another, big scoops of salsa and bean dip on a third, grabbed a can of beer, stashed it in the pocket of my hoodie, stacked the plates on top of each other and then walked over to the table where Steve and Barb were sitting.

“Mind if I join you?” I asked.

“There’s no room,” Steve said without looking up from his work.

“Now Steve,” Barb said. “You promised you’d be nice to Joe.”

“Oh alright,” Steve said and sighed. “But don’t go asking the best-of-show judges any questions this year. I warned them about you.”

“Scout's honor.”

I sat down and cracked open the beer and then proceeded to demolish one of the tacos. “Good chow,” I said after a handful of chips and a long swig of PC Pils.

“It’s from the Adobe,” Barb said.

“I love the Adobe’s food,” I said and began working on the second taco. “I go to the one on Fulton three, maybe four times a week.

“That’s nice,” Steve said.

I usually get a burrito.”

“That’s nice.”

“I prefer the beef but once in a while I get the chicken.”

“That’s nice.”

Before starting on the third taco I grabbed the pencil from behind my ear and opened a small notepad. “So how’d it go today?”

“It went fine,” Barb said. “A few minor glitches but we worked through them.”

“Not so fast, Barb,” I said. “A few minor glitches but we worked through them,” I repeated aloud while I wrote. “How many entries?”

“One hundred thirty-two,” Steve said.

“Do you have a tally of the medal winners yet?”

“Twenty-nine gold, thirty-three silver, twenty-eight bronze.”

How many were in the best-of-show round?”

“Four.”

“Would you be willing to tell me who won?”

“Nope.”

“Didn’t think so. Would you be willing to tell me what styles?”

“Nope.”

“Would you be willing to tell me if the winner is male or female?”

“Nope.”

“What would you be willing to tell me?”

“The best-of-show winner lives in West Michigan.”

“Grand Rapids area?”

“Yup.”

Before I left I drank two more beers and demolished three more tacos. I sure do love the Adobe’s food.

The Best-of-Show winner for the 2018 Siciliano’s Home Brew Competition will be announced at the Fifteenth Annual Siciliano’s Home Brew Party on Saturday, May 19 at Johnson Park. Go here for complete details.

New and Returning Beer

• Atwater Coconut Vanilla Java Porter, $1.99/12oz - Coconut vanilla java porter from Atwater.
• Big Lake Hazy, $2.99/16oz - "A juicy New England IPA made with loads of Citra and Mosaic hops" (source).
• Big Lake Shandy, $2.79/16oz - "A lemon shandy with a tart finish, perfect for a warm summer day" (source).
• Copper Can Moscow Mule, $4.39/12oz - "The Copper Can gives you easy access to the world famous cocktail in stylish fashion. So please, sit back, relax, and enjoy responsibly" (source).
• Destihl Lynnbrook, $2.99/12oz - "Lynnbrook, named after our founder’s family farm, is a wild Berliner-Style Weisse with raspberries added, resulting in a very refreshing beer presenting with fuchsia color and an aroma reminiscent of picking tart red raspberries growing next to an old, abandoned barn, with the raspberry-lemon aroma giving way to hints of brie and barnyard funkiness. The flavor is absent of any hops or bitterness and instead has initial impression of subtle lemon and yogurt supported by tart, fresh raspberries and underlying lactic sourness. The beer’s dry finish helps cut through some sweetness from the fruit" (source).
• Founders Dank Wood, $3.79/12oz & $11.99/750ml - "What do you get when a big, bold imperial red IPA meets an oak bourbon barrel? A palate stunner that’ll send your senses spinning or, as we like to call it, Dankwood. Rich caramel notes emerge from the depths of the IPA, highlighting strong malt character while the bourbon barrel-aging develops the complexity. A dank, sticky and slightly sweet sipper, Dankwood is the perfect alchemy of wood and hops" (source).
• Founders Green Zebra, $1.99/12oz - "The soft mouthfeel and dry finish comes courtesy of the addition of sea salt, a traditional gose ingredient" (source).
• Golden Road Wolf Pup, $2.09/12oz - "Hoppy and refreshing, Wolf Pup is our riff on a Session IPA. Highly drinkable with a wildly aromatic tropical and citrus character, it’s the perfect companion to keep on sippin’ for those long, sunny days. Brewed & Canned in Los Angeles & Fairfield, CA" (source).
• Goose Island Cooper Project #4, $4.79/12oz (2 per) - No commercial description.
• Lagunitas Waldos' Special Ale, $2.29/12oz - "In 1971, the Waldos met one afternoon at 4:20 in the front courtyard of their school near the statue of Louis Pasteur. They set out in a '66 Impala armed with a "treasure map" on a journey to find a secret garden near Point Reyes. They met there at the same time every day and continued their quest. They never found the secret garden....But they keep lookin'. The dankest and hoppiest beer ever brewed at Lagunitas was made with help of the Waldos for all treasure hunters" (source).
• Odd Side Beerjito, $2.19/12oz  - "Blonde ale brewed with lime and mint. Hand crafted to remove gluten" (source).
• Odd Side Diggity Dank, $2.39/12oz - "Our india pale ale with el dorado, amarillo, sincoe & denali hops" (source).
• Odd Side Lolly Catcher, $2.19/12oz - "A carefully crafted, comforting concoction of creamy cohesiveness" (source).
• Odd Side Mosiac Dank, $2.39/12oz - "Aromas of tangerine, grapefruit, and berries give way to a smooth, hazy beer with citrus flavors with a hint of pine" (source).
• Odd Side Tangy Dank, $2.59/12oz - "The original juicy Dank IPA blended with an oak-aged sour" (source).
• Sierra Nevada Otra Vez, $1.79/12oz - "We combined the classic flavors of lime and blue agave nectar in a tart gose-style beer for the ultimate answer to the heavy heat of the day. The bright lime flavor helps wake up the palate while the mild sweetness of the agave rounds out the tangy zip of the citrus fruit. Light and refreshing, this all-new Otra Vez will have you calling for another round" (source).
• Southern Tier Barrel House Series BBA Oat, $11.99/16.9oz - "Our classic imperial oatmeal stout aged in bourbon barrels" (source).
• Southern Tier Peach Gose, $4.09/12oz - "Limited release brewed with peaches, chamomile, cardamom and coriander" (source).
• Tallgrass Half Pipe, $1.89/12oz - "Half-Pipe is a tart, citrusy and totally rad American pale, perfect for the bright, sunny days of spring and summer. It’s kettle-soured with lactobacillus and generously dry-hopped to balance the tartness with bright hop character and aroma. This beer is inspired by the rad individuals who get air and grind — on rails and curbs — in alleys and ‘burbs. It’s a shout-out to all of the fearless extreme sports athletes. The world is your playground" (source).
• Weihenstephaner/Sierra Nevada Braupack, $2.29/12oz - "Ausgeprägt fruchtig-hopfiges Hefeweißbier mit der Hopfensorte Hallertauer Tradition sowie den amerikanischen Aromahopfensorten Amarillo und Chinook" (source).

Video of the Week | The Waldos

Now available at Siciliano's!

Cheers!