New Beer Friday, Fish Story Edition (May 18)

Like father

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

Well I have to admit that I’m starting to like being semi-retired. Barb and I spent most of this week at our cottage Up North. We would probably still be there if not for the fact we’re hosting a small party this Saturday for a hundred or so of our loyal homebrewing customers. Just a reminder that the annual Siciliano’s Homebrew Party has a new format this year. Go here for complete details.

Since I don’t have much to do at the store these days, I now have more time to while away on rivers. Barb thinks I’m obsessed with fly fishing and she’s probably right. But instead of trying to tamp down my enthusiasm for the sport she has decided to join me. She has taken a few fly-fishing classes through the local Orvis store and has already fished with me this spring on the Rogue, the Betsie and the Little Manistee. One evening this past week she caught a nice rock bass while fishing off our dock. I was fiddling around in the garage at the time and she ran up to show me her catch then raced back to return the fish to the lake. She might be hooked.

Like son

Last week my son Chris was able to break away from his job for a few days and we spent one of them fishing on the Manistee River below Tippy Dam. The temperature never got above fifty and at about two o’clock a sleety rain began falling and continued on and off until we got off the river two hours later. But we were dressed for the weather, our excellent guide Matt from D-Loop Outfitters got us on fish and we were able to hook into a few nice browns.

That evening back at the cottage I grilled a couple of steaks while Chris sautéed some morels that he had found the previous day. A pre-dinner Manhattan warmed us up and the nice Italian red we had with the meal warmed us up even more. While we ate we talked about the fish we landed and about the two big ones that broke our leaders and got away. It was a pretty good day.

Every fish story has a morel

New and Returning Beer

• Short's Melt My Brain, $2.19/12oz  - "Melt My Brain is an experimental Golden Ale brewed with coriander, juniper berries, limes and blended with Short’s made tonic water to create the tasting experience of drinking a gin and tonic cocktail. Delicate aromas of citrus and pine flow into bold bright flavors of sweet lime with a slightly sticky bitterness. Refreshing and clean, a tasty tonic effervescence provokes the palate for more" (source).
• Odd Side Passion Juice, $2.39/12oz - "IPA with passion fruit" (source).
• Odd Side Shadynasty, $2.59/12oz - "An American IPA with a ton of juicy American hops that include Denali, Citra, and Mosaic. A mouthful of resiny goodness and light malt with a semi dry body that hosts a well rounded bitterness. Pours hazy golden with a lacing white head. Classy! Limited small batch production runs" (source).
• Lion Coffee Stout, $2.49/12oz - No commercial description.
• Epic Big Bad Baptista, $16.59/22oz - "Big Bad Baptista is a combination of Vanilla, Cinnamon, Mexican coffee roasted by Blue Copper, and Solstice Chocolate cacao nibs. It’s luxurious to say the least, with a pleasant warming sensation generated by the cinnamon and alcohol. Enjoying the interplay of chocolate, malt, oak, and spice is the perfect way to spend a cool evening, with friends around a fire" (source).
• Tallgrass German Chocolate, $1.89/12oz - "Stout with roasted coconut and cocoa nibs" (source).
• North Coast Tart Cherry, $2.89/12oz - "North Coast Tart Cherry Berliner Weisse is made with the juice of Michigan Montmorency cherries, whose addition softens the lactic finish of the beer and gives it a springtime blush" (source).
• Ciderboys Peach County, $1.79/12oz - "The ice chill of the bottle smiles at the heat of the day. Thirst quenching apple and ripe fuzzy peach collide in a fantasy blend. Crank up the piano keys. Dance if you want to. When summer breezes soar under the light of a crescent moon, this is your party" (source).
• Ciderboys Pineapple Hula, $1.79/12oz - "Taste rides an unexpected wave.  Refreshing sweet tart flavor alive with the inspired pairing of apple and screaming yellow pineapple.  Big citrus taste born of a feeling the wave will never go flat.  You close your eyes at the peak moment a tremendous feeling rushes over you" (source).
• Ciderboys First Press, $1.79/12oz - "Everything changes when you bite into a bottle of First Press Traditional Hard Apple Cider. Eyes of friends sparkle. Passion overflows with perhaps the best thing on earth ­ the anticipation of sweet, crisp and tart. Taste hard cider fireworks. Revel in its energy. Grin to the skies. Save an extra for yourself" (source).
• Ridge Cider Berries, $2.09/12oz - "A tart and tangy blush of Michigan-grown strawberries and blueberries" (source).
• Central State Oatsplosion, $4.09/16oz - "Brewed with an absurd amount of flaked oats of an equally silly amount of Citra and Mosaic hops, this IPA is bursting with juicy fruit flavors and silky smooth texture" (source).
• Central State Table, $3.29/16oz - "Table is a rustic blonde ale fermented with our unique yeast strains and brewed in the style of French and Belgian style table beers" (source).
• Central State Fall Kriek, $3.89/16oz - "No, this beer isn't named for the season of Fall. Rather, it's named after one of the waterways meandering through Indianapolis — Fall Creek. We brewed this sour ale with real cherries to be consumed any time of year. Optimally while enjoying the natural beauty all around us every day" (source).
• Mikkeller SD Passion Pool, $3.89/16oz - "Gose with Passion Fruit" (source).
• Mikkeller SD Brunch of Nuts, $6.99/16oz - "Imperial Stout brewed with Coffee, Toasted Coconut and Macadamia Nuts" (source).
• Mikkeller SD Staff Magician, $3.29/16oz - "New England style Pale Ale" (source).

Quote of the Week

"I’ve met SO many wonderful people over the years ... 

It’s one of the many cool things about running a store like this."

—Steve Siciliano

Go here to read Steve's full interview

with MittenBrew.

Cheers!