New Beer Friday, Calcium Carbonate Edition (July 20)

Free to a good home

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

We stock a wide array of products here at Siciliano’s which means we’re constantly placing orders with a multitude of wholesalers. I’ve always relied on key members of the staff to help me keep the shelves stocked and now that I’m semi-retired I’m relying on them even more. They do a fantastic job but due to the sheer volume of orders it’s inevitable that every so often someone makes a mistake. When an ordering mistake is made we call it a folly and the person responsible is then subjected to some good-natured ribbing from his or her fellow staff members. Most of the time the follies are minor but every so often there’s a real doozy. We recently had a real doozy.

A wrong order number was keyed in and instead of getting four one-pound bags of calcium carbonate we received four 50-pound bags. Now that’s a hell of a lot of calcium carbonate. We could return it of course but that would entail 200 pounds of shipping charges and a 20% restocking fee. The bottom line is that returning it would cost more than the price of the product.

We first tried to peddle it at cost to a number of breweries in the environs of Beer City USA. No dice. We then did a google search and found that in addition to a water additive in brewing the chemical can be used to make chalk paint, as an animal feed additive and to reduce lime in soil. Acquaintances who are artists, gardeners and who raise goats were contacted. There were no takers.

I’m at the point where I just want to get rid of this stuff so if anyone wants 50 pounds of calcium carbonate free of charge come on in and get it. First come first serve. Call 616-453-9674 or contact me at steve@sicilianosmkt.com.

New and Returning Beer

• Arbor Brewing Velvet Hammer, $12.99/500ml - "Velvet Hammer 12 is a complex and delicate sour brown Ale meant to be sipped and contemplated. Permeating the aroma are tones of plum jam, fruity Belgian yeast, and earthy, wild-barrel phenolics. This year's vintage is a medium bodied beer with a delicate flavor palate with notes of Cabernet, candy sugar, sweet Hibiscus, and a dry, tart lactic finish. A beer to be enjoyed now but has the legs to age for several years to come" (source).
• Bell's Oracle, $3.29/12oz - "Our take on the West Coast-style Double India Pale Ale, The Oracle places hop intensity first and foremost, making only the slightest concession to malt and balance. The fireworks start with the aromatic punch of dry-hop sessions with hop varieties from the Pacific Northwest. Resinous, citrusy hop flavors mixed with aggressive bitterness from a massive kettle addition deliver on that aromatic promise" (source).
• Decadent Strawberry Creamcicle, $5.49/16oz - "Double IPA brewed with strawberry, Vanilla Beans, and Marshmallow" (source).
• Evil Twin Flava Influencer, $5.49/16oz - "This is The Flava Influencer IPA and it is an IPA brewed with oat, lactose, vanilla, pineapple and gooseberry" (source).
• Evil Twin Soul Made, $5.49/16oz - "Hazy and juicy with a bright citrusy and tropical flavor" (source).
• Evil Twin D is for Dewberry, $5.49/16oz - "A gose-style ale brewed with salt and dewberry" (source).
• Left Hand Nitro Black Currant, $2.89/16oz - "Super smooth with a light body, tart berries and vibrant color" (source).
• Left Hand Wheels Gose 'Round, $2.39/12oz - "Brewed to help raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis research and Team Left Hand Bike MS rides. Team Left Hand is dedicated to solving the riddle which is Multiple Sclerosis. Since 2008, we have raised over $3 million, and hope you’ll consider joining us to raise funds and awareness for the millions of people around the world who are fighting this disease today" (source).
• Right Brain Luminous Lemon, $2.09/16oz - " Light. Refreshing. Lemon" (source).
• Stillwater Blown Speaker, $5.99/16oz - "Triple India Pale Ale" (source).
• Stillwater Fast Fashion, $4.09/16oz - "Double dry-hopped India Pale Ale" (source).
• Tilquin Gueuze, $12.89/375ml - "Oude Gueuze Tilquin à L'Ancienne is a gueuze blended from Boon, Lindemans, Girardin, and Cantillon lambic. It is typically comprised of 50% one-year old lambic, 30% two-year old lambic, and 20% three-year old lambic. However, the first season of bottling was 60% one-year old lambic and 40% two-year old lambic as there was no three-year old lambic available for the blend" (source).
• Tilquin Mure, $32.89/750ml - "The Mûre Tilquin à l’ancienne (6.4% alc/vol) is a spontaneous fermentation beer obtained from the fermentation of fresh or frozen blackberries in young lambics, blended with 1, 2 and 3 years lambic to reach a final concentration of fruits of 300-350 gr fruit per liter" (source).
• Tilquin Quetsche, $17.69/375ml - "The Quetsche Tilquin à l’ancienne (6.4% alc / vol) is a spontaneous fermentation beer obtained from the fermentation of destoned fresh purple plums (variety Prune de Namur or Quetsche véritable d’Alsace, close to the Damson) in a blend of 1 and 2 years old lambics for a period of 4 months. Unfiltered and unpasteurized, it is re-fermented in the bottle for a minimum period of 3 months. The lambics used were fermented and matured in our own oak barrels at the blendery. They are made from worts brewed by Boon, Lindemans, Girardin and Cantillon" (source).
• Upland Champagne Velvet, $2.49/16oz - "Champagne Velvet has a refreshingly light pilsener body with some sweet complexities given off by the corn malt used in this recipe, making this the perfect lager. It’s smooth and light, but still full of flavor, the perfect everyday beer for craft beer drinkers and a step up for domestic drinkers" (source).
• White Flame Mo'Peez, $2.79/12oz - "Smash IPA with mosaic hops" (source).
• White Flame Red, White & Brew, $2.79/12oz - "Were it not for the Brave - There would be no land of the free. Brewed for all those who serve" (source).

Video of the Week | White Flame

The origins of Hudsonville's own White Flame Brewing Co.

Cheers!