New Beer Friday, Raw Cider for Sale Edition (October 5)

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

September is apple harvesting time here in West Michigan and that means there will soon be plenty of fresh juice available for beer and winemaking hobbyists looking to whip up a batch or two of hard cider.

On Saturday, October 6, Klein Cider Mill will be selling fresh-squeezed juice in our back parking lot between the hours of 10am and 1pm. The price for Klein’s award-winning cider is $3.75 per gallon and you must supply your own containers. Of course, as always, we will have containers available for purchase along with yeast, pectic enzyme and anything else you might need for making hard cider.

Go here for a good article on the process of making hard cider.

New and Returning Beer

• Arcadia Morning Nightcap, $2.19/12oz - "The beer lover’s consummate coffee beer, a perfect marriage of rich coffee and creamy porter. Brewed with BIGGBY® COFFEE’s Papua New Guinea blend, a roast created by Paramount Roasters especially for this collaboration. Emotes rich notes of dark chocolate, fruit, and tons of refreshingly intense coffee flavor. Oat malt lends a powerfully silky body and hints of nuttiness. Reminiscent of a refreshing cold-brew, but with a pleasant buzz. Pairs perfectly with your choice of smoking jacket, bathrobe or favorite slippers. Because when the day drags on and the night’s too long, it’s time to pickup a Nightcap" (source).
• Batch Brewing Festbier, $2.79/12oz - No description available.
• Brewery Vivant Plien de Vie Stone Fruit Sour, $10.89/375ml - "Foeder Aged Weissbier with all-Michigan grown peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries" (source).
• Cigar City Cubano Style Espresso Brown, $2.59/12oz - "This English-style Brown Ale is brewed with a heaping of Cuban-style espresso beans from Tampa’s Buddy Brew Coffee.  Lactose and cacao are added as well, creating a bold ale that brings to mind a fine cup of Cuban coffee" (source).
• Dark Horse Smells Like a Safety Meeting, $1.99/12oz - "S.L.A.S.M. is our most Aromatic IPA. This India Pale Ale is very reminiscent of the hop’s cousin in the Mulberry family. Lots of hop aroma with just the right amount of bitterness as we like to keep balance around here. Between the secret blend of the most DANK hops we can get our hands on and a "more than healthy" dose of double dry hopping, this beer can be announced to the nose from across the room that someone is definitely having a Safety Meeting" (source).
• Grimm Guava Mango Pop, $15.99/22oz - "This tropical sour beer is a creamsicle in a glass. Mangoes, guavas, vanilla, and milk sugar are backed with a grapefruit-like acidity" (source).
• NIP Batch 29, $2.99/12oz - "Cherry Lime-Aid" (source).
• North Coast Barrel Aged Old Rasputin, $25.19/500ml - "Every year we age a special batch of our much-loved Russian Imperial Stout in Bourbon barrels. The depth, intensity, and complexity of the flavor profile of this special release, like its predecessors, make it a worthy tribute to Old Rasputin" (source).
• Odd Side Cap De Night, $6.29/12oz - "Full bodied imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels. Bold flavors of roasted barley give way to subtle notes of vanilla, cinnamon, bourbon, and oak with a rich cocoa finish. A perfect end to any evening" (source).
• Ommegang Mother of Dragons, $12.99/750ml - "A beer for Daenerys - is a richly complex blend of smoked porter and Belgian kriek" (source).
• Short's Mule Beer, $1.89/12oz - "Mule Beer is an Ale brewed with lime and ginger. Hazy copper in color with an off-white head, Mule Beer pours with aromas of pungent ginger and tangy lime. Pronounced flavors of ginger and lime are accompanied by a biscuit like maltiness and a creamy body. This light-bodied, Moscow Mule inspired brew finishes with a spicy ginger kick" (source).
• Stone Enjoy by 10.31.18, $3.19/12oz - "Consistently delivered faster than any bottled IPA on the planet, Stone Enjoy By IPA facilitated a paradigm shift in respect for and enjoyment of hoppy beers by ensuring craft beer fans the ultimate level of freshness. We brew this intense double IPA with more than 10 different hops, employing hop-bursting and dry-hopping techniques to amp up the peach and tropical fruit notes and overall hop factor. Brewed specifically NOT to last, this devastatingly fresh, golden beauty should be enjoyed within 37 days" (source).
• Stone Xocoveza, $3.19/12oz - "There’s nothing like making a beer so beloved that people feel compelled to campaign for its return. So, in the spirit of the holiday season, we are very pleased to give our fans the number one item on their wish lists. As illustrated by the avalanche of social media requests, that is Stone Xocoveza, an insanely delicious take on Mexican hot chocolate brewed with cocoa, coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. First brewed in 2014 with San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker after his recipe won our annual homebrew competition, this imperial stout is layered with smooth roastiness, semisweet chocolate and a touch of spice. Thanks entirely to you, this creamy, mocha stout has gone from initially being a one-time offering to a yearly tradition. Happy holidays from all of us to all of you…and feel free to continue enjoying it long into the spring and summer, as this gem will age beautifully and is definitely not exclusive to the winter season" (source).
• To Øl Dangerously Close to Stupid Amounts of Bananas, $7.69/16oz - "Smells like banana, tastes like… sweet malty banana. This is a mellow, malty DIPA with a smooth amber body and medium carbonation. Almost taffyesque in taste, you want to hate it but you can’t" (source).
• To Øl Dangerously Close to Stupid Lychee, $7.69/16oz - "The more subtle of the trilogy, DCTS Lychee is clean, crisp and malty. Expect ample bitterness without it being overpowering, and subtle end notes of lychee. A clean and clear, west coast style DIPA" (source).
• To Øl Ms. Black, $9.79/16oz - "Imperial stout with liquorice & dates Ms. Black is our attempt to make an evil and beastly black imperial stout and we would call it a success. Featuring triple the amount of liquorice we have ever brewed with – Ms. Black is a full, dark, sweet and bitter imperial stout with bitter dark malt notes" (source).

Video of the Week | Dark Horse

Smells Like a Safety Meeting, now available at Siciliano's.

Cheers!