New Beer Friday, A Formal Call for Judges Edition (March 8)

Let the judging begin!

By Steve Siciliano

This is a formal call for judges and stewards for the 16th Annual Siciliano's Homebrew Competition. This a BJCP registered event.

The following is pertinent information regarding the judging for the 2019 Siciliano's competition.

• Date: Saturday, April 27
• Location: 17 Seward Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
• Check in for judges & stewards: 10 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
• Judging: 11:15 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• Best-of-Show judging: 3:30 p.m.
• Competition organizer: Steve Siciliano, steve@sicilianosmkt.com, 616-453-9674

Coffee and pastries will be provided in the morning and there will be a lunch and liquid refreshments at the conclusion of the judging.

If you plan on participating in this year's competition either as a judge or a steward please go to
https://reggiebeer.com/ReggieEntry.php?CompetitionID=BBJZLZ1000430.

After logging in you will be able to register as a judge or a steward.

IMPORTANT

After logging in, click on the 4/27 Judging Session and indicate whether you will be participating as a judge or a steward. If you are registering as a judge, click the "Update Judging Preferences" button after indicating your judging preferences and dislikes.

Preregistration is encouraged as it will help reduce lines at the check-in table on the day of the judging.

Please ensure that you arrive at the judging venue by 10:30 a.m. so that the competition staff can organize flights and complete table assignments by the 11:15 judging start time.

Please be reminded that your participation as a steward or judge does not preclude you from entering a beer in this competition.

New and Returning Beer

• Arvon Beach Day, $5.49/16oz - " unique creation that pushes the bounds of possibilities. Brewed with more than the recommended amount of oats and without wheat. Smooth, silky, full-bodied and drinkable" (source).
• Arvon The Grand, $4.69/16oz - "New England style IPA hops with Citra and Mosaic" (source).
• Arvon White Shoal, $5.49/16oz - "Arvon Brewing Co.'s Lighthouse Series of New England IPAs are each distinctly hopped with a single varietal, displaying the unique character of the hops as a shining beacon. The explosive hop flavor and aroma of Mosaic Hops featured in White Shoal IPA is best experienced when this beer is kept cold and enjoyed fresh - drink now" (source).
• Big Lake Razz Shandy, $2.79/16oz - No commercial description.
• Big Lake Z's Pet Dinosaur, $3.99/16oz - "NEIPA with Galaxy and Citra hops" (source).
• Brewery Vivant Citron Saison, $3.79/16oz - "Light, bright and lemon-forward, this straw yellow farmhouse saison is brewed with lemon peel and lemon drop hops" (source).
• Drie Fonteinen Armand and Gaston, $18.39/375ml, $34.89/750ml - "3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston is a blend of one-, two-, and three-year old traditional lambics, all brewed at Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen. Spontaneous fermentation, patient maturation in oak barrels, and continued evolution in the bottle result in a distinctively complex beer. No two bottlings are alike, as there are multiple variables in the blending process, a variety of barrel sizes and shapes, differences in aged lambic proportions, etc. This cuvée, like all of our lambic, is 100% natural, authentic, spontaneously fermented, and crafted with steadfast adherence to tradition, like Armand and Gaston Debelder have always done it. This geuze has fermented in the bottle and will continue to develop its tastes and aromas over its long life when properly cellared. Traditional Lambic is living, cultural heritage rooted in the Zenne valley! Taste, savour, enjoy, and experience this unfiltered, unpasteurised, and unadulterated beer with friends new and old" (source).
• Drie Fonteinen Golden Blend, $59.49/750ml - "Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze Golden Blend is the first commercially released geuze with a four-year-old component included in the blend, as well as the standard one-, two-, and three-year-old lambics" (source).
• Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze, $15.29/375ml, $27.19/750ml - "Blend of 1, 2, and 3 year old lambics. A true Geuze - a blend of 1, 2, and 3 year-old lambic, unfiltered and unpasteurized, and aged in the bottle for at least a year after blending. Refermentation in the bottle gives this Geuze its famous champagne-like spritziness. The lambic that goes into it is brewed only with 60% barley malt, 40% unmalted wheat, aged hops, and water, spontaneously fermented by wild yeasts, and matured in oak casks" (source).
• Lagunitas Dark Swan, $2.29/12oz - "Observers of yestercentury once denied the existence of the Dark Swan as obstinately as flat-earthers once denied the shape of our spherical home. They insisted the species was confined to a singular snowy hue. But there is a fragile futility to such narrowness of thought. The broader of mind understood that light and dark must forever compliment each other as eternal counterpoints. And just as Aristotle convinced us of our circularity, so adventuring ornithologists eventually contradicted the misconception of the monochrome swan, astonishing the world and casting light upon the Dark. This beer may well do the same" (source).
• Lord Hobo Angelica, $1.99/12oz - "A New England take on a classic beer style, Angelica offers the refreshing drinkability of a wheat beer combined with fruit juice characteristics and elegant haze" (source).
• Lord Hobo Boomsauce, $3.79/16oz - "Our flagship IPA features six hop varietals and a blend of spelt, oat and wheat. A late hop addition of Mosaic, Falconer’s Flight and Amarillo delivers a notable citrus and tropical fruit finish" (source).
• Lord Hobo Glorious, $379/16oz - "This beautifully smooth New England-Style Pale Ale pours a hazy, straw color. A double-dose of sought-after Galaxy hops delivers a silky peach-grape aroma, tropical fruit flavors, and an elegant mouth feel" (source).
• Lord Hobo Meat and Potatoes, $3.49/16oz - "A hearty seasonal offering, this American Stout features a generous amount of Roasted Barley, Chocolate Malt and Midnight Wheat balanced with Nugget and Centennial hops. Medium-bodied with a silky mouth feel, Meat & Potatoes boasts classic flavors of roasted malts and dark chocolate with hints of dried fruit" (source).
• Lord Hobo Virtuoso, $4.69/16oz - "A style-defining New England-Style Double IPA that delivers big on juice and haze" (source).
• Odd Side Bean Flicker Hoof Hearted, $2.19/12oz - "Our Bean Flicker Blonde Ale brewed w/ an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe blend of coffee from Hoof Hearted" (source).
• Rochester Chocolate Cheesecake Milkshake Stout, $2.69/16oz - "Fans of the 12 Days of Milkshake Stout were especially fond of this one – pours a super dark brown with an off-white foamy head. Chocolate notes are more prominent than those found in the original Milkshake Stout™ mingling with rich, velvety cheesecake. Medium to full-bodied with no booziness. Chocolate Cheesecake is a well balanced beer that pairs nicely alongside a smoked brisket, beef barbecue or vanilla ice cream for a dessert" (source).
• Saugatuck Blueberry Lemonade Shandy, $1.89/12oz - "You’re craving something light, refreshing and unique. That’s why we created our tasty version of a Radler with an added twist of blueberries. The tart lemonade will help quench your thirst, while the blueberry finishes off this perfectly invigorating beer" (source).
• Short's Soft Parade Shandy, $1.79/12oz - "Soft Parade Shandy is a blend of Short’s flagship Fruit Ale, Soft Parade, and homemade lemonade. This beer is raspberry in color and smells like fresh berry lemonade. Soft Parade’s signature berry flavor is enhanced by the addition of citrus. Soft Parade Shandy finishes with the faint taste of fruit candy. It is light in body and very refreshing" (source).
• Stone Enter Night, $2.59/16oz - "In collaboration with Metallica, this beer represents the cataclysmic collision of two uncompromising supernatural forces. It's a crisp and refreshing Pilsner that, much like the band, transcends genres, shatters preconceptions and challenges convention" (source).
• Stone Espresso Totalitarian, $3.19/12oz - "With a beer as bold and robust as Stone Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout, it’s not easy to build another level of flavor.  That’s why we use hundreds of pounds of espresso beans to give Stone Espresso Totalitarian Imperial Russian Stout an added layer of rich complexity. The coffee flavors meld beautifully with the roasty bitterness of the dark malts for an intense complement of flavors, while staying true to the essence of this classic, historical style" (source).
• Wild Tonic Hoppy Buzz, $4.89/12oz - No commercial description available.
• Wild Tonic Mango Ginger, $4.89/12oz - No commercial description available.
• Wild Tonic Raspberry Goji, $4.89/12oz - No commercial description available.

Video of the Week | Enter Night

Stone Enter Night is available now at Siciliano's.

(While supplies last.)

Cheers!