Siciliano's Market News, January 6, 2022 Edition

This week's list of new and returning products follows information on an upcoming off flavor presentation

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

As a proprietor of a home brew shop I'm frequently asked to critique our customers' home brewed beer. While most of these brews are good representations of their respective styles ever so often I run across one that displays some very obvious flaws. That's the inherent bugaboo with brewing beer on a home system. Even the most avid and experienced hobbyist will sometimes boil up a fail so it's important that brewers have the ability to taste common flaws and know what steps to take to prevent them from rearing their unpleasant heads. A good way to do this is by participating in an off flavor presentation.

Not everyone has the same ability to detect off flavors but practically anyone can hone tasting skills through the process of sensory training. By evaluating samples of beer dosed with food-grade flavor and aroma compounds tasters learn to better identify off flavors in their home brews.

I am pleased to announce that we will be holding a sensory tasting presentation on Thursday, January 20 at the Siciliano's Judging Venue, 7 Seward NW. Grand Rapids, from 7 to 9 pm. Spaces are limited and will be filled on a first come basis. Email me at steve@sicilianosmkt.com. to reserve a spot.

In other home brewing news, barring any deleterious developments relating to Covid we will be holding the 2022 edition of the Siciliano's Homebrew Competition this April and will again be teaming up with Trail Point Brewing to sponsor a Big Brew Day on Saturday, May 7 at the brewery's Allendale location. Detailed information about these popular events will be published in future editions of Siciliano's Market News.

Featured Wines of the Week

Cowboy Yamahai, Sake, Japan, $44.49/750ml-This undiluted brew is fit for a cowboy – made in the ancient Yamahai style, loaded with umami, and pairs beautifully with meat. Aromas of vanilla, cocoa and hickory smoke with a smooth finish.

Nobel Arrow, Junmai Sake, Japan, $42.39/750ml- The limestone covered mountains nearby give this sake a rich mineral driven structure packed with tension and pronounced acidity. A timeless style of sake that old-world wine drinkers easily gravitate to. Aromas of green melon rind and kaffir lime leaves. Creamy, luxurious mid palate with a spearmint-driven herbal finish.

Piquitos, Moscato, 2019, Spain, $10.49/750ml- Bright lemon-gold colour with light pearliness. The nose is clean, youthful with pronounced fruit and floral notes reminiscent of mandarin peel, honeysuckle and sweet orange blossom. On the palate it has a sweet lusciousness that coats the mouth and yet refreshes itself with airy bubbles and harmonious balance.

Picpoul De Pinet, 2020, France, $13.99/750ml- This wine consists of 100% Picpoul (or Piquepoul) - a very popular, traditional local variety planted on sun-drenched hillsides called "costières" (coastal region) in the Mediterranean garrigue, near the Etang de Thau - a coastal lagoon situated between the port of Sète and Marseillan. The vines are 15-20 years old.

The garrigue is the name given to open scrubland made up of low-growing, dwarf bushy shrubs including holm oak, juniper, broom and wild herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage.

The color is a superb pale yellow with bright hues. The nose is elegant, with aromas of fresh fruit and citrus fruit especially grapefruit. Well-balanced with typical focusing and zesty acidity.

A pure expression of the grape varietal, the wine shows how good Picpoul can be when grown on its favorite terroir. Our best value, this wine impresses novices and hardened geeks equally.

Buy three or more bottles of wine get 10 % off.

"It's our mission at Siciliano's to sell quality wine at affordable prices"

Featured Spirit of the Week

Wheel Horse, Bourbon, Kentucky, $36.89/750ml- This sour mash, small batch whiskey is made from 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley. It's distilled in copper stills then matured in hand-selected, 53-gallon, charred American oak barrels for between two and four years. We use a #4 char. Like all of our small batch whiskeys, Wheel Horse Bourbon is bottled at 101 proof and without chill filtration.

New and Returning Products

Austin Brothers Austintatious Variety Pack, $28.59/15pk

Blackrocks Starman, $$2.19/12oz-Pale Ale

Brewery Vivant Jam Jar, $5.29/16oz-For an unapologetic fruit line of beers we take a fresh farmhouse ale base combine that with a bright and refreshing sour ale. then we had a very unapologetic amount of fruit. in the case of jam jar those fruits are blackberries plums raspberries and blueberries.

Jolly Pumpkin Madrugada Obscura, $3.99/16oz-A Belgian inspired stout that is as dark as a moonless midnight, brimming of roasted malts and bitter hops. It will keep you good company in all places, be thay light or dark.

Mikerphone Hau5 Bier, $3.29/16oz-A Kolsch-Style Ale

Mikerphone Lunches, Brunches, $5.49/16oz-Double IPA with Nelson Sauvin and Motueka hops.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, $2.59/12oz-Bigfoot is a beast of a beer, packed with bittersweet malt and heaps of aggressive whole-cone Pacific Northwest hops. First introduced in the winter of 1983, Bigfoot is a cult-classic brewed in the Barleywine style, strong and robust with the refined intensity of a wine. Bigfoot is prized by beer collectors for aging in cellars. Under the proper conditions, it can develop enticing new flavors and character as it matures in the bottle. Each new release or “expedition” is vintage dated. Collect your own and savor the evolving flavors.

Sierra Nevada Powder Day, $1.79/12oz-Powder Day Double Dry-Hopped IPA. We started dry-hopping, and it snowballed into a full-on powder day. Notes o citrus, stone fruit, and melon pile high in a blizzard of lupulin powder.

Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Mix Pack, $17.89/12pk

Upland Dragonfly, $2.99/16oz-Our Dragonfly India Pale Ale is brewed with four hop additions to create a powerful hop profile. A solid malt base, however, tempers the bitter American hops, giving Dragonfly a balance not often found in this style. The end product is a well-balanced, malty beer with the crisp taste of hops and an exceptionally floral nose.

Descriptions courtesy of Untappd