This week's list of new and returning products follows a few words about the Best of Show winners of the 2022 Siciliano's Homebrew Competition
Preamble by Steve Siciliano
A mixed fermentation/sour brewed by a group of Grand Valley State University coeds won Best of Show in the 2022 Siciliano’s Homebrew Competition, marking the first time female brewers took top honors and the only time a sour was named Best of Show in the eighteen year history of west Michigan's premier home brewing competition.
Olivia Roumaya, Aleksandra Makrievski, Victoria Lane and Amanda Schoudt will be brewing their winning recipe at Trail Point Brewing Company. The beer will be on tap at the brewery sometime in June.
The announcement of Best of Show and the presentation of the Siciliano's Cup took place at the height of the outdoor Big Brew Day festivities a few weeks ago at Trail Point's Allendale location.The weather couldn't have been much better for the twenty-six teams of dedicated home brewers and the dozens of guests who attended the event. Attendees were able to sample a wide range of hand crafted beer brewed by the crème de la crème of the west Michigan home brewing community.
This was the last Siciliano's home brewing event in which Barb and I will play a major role and the day was bitter sweet. While we won't miss the hard work and heavy lifting that goes into organizing and running these events we will miss being part of what we believe to be one of the finest home brewing communities in the world.
Featured Wines of the Week
Recanati Yasmin Red, $14.89, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Shiraz. Yasmin Red is a harmonious, flavorful red from the sun-kissed Mediterranean vineyards of Israel. Yasmin is the perfect all-occasion wine. With its luminous fruit-filled aroma and flavor, Yasmin Red is a stylish wine ideal with cheese platters, savory dips and olives, as well as barbecue and spicier fare.
Calvet Murmure De Rose, $20.19, With a nice brilliant pink colour, this wine has a beautiful nose with strawberry, raspberry and hints of excotic fruits. Should be served as an apertive, with grilled meats or with fruits and desserts
Treasure Hunter Proprietary White, $27.99 This beauty shows off intense and complex aromas of peach and tangerine and notes of apple and pineapple, and mango. The flavors match the nose brilliantly but with massive density and white lynx richness. The finish is long and fresh with a flashy nuance of minerality almost demanded by the region from where this wine comes.
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 Spirits of the Week
Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin, $34.69 We forage wild plants from the mountains around the distillery to make this extraordinary gin. These sustainably picked plants go fresh (not dried) into the still within hours of foraging. They are painstakingly slow-distilled to tease out delicate flavors in tiny batches.
Wonderland Gin $36.89 Handcrafted in Muskegon, this small-batch Michigan gin is distilled using botanicals, spices and fruits including juniper, coriander, licorice root, green cardamom and orange peel for a crisp and refreshing flavor profile that complements any cocktail perfectly.
18th Amendment Gin, $36.89 18th Amendment gin starts with a wheat base and is distilled twice to create a unique flavor. We use a recipe of nine unique botanicals to create a truly special product. Notes of juniper transition into an aroma of baking spices and soft citrus notes. Enjoyed in any traditional gin cocktail, served straight, or in any concoction the mind can create.
New and Returning Products
Brewery Vivant Tropical Saison, $4.09/16oz-Pineapple & Mango saison. A slightly spicy character, light effervescence, and the addition of real pineapple & mango juice make this beer perfect for a Michigan summer.
Fair State A light in Dark Places, $3.29/16oz-A pale ale in an IPA world, brewed in collaboration with Burial Beer (Asheville, NC) and YCH. Heavily featuring HBC 630, an experimental hop variety that brings notes of berries, peaches, and a nebulous “candy” aromatic. Paired with an American classic in Simcoe Cryo, this beer pops with fruity notes, while managing to maintain the crisp, snappy sensibility that only pale ales can truly embody.
Fair State Doin' Howdies, $4.39/16oz-An IPA collaboration with Creature Comforts (Athens, GA), brewed using a very special Georgia-grown wheat along with a choice combination of West Coast hops—Chinook for pine and pineapple, Crystal for that super clean grapefruit pith, Amarillo for bright orange and stonefruit, and HBC586 for an intense mango character.
Fair State Hefeweizen, $3.29/16oz-Wheat Beer - Hefeweizen
Great Divide Strawberry Rhubarb, $2.79/12oz-Strawberry Rhubarb Sour is a gift for the senses. Strawberry is the yin to rhubarb’s yang—the sweet to the tart. This beautiful partnership creates a beer that glows ruby in the glass, bursts with strawberry aroma, and bites with every sip. Bright and effervescent, this sour is a fun and refreshing, lip-puckering treat perfect for every occasion, any time of the year.
Great Lakes Tidal Fury, $3.59/16oz-A tempest of tropical fruit aromas rushes from the cloudy depths in this Imperial Hazy IPA, brewed with an epic blast of Trident™ hops fit for a king.
Luddington SS Badger Blue, $2.09/12oz-Blueberry Ale
New Belgium 1554, $1.99/12oz-A surprisingly bright taste and a dry, chocolaty finish -- one evocative of dark brews enjoyed in Belgian taverns 500 years ago. Not a porter, not a stout -- it's 1554.
New Belgium Honey Orange Triple, $2.69/12oz-For this recipe, our brewers drew inspiration from Belgian Golden Strong Ale, a style we love. We sought out the very best ingredients, sourcing wild honey from the African Bronze Honey Company, a member of the Fair Trade Federation and a certified B-Corp. The Seville orange peel is freshly ground 24 hours prior to the day we brew by the Old Town Spice Shop, less than one mile from our Fort Collins, Colorado, brewery. In the end, we created a big, sweet and citrusy Belgian-style Tripel with thoughtfully sourced ingredients.
New Holland Dragon's Milk Reserve Stroopwafel, $5.19/12oz-Inspired by the classic Dutch cookie best enjoyed with a cup of coffee. Our brewers used rich caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, and freshly roasted coffee beans to bring that experience to our signature bourbon barrel-aged stout.
Resilience Whilom, $4.69/16oz-Hopped with the timeless combination of Centennial and Cascade, this Resilience series passion project honors the legacy of visionaries like Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada. Whilom (meaning “erstwhile, what once was”) pours a light copper color with a slightly off-white head and features aromas of orange zest, lemon and grapefruit. Light pine and earthiness yield to a restrained bitterness and dry finish. Highly drinkable, simple and balanced, it features both pale and crystal malts—just like some of our favorite beers that began the craft revolution and continue to inspire us today.
Rogue Raspberry Tartlandia, $2.39/12oz-Inspired by the culinary wonderland that is Portland, Oregon, we created Raspberry Tartlandia: an outrageously delicious combination of raspberry juiciness, sea salt and refreshing tartness. It’s a flavor-packed experience just like visiting Portland that’ll make you want to move there or thank your lucky stars that you already have.
Schilling Alexandr, $3.59/16oz-A sessionable pale lager inspired by similar Czech beers. Premium authentic raw materials shine, including Moravian pilsner malt—foundational to the substantial but rounded hop flavor and aroma.
Shilling Paulus, $3.59/16oz-Paulus (pronounced Pow'loos) is typical of the highly drinkable golden lagers brewed for fall Bavarian festivals. Malt forward with Noble hops to provide balance, Paulus reminds us of some of the great times we've had in Munich. Prost!
Transient Frosty Tips, $3.79/16oz-DDH with Galaxy & Riwaka
Transient On Delay, $2.79/16oz-Mexican-style lager
Untitled Art Hazy 13.0, $5.19/16oz-Double IPA brewed with citra, mosaic, nelson sauvin, and chinook hops.
Descriptions courtesy of Untappd