Siciliano's Market News, June 18 Edition

This week's list of new and returning products follows a few words about fly fishing for the feisty bluegill

The feisty blugill

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

As much as I enjoy fly fishing for wary and wily trout, I think it’s almost as fun using light fly tackle to angle for the ubiquitous and omnivorous bluegill. Trout can be and often are notoriously finicky but this colorful pan fish will seemingly attack anything that swims, jigs, wiggles or moves. You won’t see bluegills doing high flying acrobatics and they won’t take your line out to the backing on reel screeching runs, but if you tie into a big one, known as a slab in angling parlance, pound for pound they’ll fight as long and as hard as any comparably sized brown, brookie or rainbow.

While Barb and I have caught many bluegills off the dock at the cottage we prefer taking our little fishing boat out before or after the designated time (11 am - 7 pm) when the speed boats and jet skis have the run of the lake. We normally fish with tiny black, yellow or orange rubber spiders, casting them towards shore then retrieving them with slow steady strips, but the last time out I had a lot of success with a little yellow popper. One time I laid the imitation in the middle of some half sunken logs and a big one smacked it the second it lit on the water. Now that's what I call fun!

In the past we have always released what we caught (unless there's no chance that the fish will survive) but lately Barb's been expressing a desire to keep and freeze a few of the pan fish for a future fish fry. I have a general aversion for slaying things but I also like keeping my wife happy. I haven't taken a filet knife to a fish in years but I guess I'll have to bone up on my de-boning skills. Come to think of it, a mess of fried bluegill fillets with a bottle or two of a crisp New Zealand sauvignon blanc sounds pretty good. Pass the tartar sauce please!

Featured Wines of the Week

Lobetia, Un-oaked Chardonnay, 2019, Spain, $10.89/750 ml *Organic*- 100% Chardonnay, the grapes are harvested during the night in August and cold macerated before fermenting . On the nose it is full of exotic fruit notes and on the palate it is full flavored and fresh with good acidity that is full of tropical fruit tones. (Source)

Toi Toi, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, 2019, $15.59/750 ml- Pale straw in colour, the 2019 vintage is fantastically fruited, with intense aromatic notes on the nose consisting of passionfruit, kiwi fruit, feijoa and musk characters, leading to a lively palate that is crisp and flavoursome. (Source)

Dashwood, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, 2019, $14.49/ 750ml- Our Sauvignon Blanc style is bright, forward and direct. Vivaciously crisp, it showcases gooseberry, citrus and fresh tropical fruit flavours that linger through the finish. (Source)

Nexo, Rioja, Spain, Spain, 2018, $10.69/ 750ml- Plum brilliant red color with purple coming through showing youth. It is fresh and floral with notes of bay leaves. Some slight tannins with a soft aftertaste. (Source)

Semaphore 7, Red Blend, 2017, Portugal, $12.79/750ml- : An intense ruby red. Shows good intensity with black fruit and floral notes. Elegant and complex. (Source)

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

La Adelita Tequilas, Mexico, Blanco $41.09/750ml, Reposado $46.29/750ml-Our company’s history begins in 1885, when the descendants of Don Antonio Faustino de Aceves y Casillas built Hacienda La Capillla. Don Antonio Aceves, better known as “Amo Aceves” was the founder of Capilla de Guadalupe, a town that got its name from the town chapel, built in honor of the “Virgin of Guadalupe”. This town rests under the shade of the Cerro Gordo, in the heart of Jalisco Highs, at 7290 feet above sea level, providing excellent conditions for the growing of agave, such as moderate climate and volcanic ground. Don Antonio was a hardworking man and a passionate promoter of quality. His descendants took advantage of the local Agave farming and formally started the company Hacienda la Capilla S.A. de C.V. in the year 1993. Since those days, the growing of agave has been its core business. La Adelita is a partnership bringing a renowned award winning vintner together with a generational family and visionaries in Mexico to create a uniquely pure and traditional tequila that is a 100% estate program.

Blanco Tasting Notes: Pungent aromas of lime-juiced agave — tart, ripe, and sweet — lead to a zing of spiced vanilla bean on the tongue, with a warming effect that melts into a chocolate coating. The spirit finishes with a wet-stone sensation, followed by a settling sweetness.

Reposado Tasting Notes: Perfumed with dill and just-ripened agave, this expression is semi-sweet yet buffered by salinity; toffee, oak, and walnut dot the palate with dryness. The edgy texture grips and almost tightens the tongue before a bold finish of tobacco and mocha.

Hamilton, White Stache Rum, $28.39/ 1000ml- Missing the clean, fresh flavor of aged molasses-based rum that had been carbon-filtered back to clear, rum with a slight coconut note, Ed Hamilton decided to expand his rum line with one of his own. To recapture those flavors and aromas, he sourced and blended rums from several different islands. The bulk of is aged rum from Trinidad, with sugar cane and molasses distillates from Guyana and Santo Domingo. White 'Stache contains no flavors, sugar, glycerine or anything else common in other spirits. This high proof blend is carefully diluted with filtered, well water over five days. Only by slowly diluting the high proof spirits can the most delicate aromas and flavors be preserved. With a market full of 80 proof clear rums, Ed dilutes to a more potent 87 proof. Enjoy in daiquiris and swizzles with a dash of bitters.

Daviess County, Kentucky Straight Bourbon, $42.09/ 750ml- This bourbon is a unique combination of two mash bills. One is a smooth wheated bill and the other a more traditional rye based bill. On the nose and palate you can expect honey, vanilla, and caramel with a finish that is long, warm and sweet with a hint of spice.

New and Returning Products

Austin Brothers-Murking Man Blues/16oz/$3.79 - A rare brewery only Murky release, this is a New England style IPA featuring Motueka, Vic Secret, and Wai-iti hops, a blend that even an Okie from Muskogee would enjoy." (Source)

Cigar City-Margarita Gose/12oz/$1.99 - Throw on your Hawaiian shirt and your lederhosen and meet Cigar City Brewing at the intersection of traditional German brewing and tropical relaxation. We’ve taken our German-style Gose, an ancient style of moderate alcohol beer brewed with salt, and given it the coastal treatment by adding orange peel and lime essence to create the perfect warm weather ale. (Source)

Right Brain-Luscious Lemon/12oz/$1.99 - Lemon cream ale made with real lemon zest and juice. Bright, aromatic, and refreshing. (Source)

21st Amendment Tropical Sparkale, $1.99/12oz - A refreshing pop of island fruit and fizz with a crisp, tart pineapple flavor and a sweet coconut finish. This fruit beer is a reminder of life’s simple pleasures. Crafted to reduce gluten. (Source)

Abomination Social Distancing, $5.49/16oz - The Beer industry has always relied on community, now more than ever. And since we can’t drink a beer together, we’ll BREW a beer together, but responsibly apart, to get us through these hard times. Social Distancing is a massive collaboration with some of our favorite folks in the industry!

Each collaborating brewery will be brewing up their own unique version of this DDH DIPA, so trust us, you're going to want to try them all! (Source)

Abomination Wadering in to the Fog, $5.79, 16oz - Brewed with a heavy wheat and oat malt bill hopped and double dry hopped aggressively with 7+lbs per bbl of Mosaic, Pacific Jade, Citra, Summit and Enigma. (Source)

American Solera Magic Touch, $5.69/16oz - DIPA with Kohatu and Moutere hops. You could call it a mango smoothie if you don’t like beer. (Source)

Atwater TC Cherry, $1.99/12oz - The addition cherries from Traverse City, MI, prior to fermentation, Atwater’s Cherry Wheat brings a bright tartness together with the crispness of an American Wheat ale. (Source)

Blackberry Farms Fenceline, $3.29/12oz - A Farmhouse Ale brewed with generous additions of floor-malted wheat for a soft, creamy mouthfeel and hazy straw color, as well as generous additions of Huell Melon hops for subtle notes of strawberry and melon. (Source)

Boulevard Cherry Lime Radler, $1.99/12oz - Zesty, refreshing and a little bit of a throwback to the tastes of childhood, our Cherry Lime Radler is summer-in-a-can. Radlers, in general, are brewed to be thirst-quenching in warm weather. But we’re not telling you anything you don’t already know. So sit back, relax and crack a can or two. The only effort it requires is lifting it to your lips. (Source)

De'Hops Standalicious, $1.59/12oz - Juicy IPA with aromas of pineapple and citrus fruit. (Source)

Grand Armory Pineapple Grindage, $2.19/12oz - A Pineapple IPA for mugs, chillin, and grindage, bud-dy! (Source)

Jolly Pumpkin Kiviuq, $3.69/12oz - Fruited oak aged saison with blackberry, lime & salt. (Source)

Lexington Mammoth, $1.89/12oz - This is our take on a Belgium wheat ale. Brewed with flaked wheat, coriander and orange peel, this brew drinks light and refreshing. Unfiltered for an optimal depth of flavor, it boasts a naturally cloudy appearance with a light golden hue. Slight hops come from Hallertau and Saaz added to the boil. (Source)

Nightmare Brewing Crucifixion, $5.99/16oz - DIPA w/ Sacramental Bread, Calypso, Vic Secret & Simcoe. (Source)

Nightmare Brewing Patricide, $6.99/16oz - That's right- don't confuse this is Matricide, the mega stout released on Mothers Day. Patricide is the Fathers Day version! (Source)

Ore Dock Berserker, $2.39/12oz - A hopped-up fury of orange haze and lactose run amok on clouds of Kveik. (Source)

Ore Dock Breakwater Black Cherry, $1.99/12oz - Hard seltzer

Ore Dock Breakwater Blackberry, $1.99/12oz - Hard seltzer

Ore Dock Breakwater Lemon Lime, $1.99/12oz - Hard seltzer

Ore Dock Breakwater White Peach, $1.99/12oz - Hard seltzer

Ore Dock Bum's Beach, $1.99/12oz - An American style wheat showcasing the smooth creaminess of Pale Wheat Malt and the flavors and aromas of American grown Mt. Hood and Fuggles hops. Expect a slight graininess in the flavor and aroma, floral hop aromas and the subtle fruitiness of our house American ale yeast strain. (Source)

Ore Dock Porter, $1.99/12oz - A classic robust Porter, this is an Ore Dock staple that won a silver medal at the World Beer Championships. It has the aroma and flavor of chocolate, toasty and roasty malts with just a kiss of Fuggle hops. A very smooth, drinkable, pitch black ale. It is a very complex grain bill that utilizes ten different barley malts. This approach adds depth of flavor and complexity without making the flavor too robust. The goal with this ale is to provide an abundance of flavor without a sweet and cloying finish. (Source)

Ore Dock Reclamation, $1.99/12oz - An onslaught of Pacific Northwest hops, tamed slightly by a malt backbone. Cascade, Chinook and Columbus hops, meet Caramel and Munich malts to create this "Mid-Coast" IPA. (Source)

Pigeon Hill Longer Days, $1.99/12oz - LongerDays is a Session IPA, named after some friends of ours and brewed for people like us - those who want to enjoy a few beers throughout the longer days of summer, without missing the sunset. Although it is lower in alcohol, Longer Days sacrifices nothing in flavor. (Source)

Pigeon Hill Walter Goes to Belgium, $1.99/12oz - We took Walter, introduced him to French Saison yeast, and VOILA The aroma has undeniable Belgian qualities and the lemon and pepper notes unquestionably separate this Walter from its American cousin. (Source)

Revolution Rosa, $1.99/12oz - A highly drinkable Golden Ale steeped with hibiscus, resulting in a delicious summer ale with natural tartness and a slight pink hue. (Source)

Shorts Soft Parade Shandy, $1.89/12oz - 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)

Shorts Sweet 16 Anni Ale, $3.39/16oz - Sweet 16 Anni Ale is an India Pale Ale triple dry-hopped with 16 hop varieties. Created in honor of Short’s Brewing Company’s 16th Anniversary, this beer is the perfect complement to celebrating many years of brewing excellence. (Source)

Southern Tier Ruby Red 8 Days A Week, $1.49/12oz - Bursting with citrus, low bitterness and a clean finish, this is a refreshing beer that can keep up with your adventures. Enjoy our infinitely drinkable 8 Days a Week blonde ale with RUBY RED GRAPEFRUIT. (Source)

Stillwater General Gose, $3.79/16oz - Sour amber wheat ale brewed with orange peel powder, thai chili powder, sea salt and msg seasoning, (Source)

Victory Liberty Bell Ringer, $3.29/16oz - We packed double the dry-hops into this DIPA, this time using Cashmere hops our brewers fell in love with during hop harvest, which help amplify the tropical, fruity hop flavor and aroma. And because we can never get enough, we did it twice. Let it ring. (Source)

Witches Hat Blueberry Lemonade Gose, $3.49/12oz - Sour - Fruited Gose

Stay safe. Spread kindness not germs!