Siciliano's Market News, March 4 Edition

This week's list of new and returning products follow a few words about fishing guides

Chris with a nice brown he hooked while on a guided float on the Manistee

Preamble by Steve Siciliano

“Nick did not like to fish with other men on the river. Unless they were of your party, they spoiled it.”

From The Big Two Hearted River by Ernest Hemingway

Like the protagonist in Hemingway’s short story about a young man trying to regain his mental balance after being seriously injured in the first world war, unless I’m fishing with folks I know I much prefer being on trout streams alone. Even when I’m angling with familiar companions like my wife Barb and my son Chris, once we get in the river we tend to go our separate ways.

When I fish with Barb I help her to a spot where the water is not too deep and the current is not too strong and she’s perfectly happy working the same runs and holes while I venture off upstream or down. When I’m with Chris we stake out our territory, again one going upstream and the other down, and we don’t see each other until we meet back at the truck. Fly fishing for trout is, for the most part, a solitary activity. Unless, of course, you book a trip with one of the guardian angels more commonly known in angling circles as fishing guides.

When you’re fishing unfamiliar waters your chances of success go up exponentially when you hook up with a guide. The good ones, and I can personally attest that the vast majority are very good, are skilled at a boatload of things besides getting fish in the net. They have to be adept at handling a water craft in tricky currents and they have to be surgeons (extracting an embedded hook from an ear or an arm), psychiatrists (knowing how to deal with sometimes difficult clients), entomologists (matching the fly to the hatch), empathetic (consoling a client who loses a trophy at the boat), have the patience of Job (silently enduring the ineptitude of a client who on consecutive casts puts a number 12 Adams in an overhanging tree branch) and meteorologists (keeping a close eye on those storm clouds gathering on the western horizon).

And lest you're inclined to think that making your living in the great outdoors is the world's greatest gig consider this--guides spend countless "off" hours cleaning gear, fixing gear, tying flies, buying supplies for shore lunches, packing coolers, unpacking coolers, etc. While their clients are enjoying a cigar and few tumblers of bourbon after eight hours on the river they're prepping for the following day.

My favorite guides are the ones who take the task at hand seriously but not too seriously. I particularly like those who know how to keep things light when things get heavy. On a float on the Madison River last summer our affable, wise cracking guide would rib me after my occasional screw ups. On the drive back to the lodge we chatted about the bevy of tests Montana guides must take annually to keep their licenses up to date. “Is there one that measures your expertise at being a royal asshole?” I asked him.

“Yup,” Mike chuckled. “Passed it with flying colors.”

Featured Wines of the Week

Patraiki, Mavrodaphne of patras, Greece, $13.99/750ml-One of the most famous Greek dessert wines, with Protected Designation of Origin and many international awards. A red wine produced from the well-known variety of Mavrodaphne, which grows only in certain areas of the province of Patras in Achaia.

It stands out for its distinctive, complex aroma, which combines flavors of red fruits -like cherry, blackberry and fig- and spices -like cinnamon and vanilla- due to aging in oak barrels, but also for its full body and long aftertaste. (Source)

Patraiki, Muscat of patras, Greece, $12.49/750ml- Excellent dessert wine with Protected Designation of Origin, made exclusively from white Muscat variety that flourishes in the ideal climate and soil of the province of Patras in Achaia.

It stands out for its bright amber colour with golden tints and rich aromatic bouquet of fruits -such as apricot and bergamot and flowers such as jasmine and rose.

A wine with distinctive, velvety taste, balanced acidity and long, pleasant aftertaste with the flavor of honey. (Source)

Patraiki, Santa Marina, semi sweet white, Greece, $10.89/750ml- A mild and delicate medium-sweet white wine, made exclusively from selected grapes of Greek varieties of the Achaia region’s vineyards.

It stands out for its unique fruity aroma of citrus fruits, mature, balanced flavour and pleasant aftertaste. (Source)

Patraiki, Santa Marina , semi sweet red, Greece, $10.89/750ml- A medium-sweet red wine of superb quality, made from the best red varieties which flourish in the Achaia region.

A wine with distinctive aroma of red fruits, balanced full body and velvety aftertaste. (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

Old Tub, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, $26.29/750ml- The limited-edition offering is a nostalgic nod to where it all began for the Beam family over 140 years ago in Bardstown, KY, otherwise known as the Bourbon Capital of the World. This unique bourbon has tasting notes that include oak, complemented along with grain, and a warm caramel. It has a lingering color of golden citrine gemstone with shades of honey and an aroma that carries initial waves of oak followed by vanilla and grain. (Source)

Evan williams, 1783 small batch Kentucky straight bourbon, $23.09/750ml- No more than 200 handpicked barrels go into making our award-winning small batch Kentucky Bourbon. It's extra aged for a smooth, rich, high-quality taste.

Tasting notes

• Nose: Oaky vanilla, sautéed butter & buttered sweet corn

• Taste: Semi-sweet, oaky & honeyed

• Finish: Lean, off-dry & regal

(Source)

New and Returning Products

Great Lakes Chill Wave, $3.59/16oz - Inspired by the North Coast's dedicated (and sometimes chilly) surf community, our fully stoked Double IPA will melt the ice in your beard and never lose its balance. (Source)

Hop Butcher Dun Dun Dun, $4.89/16oz - Amarillo, Citra & Galaxy-hopped Double India Pale Ale (Source)

Hop Butcher Preserved in Three Dimensions, $4.89/16oz - Sabro & Simcoe-hopped Double India Pale Ale (Source)

Left Hand Found Fortune, $2.59/12oz - IPA - Imperial / Double

Middle Coast Gitche Gumee, $3.29/16oz - A NEIPA with beautiful hoppy aroma and juicy flavors from copious amounts of Cascade, El Dorado and Trident. A beer that should be a must try for any beer lover. (Source)

North Peak Forage, $2.09/12oz - Spring IPA. Floral, red, full-bodied. Hops: MI Cascade, MI Chinook, Mandarina Bavaria. (Source)

Oddiside Double Oaked Deleterious, $8.19/12oz - Stout - Imperial / Double

Oddside Deleterious Vanilla, $8.19/12oz - Stout - Imperial / Double

Oddside Deleterious, $8.19/12oz - Bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout with absolutely no adjuncts added! Aromas of raw cocoa and espresso mingle with vanilla, bourbon, and oak. Full bodied with dark roasted malts and rich mousse followed by warming alcohol and semi dry finish. (Source)

Oddside Oaked Rye Hipster, $8.19/12oz - Our award-winning Rye Hipster Brunch stout, aged further on toasted oak spirals. (Source)

Oddside XI Anniversary, $8.19/12oz - Hints of coconut with a boozy punch. (Source)

Rockford O'Brien Irish Stout Red, $2.19/12oz

Saugatuck Blueberry Lemon Shandy, $1.89/12oz

Terrapin Watermelon Gose, $21.19/12oz - Tart and refreshing, our gose is sure to blow any picnic out of the water... melon. (Source)

Transient Moon Money, $3.79/16oz - Blasting off with a double dry hopped dose of citra and galaxy. Light and bright and oh so juicy! (Source)

Transient Resinate, $3.79/16oz - IPA - American

Transient Rye Lagger with Chestnut, $6.59/500ml

Untitled Art Hurricane Seltzer, $4.39/16oz -

Untitled Art Yuzu Raspberry Sherbert, $5.19/16oz - Berliner Style Ale with Yuzu Lime, Rasberry, Vanilla, and Milk Sugar. (Source)

Untitled Art/Drekker Mango Coconut Sticky Sour, $5.49/16oz - Berliner style weiss ale brewed with mango, coconut, cinnamon, brown sugar and milk sugar. (Source)

Untitled Art/Hubbards Cave Black Forest Cake, $5.49/16oz - Smoothie stout brewed with cacao nibs, vanilla bean, cherry puree and milk sugar. (Source)

Watermark Hurricane Squeeze, $4.39/16oz - IPA with grapefruit

Watermark Murky Depths, $4.39/16oz - New England IPA

Watermark Sultan Supreme, $4.39/16oz - Porter - Coffee

Wellbeing Intrepid Traveler Coffee Stout, $2.49/12oz - Brewed with dark roasted coffee, flaked oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and lactose. This stout is a energetic revelation of spice and flavor in Non Alcoholic craft beer. Part cold brew coffee, part classic stout, the Intrepid Traveler is brewed for open road adventurers to enjoy 24/7. (Source)

Stay safe. Please wear a face covering in indoor public spaces. Spread kindness not germs!