Siciliano's Market News, My Resolution to Drink More Wine Edition (Jan 10)

By Steve Siciliano

According to an article in the Journal of Clinical Psychology 40 to 45% of Americans make at least one New Year’s resolution each year but after six months slightly less than half of those are still being maintained. Anyone who has failed to keep a New Year’s resolution doesn’t need stats from a clinical psychologist to confirm that successfully resolving to drop bad habits and pick up good ones can be difficult. I have failed many times in this regard myself. But I’m quite certain that the resolution I made for 2020 will be pretty easy to keep because starting this year I am resolving to drink more wine.

Most New Year resolutions reflect a desire to improve overall health and my determination to quaff more wine is no different. There are many studies that tout the health benefits of its moderate consumption. A detailed description of the many benefits can be found here and they’re pretty darn impressive--reducing bad cholesterol and a lessened risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer are just a few. Add improved brain function into the mix and I’m convinced that this oenophile resolution is a no brainer.

The problem, of course, is that consuming wine on a daily basis can get quite expensive but there is a solution--make your own health enhancing elixir. Siciliano’s Market stocks everything you need to make good and even great wine at home. Our Vintner’s Best wine making equipment kit is specifically designed to be used with Winexpert’s ingredients kits which produce six gallons (28 - 30, 750 ml. bottles) of delicious and disease thwarting medicine. Depending on which quality of kit you choose, this translates into a very economical range of approximately $2.50 to $6.00 per bottle.

If you would like to join me in making this no brainer New Year’s resolution, we’re going to make it easy for you. For the entire month of January, we’re offering the Vintner’s Best wine making equipment kit on sale for $100.00. (Regular price $125.00) We’re also offering 10% off all our Winexpert ingredient kits during the same time period.

If you’re like me you have a mixed track record when it comes to maintaining New Year’s resolutions. A resolution to consume more wine to improve your health is one you should have no trouble keeping.

New and Returning Beers

• Anderson Valley BA Old Fashion, $4.39/12oz - "California- American Brown Ale- 8.3% ABV. Inspired by our love for the classic bourbon cocktail, this robust brown ale is brewed with orange peel and Hersbrucker hops. We hope you enjoy!" (Source)

• Bells Hopslam, $3.29/12oz - " Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell's Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell's repertoire." (Source)

• Big Lake Alien Rabbit, $4.39/16oz - No commercial description

• Breckenridge Nitro Irish Stout, $2.19/16oz - " Brewed with Irish malts and roasted barley, this easy-going stout adds a welcoming Colorado spirit to a classic old world style. Dark malty flavors evolve into a notable dry character, while the nitrogen charge creates a soft pillowy head that smooths every sip. " (Source)

• Brooklyn Rose de Ville, $1.89/12oz - " Rosé de Ville is an elegant sour ale that can upgrade any average day to a celebration. We used perky raspberries to achieve the right balance of sweet fruit with tart acidity, and lend the beer its bold pink hue. Don't sleep on this one: Rosé de Ville is a limited release, available for only a few months. " (Source)

• Brooklyn Special Effects, $1.89/12oz - " In movies, special effects make you think you're seeing the unbelievable. In Brooklyn Special Effects, we're making you taste something incredible: a delicious non-alcoholic brew. Brooklyn Special Effects is a hoppy lager with an unexpected zesty aroma and pleasantly bitter finish." (Source)

• Deschutes Red Chair, $1.99/12oz - " The citrus punch of a big IPA, minus the one-dimensional hop sledgehammer. Several select European and domestic malts round out the edges for a complex, copper-colored brew. Like its namesake ski lift, it’s an insider’s ride to fresh thrills." (Source)

• Great Lakes Conway's Irish Ale, $1.99/12oz - " A pint for Pa Conway! Our co-owners’ grandfather and policeman who’d likely uphold that an Irish Ale with full-bodied caramel malt flavors is just the ticket." (Source)

• New Belgium Voodoo Ranger American Haze, $1.79/12oz - " Packed with bright tropical aromas and brilliant citrusy flavors, this unfiltered IPA wraps up with a pleasantly smooth finish." (Source)

• New Holland Blue Sunday, $8.99/22oz - " This unique anniversary libation, heritage-blended from our library of barrel-soured beers, exhibits deeply layered flavors of malt and oak, with a tart finish." (Source)

• Surly At the End of the Internet, $4.89/16oz - " No need to Google or even Ask Jeeves–it’s a double dry-hopped, hazy double IPA brewed with El Dorado, Simcoe, and Citra hops. Initially an exclusive for 2019 Darkness Day revelers, the word-of-mouth hit is now our first BC Small Batch release of 2020." (Source)

• Surly Darkness, $23.79/22oz - "Brewed For Our Favorite Day of the Year. Our massive Russian Imperial Stout contains waves of chocolate, coffee, cherry, raisin, and toffee, plus a non-traditional dose of aromatic hops." (Source)

• Surly Dots and Loops $1.99/12oz - " This new-school IPA sends your palate swirling in dots and loops with fruit-forward hop flavors of mango, orange, and pineapple with a bright finish that will leave you wanting more." (Source)

• Surly Rocket Surgery, $1.99/12oz -" This juicy, hazy ale is brimming with Citra and Simcoe hops for a fruit-forward blast of hop flavor. Drink it. You’ll like it. It’s not rocket surgery, it’s Rocket Surgery." (Source)

Video of the Week / Welcome to Winemaking

Cheers!