Bad Weather LIGHTning Low-Cal Lager • Photo via Bad Weather Brewing Company

Welcome to Beer Dabbler’s Freshies, our weekly rundown on the newest beers hitting the store shelves and taproom coolers in Minnesota from your favorite local and national breweries. 

Big beer, session beer, low cal beer, NA beer—even dog beers are on tap or in bottles and cans for the celebratory long weekend, whether you’re hitting the lake, relaxing in the yard, or if you’re stuck at work and need to make a mental list for what to pick up and enjoy later.

While there are beers to honor the fallen, a few doses of Liberty hops, and some colorful ales, breweries are celebrating in many different ways—including several taprooms taking the day off so workers can be with friends and family.

 

 

Each week, the Beer Dabbler team highlights five of the most tantalizing new beers that we’re most excited to try.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company Lil’ Sprucey Summer Pale – A summer crusher with a dash of spruce, the brewery says.

Disgruntled Brewing Anges Du Nord – A beer celebrating three members of the Minnesota National Guard who lost their lives on Dec. 5 , 2019, this “Angels of the North” New England-style IPA is brewed to honor the fallen.

Elm Creek Brewing Co. Double Miel Blanc – A special batch of their double New England-style IPA made with twice the honey and double dry-hopped. Expect melon, pineapple, and honey with a smooth body at 9.3% ABV.

FINNEGANS Brew Co. Tail Chaser – A dog beer, available in cans at FINNEGANS and Craft and Crew Hospitality restaurants. Proceeds benefit rescue organizations.

Wabasha Brewing Company Starman Shandy – On tap now at a sessionable 3% ABV.

New beers available this week

22 Northmen Brewing Company

  • Colorado Kolsch – “We used traditional Kolsch techniques and barley from the San Luis Valley of Colorado,” the brewery says, leading to “[A] refreshing pale beer with that familiar yeast character that we all know as Kolsch.” 4.8% ABV.

Bad Weather Brewing Company

  • LIGHTning: Grapefruit – One of two new infusions sold in a mixed pack. A low-calorie lager with grapefruit.
  • LIGHTning: Lime – A low-calorie lager infused with lime and sold in a mixed pack along with original LIGHTning and a grapefruit variant.

Badger Hill Brewing Company

  • Ally – Described as a union of hazy IPA and classic American IPA styles, this beer offers notes of grapefruit, pineapple, apricot, pine, and herbs with a soft body and no bitterness. 6.1% ABV.
  • F5 Blackberry Sour – A kettle sour with blackberry: fruity and a little tart, the brewery says. 4.4% ABV.

Bent Brewstillery

  • Talus Hazer – A double dry-hopped hazy double IPA made with Talus, Vista Cryo, and Idaho Gem Cryo hops. On tap at 2pm today.

Birch’s On The Lake

  • Marionberry Sour

Boom Island Brewing Co.

  • Tonk Weiss – Traditional hefeweizen that is incredibly smooth, with notes of baking bread, banana, and citrus, the brewery notes. 5.7% ABV.

Bricksworth Beer

  • Jock Jams – A triple berry sour ale with blackberry, boysenberry, and blueberry. 5% ABV.
  • Mandatory Volunteer Hours – This newly tapped New England-style IPA uses Citra, Mosaic, and Centennial Cryo hops. 7.4% ABV.
  • Photo Dump – A sour ale with added strawberry, cherry, and lemon. 5% ABV.

Canal Park Brewing Company

  • Woodland Strawberry – A blonde ale with subtle strawberry. 5% ABV, 15 IBU.

Copper Trail Brewing

  • Logger Lager – A tongue twister 4.8% ABV Vienna lager with a sweet, malty finish.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

  • Lil’ Sprucey Summer Pale – Top Flight selection

Day Block Brewing

  • Mexicali Brew – Back on tap for the summer season.

Disgruntled Brewing

  • Anges Du Nord – Top Flight selection

Dual Citizen Brewing Company

  • Good Good – A hazy oat IPA, now available in 16-ounce cans with new art.

Duluth Cider

  • Intergalactic – A new semi-dry cider made with Galaxy hops.
  • Raspberry Island Tea – Tapped yesterday, this is a light-body semi-dry cider with raspberry. 5.6% ABV.
  • Thin Mint Cider – As the name suggests, this cider takes inspiration from a certain flavor of Girl Scout cookies, and a portion of sales benefit Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Earth Rider Brewery

  • Hefeweizen
  • Blueberry Honey Cream Ale – “The aroma and flavor of blueberries marry with a hint of honey to elevate a light malt background. Fruity, refreshing, and slightly sweet with a creamy finish,” the brewery says. 5.0% ABV, 10 IBU.

Elm Creek Brewing Co.

  • Chambered Hearts – “A barrel-aged gose brewed with sea salt and coriander then aged in añejo tequila barrels. Aromas of tequila, oak, and honey give way to bright and refreshing flavors of lime, oak, and citrus,” the brewery says. 5% ABV.
  • Double Miel Blanc – A special batch of their double New England-style IPA made with twice the honey and double dry-hopped. Expect melon, pineapple, and honey with a smooth body at 9.3% ABV.
  • French Connection – A French-style saison with notes of clove, wheat, lemon, and citrus. 6.1% ABV.
  • Sippin’ Steady – A light and refreshing Pale Ale brewed with Citra and Idaho 7, aromas of lilac, citrus, and candied fruit, followed by flavors of creamy orange, the brewery says of its latest 5.6% ABV, 30 IBU New England-style pale ale.

ENKI Brewing   

  • AHHH Snap! – A hazy IPA tapped last weekend in celebration of the brewery’s ninth anniversary.

Excelsior Brewing Co.

  • 10th Anniversary IPA – 5.7% ABV, 35 IBU

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

  • Frozen Fresh Hop Party Forward – This batch of Party Forward was made with flash-frozen fresh hops, leading to more hop oil and berry character in this limited, draft-only beer.
  • Strawberry Mint Roselle – Tapped last week, this new variant of Roselle is like a carbonated mint julep margarita Arnold Palmer, the brewery says in its newsletter. Draft only.
  • Side Pull – Tapped yesterday, this is a Czech-style pale lager collaboration with Bierstadt.

Falling Knife Brewing Co.

  • All Sunshine – A double dry-hopped hazy double IPA with pineapple, mango, papaya, and citrus flavors.
  • Raz Sparkler – A hard seltzer cocktail with raspberry, chamomile, and vanilla. Proceeds benefit SisterSong.
  • Umulonimbus – A fruited sour built around guava, pineapple, and passionfruit, this popular beer is back in 4-packs and on tap.

Fat Pants Brewing Co.

  • Seltzer Slushies – Available through the summer in flavors such as Blue Raspberry, Grape, and Watermelon.

Fergus Brewing Co.

  • Munsun’s Tears – “A 4.7% cream ale named after the mayor of Fergus Falls who prolonged prohibition. This smooth, traditional-style beer is in honor of the 150th anniversary of our town,” the brewery explains.
  • Smash #1 – A pale ale with citrus flavors and mild bitterness, the brewery says. 5.2% ABV.

FINNEGANS Brew Co.

  • Blood Orange Pilsner – Back on tap at the brewery and sold in 6-packs too.
  • Tail Chaser – Top Flight selection

Fitger’s Brewhouse

  • Caramel Delight – A malty golden ale base with added coconut, cocoa, vanilla, and caramel. “Coming soon,” the brewpub says.

Foremost Brewing Cooperative

  • Bob’s Extra Pale Ale – Liberty, Chinook, and Cascade hops lay the foundation for this 6.1% ABV, 36 IBU hop-forward EPA.
  • California Common – 6.5% ABV, 37 IBU
  • Moo-Berry – A blueberry lager named via a radio contest.

Foxhole Brewhouse

  • Berry Blissful Sour – A pastry sour with raspberries and blueberries.

Hop & Barrel Brewing Company

  • 5th TRIPle – A triple IPA, “Boasting bold flavors of pineapple accentuated by grapefruit,” Hop & Barrel says. Available on draft and in cans.

Inbound BrewCo

  • To Be Continued… – The newest sour ale from Inbound is a cherry, lime, and raspberry combination at 5% ABV, 20 IBU.

Indeed Brewing Company

  • Key Lime Pie Sour – “Our key lime-forward kettle sour ale delivers a puckering punch at first sip while the graham cracker essence and lactose soften the brew,” the brewery says.5.5% ABV, 10 IBU.

Lake Monster Brewing

  • Blood Orange Citrus IPA – “It has a creamy body from the substantial use of oats in the grist combined with a pungent tropical hop aroma,” the brewery of this fruity but balanced IPA with added blood orange. 6.5% ABV.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Co.

  • Driftless Day – A West Coast-style IPA, on tap and in liquor stores, with pine and floral flavors and additional notes of citrus and grass, the brewery says.
  • Vibe Czech – “[A] hop-forward followed by maltiness, giving you slight bitterness and flavor that doesn’t linger. Light-bodied and crisp, with elevated carbonation makes this your classic, delicious Czech Pilsner,” Lakes & Legends says.
  • Raspberry & Lime Hard Seltzer

Lupulin Brewing Company

  • Blizzard in the Desert – One of Lupulin’s collaboration beers brewed during DBC and now sold in the new Friend Pack 4-pack, this is a cold IPA made in tandem with Ex Novo Brewing (Portland, OR), using Sabro and Citra hops and a base of Pilsner malt and blue corn. A portion of this beer’s sales will benefit Infinite Ingredient.
  • Cedar Robot – This Friend Pack beer is a Wooden Robot Brewery (Charlotte, NC) collaboration and a dry-hopped pale ale fermented on cedar spiral. Expect light bread, melon, citrus, sandalwood, and white pepper notes.
  • Lab Partners – Idaho 7, Simcoe, and Cashmere hops combine for notes of pine, peach, and tangerine in a West Coast-style IPA collaboration with 4 Noses Brewing (Broomfield, CO).
  • Mandi, You’re A Fine Ale – A 4.5% ABV pale ale with orange.
  • Reduced Stability Double IPA – A double IPA with big citrus and tropical fruit flavors, brewed in collaboration with Narrow Gauge Brewing (Florissant, MO) and sold in the Friend Pack.
  • Contessa Lager – A 4.5% ABV American-style lager.

New Glarus Brewery

  • Strawberry Rhubarb – A wild fermentation tart ale with strawberries and rhubarb. Available in Wisconsin only.

Nouvelle Brewing

  • Grizz & Glamour – A farmhouse-style beer with Kveik yeast and peach, this Nine Mile collab is 4.6% ABV and offers notes of cantaloupe, honeydew, stone fruit, and citrus.
  • Happy Pils – “Satisfyingly crisp pilsner brewed with German malts and modern German hops, Callista and Mandarina Bavaria, for flavors and aromas of red berries, orange and citrus, with sweet bready malt and a bitter finish,” the brewery says. 5.1% ABV.
  • N/A Kölsch – A new .5% ABV rendition of Nouvelle’s Kölsch-style ale.
  • Stranded in El Dorado – A new IPA made with Strata, El Dorado, and El Dorado Incognito hops with flavors of grapefruit, red berries, passion fruit, and cannabis. 7.6% ABV.
  • Willy Chonka: Straw Dragon – A pastry sour ale made with dragon fruit, passion fruit, strawberry, lemon, vanilla, and lactose. 5.2% ABV.

Oliphant Brewing

  • Frankenstein Pot – Strata, Simcoe, Mosaic, and Citra hops set the tone in this 6% ABV West Coast-style IPA.

Torg Brewery   

  • Red Mare Rye – Batch 111 at Torg is a malt-forward sessionable red rye ale with notes of dark fruit, chocolate, and spice. 4.6% ABV. A collaboration with Under Pressure.

Wabasha Brewing Company

  • Starman Shandy – On tap now at a sessionable 3% ABV.

Wicked Wort Brewing Co.

  • Dude Bro – On tap for a limited time, as of Tuesday.
  • Space Drank – A tangerine kettle sour.

Wild Mind Ales

  • Death Metal Yoga – A very hazy yet dank IPA with definitive citrus and pine character. 7.1% ABV.

Have a new beer we should know about? Send the details to newbeer@beerdabbler.com for inclusion in Freshies.