Blueberry, Blackberry, and Honeyberry Star in this Week’s New Beers

Alloy SMÖÖSHED Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie Sour • Photo via Alloy Brewing

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. 

Spring is a season of rebirth, and also transition. Right now many brewery lineups range from Russian imperial stouts to summer ale and shandy: a full rainbow on display among most flight boards. This week’s new beers share that variety, with traditional German-style lagers, hazy IPAs, and complex mixed-culture sours.

But fruit makes its presence known this week, especially strawberry, from a new seasonal via Fulton or a limited batch at Wooden Hill. Other berries give it a good run in popularity though, as we see plenty of blueberry, blackberry, and even honeyberry on tap (and take-home) across the Land of 10,000 Drinks.

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

Bemidji New Zealand Pilsner – At 4.8% ABV, this is a Pilsner lager made with German Pilsner malt and New Zealand Wakatu and Motueka hops. Expect a clean backdrop with subtle lime, floral, and spice, the brewery says.

Bent Paddle Honeyberry Saison – A limited release in a new Out of the Oak program, this is a mixed culture and saison with locally sourced honeyberry. “Expect delicate brett funk, smarties candy, light oak tannin, and berry skin with a dry, enticingly tart finish,” Bent Paddle says.

Hoops #1967 Sour Cherry Wheat – A wheat beer with big fruity notes of cherry, peach, dark berry, and a dry finish.

Utepils He’s Not Hazy, He’s My Brother – This new hoppy lager is a collaboration with Mikerphone Brewing (Chicago, IL). Available today.

Stacked Deck Bowling for Money – Bowling for Money – A silky, smooth, and juicy double IPA from Stacked Deck made with a heavy dose of Mosaic and Simcoe hops. On tap and sold in 16-ounce/4-packs. 8.0% ABV.

New beers available this week

10K Brewing

• Bougie Bee – A 4.1% ABV beer made with blueberry honey that presents a big honey flavor with subtle fruitiness. 4.1% ABV.

608 Brewing Company

• Couch Lock – Tapped on Tuesday, April 20, this is a dank and hazy IPA made with Strata and Columbus hops for flavors of blueberry, honeydew, and marijuana. Made in collaboration with Tree Huggers Co-Op. 7.5% ABV.
• Hype Machine: Peanut Butter and Jelly – Available next Friday, this smoothie sour is made with peanut butter flour and strawberry puree.
• Nebulous Void – Available on Saturday, April 24 in 500-milliliter bottles, this is a bourbon barrel-aged imperial coconut stout. 13.1% ABV.

608 Brewing Nebulous Void • Photo via 608 Brewing

Alloy Brewing Company   

• SMÖÖSHED – A smoothie sour made with blueberries and pomegranate. 6.1% ABV, 0 IBU.

Bemidji Brewing

• New Zealand Pilsner – Top Flight selection.

Bent Paddle Brewing Co.

• Honeyberry Saison – Top Flight selection.

Big Axe Brewing

• Mango Colada – A milkshake IPA made with mango, pineapple, and coconut. It resembles a tropical cocktail, but with a smooth beer bitterness. 7.1% ABV.

BlackStack Brewing

• Strawberry Pineapple Hefeweizen – Back on tap at the brewery as of last week.

Boathouse Brothers Brewing Co.

• Birthday Cake Cream Ale – Available this week as the Prior Lake brewery celebrates its third anniversary.

Bricksworth Beer

• First Mistake – A soft and pillowy New England–style IPA at 7.2% ABV. On tap and sold in Crowlers too.
• Playboy Mansion – A 5.3% ABV hefeweizen with a fluffy body and subtle notes of banana and clove, the brewpub says.

Brooklyn Brewery

• Summer Ale – A light and zesty seasonal pale ale.

Disgruntled Brewing

• Daydreamer – A New England-style IPA made with a mix of Mosaic, Citra, and Sabro hops for a juicy yet dank profile.

Duluth Cider   

• Apricot Berry – “Apricot Berry Smoothie Cider hits the taproom this Friday. Loaded with apricot, more apricot, strawberry, blueberry, and apricot. We did the math. There’s over ¼ lbs of fruit per Crowler,” the cidery says.

Eastlake Craft Brewery

• Electric Mayhem – A dank, dry-hopped juice bomb IPA made with Azacca, Rakau, and Mandarina Bavaria hops. A limited run of variants was made available on Tuesday, April 20, in Crowlers:
• Gelato & CBD
• G. S. Cookies
• Pineapple Express
• Sour Diesel

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

• Hey, Remember Pale Ales? – A classic pale ale with flavors that include Citrus pith and tropical fruits with an additional bitter crispness. 5.0% ABV.

Fulton Brewery

• Strawberry Lonely Blonde – A fruitier, pinker take on Fulton’s flagship blonde ale.

Hoops Brewing

• #989 Pilsener Royale – A big (as in high alcohol) German-style Pilsner with aggressive noble hop flavors and a complementary malt bill.
• #1967 Sour Cherry Wheat – Top Flight selection.

Jack Pine Brewery   

• Barrel Aged Deadfall – A whiskey barrel-aged Russian imperial stout, on tap at the brewery as of last week.
• Lemon Shandy – On tap and in cans now.
• Nitro English Brown Ale – “Smooth and creamy with a malty backbone and subtle sweetness from the caramel and chocolate notes and the arrow of toasted barley malts used in the brewing process,” Jack Pine says.

Junkyard Brewing Co.

• Mullet Power – Bright citrus, red berry, stone fruit, and subtle herbal notes define this beer’s flavor profile with extra hints of white peach and berry on the nose. 7.2% ABV.
• ‘70s Rock Label – “A delicious sweet tasting NE Style IPA with aromas of Spree candy, grape, passionfruit. Tastes of citrus, passionfruit, guava,” the brewery says, with a soft and pillowy body.
• Alleviate – A triple IPA loaded with mango and pineapple flavor, melon aromatics, and a soft, smooth finish. 11.1% ABV.
• Cool Shades – A refreshing, summer-themed beer made with a blend of guava, strawberry, lime, and lemonade mix. 6.0% ABV.

Left Hand Brewing Co.

• Moscow Mule Pale Ale – A 5.5% ABV pale ale with lime and ginger flavors that was previously available in Can Mixed Packs.

Lift Bridge Brewing Company

• Getaway Pilsner – Made with noble hops and golden malt, Getaway Pilsner returns. Described as a refreshing lager with assertive hop character, it pours at 5.2% ABV.

Lupulin Brewing Company

• DDH Straight Hash Homie – A companion to Straight Hash Homie double IPA, this version is double dry-hopped (aka, double dry-hashed), including new ingredient Talus Cryo hops, for 2021, which adds even more grapefruit-like dank flavor. 7.75% ABV, 60 IBU.

Stacked Deck Brewing Co.

• Bowling for Money – Top Flight selection.
• Kickball Champion – A cool and refreshing 5.4% ABV cream ale.
• Sour Diesel – A fruited sour ale with blackberry and mango, brewed in collaboration with Clown Glass and tapped on Tuesday, April 20.

Sylvan Brewing

• Cow Tipper – An approachable barleywine from Lanesboro’s Sylvan, this low ABV (for the style) recipe sits at 8.5% ABV, 24 IBU and was conditioned on cherries and orange peel, which add Old Fashioned cocktail-like notes.

Talking Waters Brewing Co.

• MN Aloha – “MN Aloha is a smoothie sour brewed with lactose sugar, passion fruit, orange, guava, and plenty of coconut,” the brewery says. “It’s sweet and slightly tight, yet downright smooth and refreshing!” 5.0% ABV.

Talking Waters MN Aloha Smoothie Sour • Photo via Talking Waters Brewing Company

Tin Whiskers Brewing Company

• Things We Don’t Say IPA – A new collaborative beer project hosted by Eagle Park (Milwaukee, WI), a portion of proceeds from all Things We Don’t Say IPAs will benefit mental health organizations. On tap beginning today, with cans hitting liquor stores in May.
• Almond Joyful – An 11% imperial stout with almonds, coconut, vanilla, and chocolate.

Torg Brewery

• Kellerbier – “Aged on oak spirals, this refreshing summer lager finishes with complex notes of toasted bread and spiced herbs,” Torg says of this beer with a secret name still to be revealed at press time.

Utepils Brewing

• He’s Not Hazy, He’s My Brother – Top Flight selection.

Venn Brewing Company

• Chronicopia – Back on tap in south Minneapolis as of Tuesday, April 20.

Waconia Brewing Company

• Blueberry Cyclone Sour – A kettle sour with blueberries: tart, fruity, and juicy. “This late springtime refreshing beer has just enough lactic acid sourness to still make it approachable,” the brewery says. 5.2% ABV, 10 IBU and named with a nod to a disastrous 1904 storm.

Wild Mind Ales

• Obscura: Blackberry Pinot Grigio – A kettle sour, aged in an oak lagering foeder and conditioned on blackberry and Pinot Grigio, the brewery describes it as “light and spritzy.” 5.5% ABV.

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

• Strawberry Kolsch – Take Wooden Hill’s flagship Kölsch-style ale and add a heavy dose of strawberry for this 4.7% ABV “extremely limited batch.”

Beers just announced

Blacklist Brewing

• Kind of a Big DILL – The pickle beer is back, next month, with limited availability. Pre-orders for the beer, plus Bloody Mary fixins, are open now.

FINNEGANS Brew Co.

After closing the taproom for much of the past year, FINNEGANS will celebrate a Grand Re-Opening on May 1 with pop-up shops, live music and, of course, beer. Open 1-9pm, the line-up includes:

• Bella Pilz – An Italian-style Pilsner.
• Blood Orange Pilsner – A dry Pilsner with blood orange, with orange and grapefruit-like flavors.
• Kicked To The Herb – A pale ale brewed with hemp seeds, Citra, Zeus, and Chinook hops.
• Tile Factory – A Mosaic-hopped citrusy IPA with a touch of bitterness.
• Tipped Cow – A Beglian-style saison.

Indeed Brewing Company

• Aquafuzz – A new hazy-style IPA from Indeed, coming to cans soon.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Company

Lakes & Legends has designated May 1 as 5-Weight Day, with five variants of their cream ale to be tapped in-house at the brewery:

• Churro 5-Weigh
• Coffee 5-Weight
• Gin 5-Weight
• Marshmallow 5-Weight
• Prickly Pear 5-Weight

Tin Whiskers Brewing Company

• Bit-O-Honey Blonde Ale – A Pearson’s candy-inspired blonde ale with honey. This beer returns on April 30 with honey and almond flavors in a 16-ounce tallboy can instead of the candy wrapper we grew up with.

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

Correction: Strawberry Pineapple Hefeweizen and Kind of a Big DILL were brewed by Blacklist Brewing in Duluth, not BlackStack in St. Paul.