Disgruntled’s Free Juice • Photo via Disgruntled 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. 

We’ve reached a turning point: solstice has passed and we can now officially enjoy the darkness, knowing its time is limited. Fittingly, there are a lot of dark beers available everywhere these days. Some are big 10%+ imperial stouts, but we also see a refreshing mix of dark lagers, mid-ABV porters, and sweet stouts that give variety to the season. Among the latter, expect a few traditional milk stouts, but also pastry-style winter spices and other adjuncts to complement the holiday season.

Dark beer isn’t for everyone though. In this case, check out the wide selection of newly tapped fruited sours, a low-calorie wheat beer option, plus single, double, and triple IPAs on the market. Then start thinking about the new year with some extra dry and bubbly local cider.

 

 

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

Badger Hill Brewing Company Paisley Hazy Hazy IPA – New tapped, this hazy IPA was dry-hopped with New Zealand-grown hops. “The aroma gives off a bold blend of citrus, stone fruits, and delicate floral notes. A full, pillowy mouthfeel and a touch of sweetness, combined with heavy late-hopping, make Paisley Hazy a showcase for hop character without bitterness,” the brewery says. 6.7% ABV.

Disgruntled Brewing Free Juice – A hazy New England-style IPA dry-hopped with Citra, Cashmere, Bru-1, and Sabro.

Montgomery Brewing Company The General – Not an insurance company; rather, an imperial stout for the holidays.

Waldmann Brewery Weihnachtsbier – “It’s a tawny-colored, lightly-hopped ale that you’ll definitely want at your Christmas table or New Year’s party,” Waldmann says, “with a subtle infusion of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon and both bitter and sweet orange peel.” 7.2% ABV.

Wooden Hill Brewing Company Soirée – “A light and creamy ale brewed with lactose, fermented with strawberry puree, and conditioned on vanilla beans,” Wooden Hill says. 6.2% ABV.

New beers available this week

22 Northmen Brewing Company   

  • Warchata – A sweet stout with a hefty dose of cinnamon and vanilla to complement its chocolate and roasty base. 8% ABV.

608 Brewing Company

  • Cinna Rolled – A pastry stout with cinnamon sweetness and a nutty finish, the brewery says, brewed with cinnamon, pecan, and vanilla beans. 7% ABV.
  • Dystopian State – A triple IPA showing off Galaxy and Strata hops. At 10% ABV, expect flavors of pineapple upside-down cake, honeydew melon, and tropical Skittles, the brewery says, with dank undertones. Available Thursday.

608’s Cinna Roll • Photo via 608 Brewing Company

Alloy Brewing Company

  • Great Uncle Steve’s Wild Rice Brown Ale – A brown ale with mild wild rice notes, the brewery says. 5.4% ABV, 22 ICU.

Badger Hill Brewing Company   

  • Paisley Hazy Hazy IPA – Top Flight selection.

Bell’s Brewery

  • LoSun – A new low-cal wheat series release, Bell’s describes this ale as “bright and smooth with subtle citrus hop aromas.

Birch’s On The Lake   

  • El Dorado IPA    – A West Coast-style, El Dorado-hopped 6.4% ABV IPA.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

  • Czech Primo Pils – Available now, this Pilsner lager offers cracker-like malt flavors with hop-derived notes of citrus, lemon, and spice. 5.2% ABV.
  • Triple Double IPA – “This sneaky smooth double bodied beast is vibrating with notes of tropical citrus & peach,” Dangerous Man says. “Triple dry-hopped with Julius, Strata, Citra, and Lotus hops creating a dreamy double hazy IPA.” 9.2% ABV, 44 IBU.

Disgruntled Brewing

  • Free Juice – Top Flight selection.
  • Marshmallow Smooth-E – Expect strawberry, guava, and pineapple flavors with a creamy marshmallow body, the brewery says.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

  • Triple Universe – Mirror Universe times three, but in a single beer.

Fulton Brewery

  • Moon Howler – A new year round offering from Fulton, a hazy IPA brewed with Citra, Bravo, and Ekuanot hops. 6.5% ABV and on tap at the brewery now, then hitting liquor stores in late January.

HammerHeart Brewing Company

  • Gorm the Old – Currently available at liquor stores.
  • Surtr’s Flame –Newly available in liquor stores.

Humble Forager Brewery

  • Coastal Sunset v5 –A fruited dessert sour with blueberry, lemon, coconut, almond, vanilla, and almond.

Inbound BrewCo

  • Dark Cherry Pomegranate – “A tart and tangy treat with juicy dark cherry and bold pomegranate,” says INbound. 5% ABV, 20 IBU. On tap and in Crowlers now, then hitting liquor stores next week.

Jack Pine Brewery

  • Knotty Pine – A strawberry and banana fruited sour.
  • Ya’ll Been Zapped – Zappa hops are the core of this West Coast-style IPA with caramel malt notes, plus pine and citrus flavors.

Kinney Creek Brewery

  • Roll Out The Lager – A 4.5% ABV light lager.

Lake Monster Brewing

  • Paloma Gose – A cocktail-inspired, taproom-exclusive Pilot Batch gose. “ur Paloma Gose takes a wheat beer base and adds Grapefruit juice and zest, agave syrup, salt and a hint of smoked malt,” Lake Monster says.

Lupulin Brewing Company

  • Jubilee Kolsch – An effervescent and fruit kolsch-style ale with low and balanced bitterness, brewed in collaboration with Garth’s Brew Bar in Madison, WI. 5% ABV, 24 IBU.

Mineral Springs Brewery

  • Pelton Dark Lager

Minneapolis Cider Company

  • Blueberry Borealis – Available in cans in the Twin Cities metro, with a portion of proceeds donated to Friends of the Boundary Waters.

Montgomery Brewing Company

  • The General – Top Flight selection
  • Yippie Ki Yay – A barrel-aged peanut butter porter and holiday season. Available at the brewery and in very limited supply at select liquor stores.

Moose Lake Brewing Company

  • Birling Brut IPA – A light and extra-bubble IPA with “wine-centric” hops to toast the holiday season. 6.5% ABV.
  • Pulp Mill Raspberry Vanilla Milkshake IPA – Back on tap as of mid-December.

Number 12 Cider

  • Legacy – A dry and slightly tart cider with hints of stone fruit, leather, and rose, the cidery says of this seasonal release made with a blend of European and American heirloom apple varietals.

Oliphant Brewing

  • !Papa Yah! – A sour ale made with papaya and cassis in collaboration with Disgruntled. The Somerset, WI brewery recently expanded their taproom to feature 25 taps (previously 12).

Pantown Brewing Company

  • Black Sol – A winter solstice beer, black in color but slight sweet on the taste buds, with notes of chocolate and coffee to make the most of dark times.
  • Sticky Fingers    – A “PB & J” ale, tapped a week ago.
  • Three – Tapped on Wednesday for the brewery’s third anniversary, this is a milk stout that spend 21 months in Panther Distillery wheat whiskey barrels – and then Pantown added peanut butter and chocolate for a sweet holiday touch.

PawPrint Brewery

  • Our Lightest Beer –5% ABV, 14 IBU
  • Red Rover – A 5% ABV, 18 IBU raspberry wheat ale, back on tap.

Pig Ate My Pizza Kitchen + Brewery   

  • Cosmic Galaxy – A New England-style double IPA with a soft body and lots (and lots) of hops, including Bravo, Idaho 7 Lupomax, Azacca Lupomax, and Galaxy. The final product s 8% ABV with passion fruit, guava, and citrus flavors.
  • Heck’ Shreddit    – Another New England-style IPA, this hazy 6.9% ABV recipe is described as silky and frothy in texture with gentle malt sweetness, pineapple cotton candy, tropical fruit gummy bears, and peach smoothie flavors with a balanced bitterness.

Tin Whiskers Brewing Company

  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Imperial Stout – “A rich imperial stout brewed with honey from Bare Honey and conditioned on milk chocolate, peanut butter and pretzels,” the brewery says. 110% ABV, 50 IBU.
  • Iron Wire Blackberry Wheat – An American wheat ale with blueberry, lemon, and cinnamon. 5.5% ABV, 20 IBU.

Urban Growler Brewing Company

  • Tart Cherry Porter –A sweet and smooth porter with Door County cherries, balancing sweet chocolate notes and tart cherry flavor. 5.5% ABV, 20 IBU.

Waconia Brewing Company

  • Laketown Brown – “Big flavors of chocolate and coffee with hints of vanilla. A creamy mouthfeel and solid bitterness,” the brewery says.
  • Mo’ Winta Milk Stout with Raspberries – Tapped at the brewery on Wednesday.

Waldmann Brewery

  • Weihnachtsbier – Top Flight selection.

Wild Mind Ales

  • Devil’s Tongue – A full-body oatmeal stout blend with raspberry puree and cold brew coffee. “Rich, lightly tart, sweet, and roasty,” the brewery explains. 6.4% ABV.

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

  • French River – A 6.5% ABV farmhouse saison with white wine-like notes.
  • Soirée – Top Flight selection.

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