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. 

Minnesota was in the brewing spotlight this week, with close to 10,000 industry insiders in town for the Craft Brewers Convention. While the event itself is geared toward professionals, there were ample activities open to the public, including parties, tap takeovers, free shuttles and new collaboration beers with neighbors and breweries from afar.

Collaborations were highlighted by a shared recipe beer called The Land Of 10,000 Lagers, which originated via Bent Paddle and is on tap at many locations across the state. While collaborations with breweries from coast to coast are plentiful, ingredients and techniques are on display too with several one-off beers using new yeasts, extracts, hopping methods and more. Many of these beers are quite limited, but we’ve compiled an incomplete list of what’s new in-state right now.

The traveling brewing industry professionals are packing their bags as this publishes, but many of the special releases will remain available through the month.

 

 

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

Bent Paddle Brewing Co. The Land of 10,000 Lagers – A collaborative showcase beer for the Minnesota brew scene, this beer was made along with staff from Angry Inch and Lupulin along with Rahr Malting. It is a dark Czech-style lager, a style chosen to showcase Lake Superior water. Available at the Craft Brewers Conference, Bent Paddle, and in limited supply at a Smack Shack tap takeover.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company The Rising of the Dame – A hazy IPA made in collaboration with Todd Haug and Claire Stern. This 7.2% ABV was dry-hopped with African Queen, HBC 586, Idaho 7, and Belma hops. 7.2%

Fair State Brewing Cooperative Doin’ Howdies – A Creature Comforts collaboration IPA with notes of pine, pineapple, grapefruit pitch, orange, stonefruit, and mango. 6.5% ABV.

Nouvelle Brewing Hefe – Sold in bottles, this 5.3% ABV German-style hefeweizen has banana and clove notes for a bright and fruity experience.

Urban Growler Brewing Company Dazzle Me With Science IPA – A limited 6.5% ABV, 800 IBU beer tapped on Wednesday, in honor of  MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm “It’s a special IPA concoction that uses mixed fermentation with two different yeasts and is brewed with guava,” Urban Growler notes.

New beers available this week

Alloy Brewing Company

  • Cherry Lime Wit – On tap Saturday as the brewery throws its annual Cinco de Mayo celebration (raising funds for CRUSH ALS Foundation).
  • Pomegranate Boysenberry Earthshake IPA – A fruity milkshake IPA made with pomegranate and boysenberry, along with Mosaic, Callista and Citra hops. 9.1% ABV, 40 IBU.

Back Channel Brewing Co.

  • Racket – A collaboration with MORE Brewing (Huntley, IL). This one is a dry-hopped lager at 5.25% ABV.
  • Thunder Buds (Lightning) – An imperial stout, 13% ABV, aged in a Crooked Waters Old Hell Roaring barrel.
  • Thunder Buds (Rain) – An imperial stout, 13% ABV, aged in an Appleton rum barrel.
  • Thunder Buds (Thunder) – An imperial stout, 13% ABV, aged in an Old Fashioned bourbon barrel.
  • Time Travel – A 7.0% ABV New England-style IPA made in collaboration with Dimensional Brewing (Dubuque, IA).
  • Zubaz – A 7.5% ABV New England-style double IPA.

Bad Weather Brewing Company

  • Most Lakes – An American pale ale collaboration with Third Space Brewing (Milwaukee, WI), featuring notes of pineapple, lemongrass, and biscuit.

Badger Hill Brewing Company

  • Pale O’ Peaches – Available at the taproom.

Barrel Theory Beer Company

  • Through the Keyhole DIPA – A double IPA collaboration with Indie Hops, made with Strata, Citra, and Chinook.

Bear Cave Brewing

Newly open, as of Wednesday, in Hopkins, the lineup includes:

  • All Azacca – A single-hop hazy IPA.
  • All Citra – A single-hop hazy IPA.
  • All Mosaic – A single-hop hazy IPA.
  • Bear Slayer – A hazy IPA featuring Citra, Mosaic, and Azacca hops.
  • Everyday A’Brusselin’ – Belgian-style trippel
  • Nate’s Passion – A passion fruit and peach hazy IPA.
  • N/A Cream Ale
  • Seltzer – Hard seltzer in flavors of lemon, lime, and orange.
  • Superluminal Velocity – A hazy IPA with Galaxy, Amarillo, and Sabro hops.

Bent Brewstillery

  • Dark Fatha – The empirial stout is back for May The Stout Beer With You day, tapped on Wednesday. 
  • Mangoes Per Gallon – An MPG fruited sour made with mangoes, papaya, and guava. 6.0% ABV and available today.

Bent Paddle Brewing Co.

  • The Land of 10,000 Lagers – Top Flight selection

Castle Danger Brewery

  • Summer Crush – “Our take on a Shandy without being one,” the brewery says, by using Sorachi Ace hops for prominent lemon notes.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

  • Blue Milk – A blue raspberry milkshake ale, tapped on Wednesday.
  • Danger Zone – A mixed culture, fruited IPA with tangelos, pomelos, and kumquats. 7% ABV and draft-only.
  • Hygge – Pronounced “HOO-GUH,” this Danish-style later is a collaborative effort for CBC, featuring crisp  and light hop notes of citrus and sweet fruit, the brewery says, with a delicate bitter finish.
  • Mango Mango Cheesecake Fight – Tapped last week this is a pastry ale with mango, soursop, mandarin, cream cheese powder, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. 8.6% ABV.
  • RazzWah – “A faux framboise that has a bright raspberry tartness with a hint of oak and vanilla,” the brewery says. Brewed as a CBC collaboration and on tap now.
  • Star Lite Star Brite Pale Ale – Showcase a thiolized yeast strain, this pale ale was made with Saaz, Chinook “Salvo”, Comment, and Trident hops.
  • The Rising of the Dame – A hazy IPA made in collaboration with Todd Haug and Claire Stern. This 7.2% ABV was dry-hopped with African Queen, HBC 586, Idaho 7, and Belma hops. 7.2%

Disgruntled Brewing

  • Bushel O Beer – “Our pre-Prohibition style lager brewed with floor malted Pilsner malt amd flaked corn. A clean crisp lager brewed in the traditional sense,” the brewery says.
  • Fresh – A light and refreshing American cream ale.
  • Galaxy Class Hop Cruiser – A hazy new England-style IPA made with Galaxy, Strata, and Citra hops. Dank with notes of passion fruit, citrus, and peach.

 

Dual Citizen Brewing Company

  • Y’all Saison – This collaboration beer features Francin Bohemian Pilsner, Munich, Golden Naked Oats, Flaked Wheat, and Carolina Gold Malted Rice, the brewery notes. Peaches were added to the fermenter and the brite tank. Then a hand selected barrel aged sour beer was blended into the brite tank to add a little shine to the finished product. 6% ABV, 15 IBU.

Duluth Cider

  • Henhouse Hopped Berry Cider – The official cider of Homegrown Music Festival, this cider pours at 6.4% ABV and features Mosaic hops, raspberries, and mulberries.

Eastlake Craft Brewery

  • Mendoza Lime – A one-time lime infusion on tap for Midtown Global Market’s Cinco de Mayo celebration on Saturday.
  • Stay Dry – A dry-hopped Pilsner brewed in collaboration with Yakima Valley Hops.
  • Sun Dogs Juicy – “Citra IPA is on tap! This is a special collaboration with Craft Maltsters Guild, showcasing a selection of heritage malts – 100% of the grain sourced from small farms using heirloom varietals of oats, wheat, and barley,” Eastlake says.

Fairmont Brewing Company

Newly open in southern Minnesota with a lineup that includes:

  • Budd Lake Pier America Wheat
  • Gold Medal Lager
  • Interlaken IPA

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

  • Doin’ Howdies – Top Flight selection
  • Keller Kazbek – Available in the taproom for a limited time.
  • Option Paralysis Hazy Pale – A collaboration with Indie Hops, featuring Strata and Chinook hops.

Hop & Barrel Brewing Hudson

  • Danker Than Dank – A new hazy IPA collaboration with G5 (Beloit, WI). “This hazy boasts healthy additions of Idaho 7 and African Queen. It has a dank resinous aroma and a strong fruity to floral presence throughout, finishing with even more juicy resinous flavors,” the brewery says of this mash-hopped recipe. 6.5% ABV.
  • Hazy Valley – On tap now, this IPA features notes of passion fruit and pineapple and finishes with dank citrus and herbal notes. 6% ABV.
  • Under The Sea – A fruited variant of Danker Thank Dank, with added pineapple puree. 6.5% ABV.

Invictus Brewing Co.

  • 1.7 Million Megawatts – “This beer is special because it was brewed in collaboration with our electric Co-op Connexus Energy and brewed with solar honey from Bare Honey,” Invictus explains. “The name 1.7 Million Megawatts is derived from the amount of electricity the sun is able to produce in Connexus territory alone.”
  • Ciderita – Apple shine aged in tequila barrels with added lemon juice, lime juice, and agave nectar. A limited release.

Lake Monster Brewing

  • Luminosa IPA – A collaboration with Indie Hops for CBC.
  • Rare Species 2.0 – The second installment in a new rotating hop series, this edition combines New Zealand Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Pacific Sunrise, and Riwaka hops. 6.8% ABV, 50 IBU.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Company

  • Local Haunt Grüngeist Peach Lager – A hop-forward beer with overripe peach flavors along with passion fruit, lavender, and lemon zest. A collaboration with Hop Head Farms.
  • Maximum Effort – A Kveik hazy IPA collaboration with Yakima Valley Hops, offering tropical fruit and tangerine flavors with floral tones. “Made with a dry hopping oil that eliminates the bitterness from the hops,” the brewery explains.
  • Rufio – A “Lost Boys white stout” with coffee and chocolate flavors, plus added cocoa nibs to balance the bitterness.
  • Tropical Cold Front – A cold IPA with hop-forward citrus flavors and a light body.

Lupulin Brewing Company

  • Scars IPA – A new 6.5% ABV, 75 IBU West Coast-style IPA with a notable malt bill, plus fruity, citrus, and woody notes. Proceeds will benefit The Scars Foundation.
  • Why Is it So Cold?!? – This new cold IPA was made with YCH 638, Citra Cryo, and Simcoe Cryo hops, plus Pilsner malt, flaked rice, and 6-row barley. “Get ready for tons of citrus flavors as well as some balanced earthy notes and a crisp, dry finish,” the brewery says of this collaboration.
  • Yeah, Baby! – An American pale wheat ale. 5.9% ABV.

Nouvelle Brewing

  • Hefe – Top Flight selection

Oliphant Brewing

  • Cheep – Made with Citra and Mosaic hops and 7.5% ABV.
  • Chocolate Squishy – A sour ale with cacao nibs, cherries, raspberries, lactose, vanilla, and sea salt. 5% ABV.
  • Special Favorite – American lager

OMNI Brewing Co.

  • White Lie – “Pale gold and very hazy with a thick white head. Strong aromatics of banana, clove, and coriander, with a hint of orange zest. Light body with a slightly creamy mouthfeel,” the brewery says of its new 4.2% ABV witbier.

PawPrint Brewery

  • Bomb Dog v3 – A New England-style IPA with tropical fruit and citrus character.
  • Dog Ate My Homework – A mango and habanero pepper sour at 5% ABV, 37 IBU.
  • Old Dog New Tricks – A 6% ABV, 56 IBU s’mores coffee porter.

Pryes Brewing Company

  • Cloud Control – A hazy IPA made in collaboration with Indie Hops and BSG.
  • Riverfront –A Keller Pils brewed in collaboration with Prost (Denver, CO) for the CBC.

Shiner

  • ¡Órale! – A Mexican-style lager for the summer, brewed with agave for an earthy and mildly sweet flavor.

Spilled Grain Brewhouse

  • Porch Swing Lemon Shandy – Tapped on Thursday.

Steel Toe Brewing

  • Sommer Vice

Surly Brewing Company

  • Thiol & Error – A collaborative, experimental double dry-hopped double IPA made with thiols. Brewed by Surly and Other Half (Brooklyn, NY), “Thiols are compounds found in free and bound form in hops and malt that can impart a buffet of fruit flavors, from grapefruit to black currant,” Surly explains, using a new yeast developed to maximize hose elements. “With Calypso and Motueka hops, plus a hit of Phantasm, Thiol & Error unlocks massive passion fruit and white grape flavors,” the brewery says. 

Talking Waters Brewing Co.

  • Dirty Little Secret – Hazy IPA
  • Mañana – A Mexican-style lager, tapped on Thursday.

Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.

  • Citroid – Now in cans, this beer has flavors of passion fruit, orange zest, and cantaloupe.
  • Pineapple Pseudo Seltzer – A new fruit flavored hard seltzer.

Torg Brewery

  • Bower – A smooth, European amber lager, Torg says, with toasty malt flavors plus floral hop and honey notes. A portion of proceeds will benefit Wounded Warriors Family Support.

Urban Growler Brewing Company

  • Coconut Porter – “The smooth darkness of porter complemented by the sweet lusciousness of coconut,” the brewery says. 5.1% ABV, 33 IBU.
  • Dazzle Me With Science IPA – A limited 6.5% ABV, 800 IBU beer tapped on Wednesday, in honor of  MDH Commissioner Jan Malcolm “It’s a special IPA concoction that uses mixed fermentation with two different yeasts and is brewed with guava,” Urban Growler notes.
  • Hazy Boots Pale Ale – A hazy pale ale made with Cara Cara orange, guava puree, and the Pink Boots hop blend. 5.4% ABV, 55 IBU.
  • Sourpuss Sour Ale – A collaboration beer brewed with Todd Haug, this 3.5% ABV, 6.66 IBU beer is “A sessionable, approachable sour with subtle notes of marshmallow, cherry, raspberry, that anyone will be able to drink.”
  • The Professor Double IPA – Columbus, Citra, and Cashmere hops combine in this 8.3% ABV, 75 IBU double IPA.

Wild Mind Ales

  • 3 The Hard Way – A 6.6% ABV Mexican-style lager brewed with blue and purple corn and lagered in horizontal oak foeders, then hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo and Golding. A collaboration with La Doña Cerveceria and 612 Brew.
  • Biae Noire – A bottle conditioned, foeder-aged mixed fermentation golden sour ale with blackberries and raspberries. 6.0% ABV.
  • Conspirator  – “A single decocted, open-fermented and naturally carbonated Helles Bock hopped with Hallertau Blanc and Tettnanger,” the brewery says. 8.5% ABV.
  • Fatal Vision
  • Fatal Vision: Phantasm – A variation of the recipe above, with added Phantasm, an extract used to amplify tropical fruit aromatics and more.
  • Land of 10,000 Lagers – Using the Bent Paddle recipe above, this is a dark Czech-style lager with notes of dark break and herbal hops. Draft only. 5.0% ABV.
  • Opuntia – Another mixed fermentation golden sour, this one aged on red prickly pair. 6.0% ABV.

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

  • Mango Strut – A 4.5% ABV sour ale with mango.

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