Dark Beers For Winter Solstice Sippin’

Each week, the Beer Dabbler team highlights five of the most tantalizing new beers available around the great state of Minnesota that we’re most excited to try. Check out these Top Flights at Dabbler Depot. Stock is limited! Call for availability.

Falling Knife Double Freischütz – “We bumped up our beloved Freischütz to a hearty 8%, just in time for winter,” says the brewery of this crisp, German Pilsner style beer.

Insight Ctrl+Alt+Beer – A DDH Double Hazy IPA brewed with Talus, Strata, Mosaic and Amarillo hops. 8.8% ABV.

Lupulin Brewing Company NA Tropical Fun Pants – This non-alcoholic fruited blonde ale boasts mango, pink guava, and passion fruit flavors.

Drekker Brewing Company Up On The Housetop PRRRT PRRRT PRRRT – Egg nog or beer? Why not both! Notes of banana, cream of coconut, pear, vanilla soft serve ice cream, vanilla beans, nutmeg and cinnamon make this beer taste just like the real thing.

Ursa Minor Donner’s Party – This smoked red lager clocks in at 6.6% ABV, 30 IBU. On tap at Ursa Minor now and available in a jolly-looking 4-pack at Dabbler Depot while supplies last.

New beers available this week across Minnesota

56 Brewing

• Uncharted Territory – This double chocolate oatmeal stout is a collaboration with Unmapped Brewing, mashing-up the names of popular beers from each brewery.

608 Brewing Company

It’s a double lager release Friday, featuring:

• Dunkel – A dark lager with roasty malt-forward flavors and a clean, crisp finish. 5.5% ABV.
• Finest – A Czech-style Pilsner brewed with noble hops. 5.5% ABV.

Arbeiter Brewing

• Dip Hop Acid Factory – A dip-hopped sour ale, combined different brewing techniques for notes of pear, pineapple, and melon. “Sour not bitter,” the brewery promises, “Delicate and fruity” instead. 4.4% ABV, 24 IBU.
• Opacity – “This is an incredible hazy IPA made by some lager dorks. Zagging from the Citra and Mosaic hop mainstays we combined Calypso and Cashmere hops resulting in a strawberry, peach, and melon flavor profile. Tastes like peach rings,” says the Minneapolis-based brewery.

Bauhaus Brew Labs

This summer’s Orange Creme Bolo has inspired an entire new hard seltzer  mixed pack, available now. All flavors are available on draft at the brewery also.

• Bolo: Berries & Creme – Sold in the new Creme mixed pack.
• Bolo: Blood Orange – Now available in the regular Bolo mixed pack, along with Lime, Dragonfruit, and Strawberry-Kiwi.
• Bolo: Lemon Creme – Sold in the new Creme mixed pack.
• Bolo: Orange Creme – Sold in the new Creme mixed pack.
• Bolo: Peaches & Creme – Sold in the new Creme mixed pack.
• Bolo: Strawberry-Kiwi – Now available in the regular Bolo mixed pack, along with Lime, Dragonfruit, and Blood Orange.
• Nah: Hazy Pale Ale – A new non-alcoholic offering from Bauhaus.

Bear Cave Brewery

• HiBearNation – A new Belgian-style quad debuts this weekend, described as “herbal and spicy, sweet and warming.” The brewery is also hosting a hot poking tent on Saturday from 2-5pm. 12.0% ABV, 16 IBU.

Bent Brewstillery

• Buddy – A new “soft seltzer,” this non-alcoholic THC-infused beverage is made with Minnesota grown hemp-derived THC, offering 5mg per 4-ounce serving in flavors of Lemon, Lime, Orange, and Grapegruit. 0 carbs, 0 calories, and gluten-free, it is currently sold at Metro Petro Smoker Friendly, Lakeridge Liquor, and Liquor Barrel.

Big Wood Brewery

• Grandma Got Run Over by a Blueberry Pancake Milkshake IPA – A 5.2% ABV milkshake/breakfast IPA. 17 IBU.

Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative

• Gus’s Community – A Kolsch-style ale infused with Gus Dean Spiced Butter Rum Cold Brew, available in limited supply.
• Home Improvements – A New England-style IPA brewed in collaboration with Habitat For Humanity, Dual Citizen, and Maltwerks as part of “The House That Beer Built” initiative. This hazy has pineapple, tangerine, and tropical fruit notes and pours at 6.2% ABV and raises funds for Habitat For Humanity.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

• Peach Cobbler à la mode Ale – As the name suggests, this beer is dessert-inspired and is made with oats, wheat, lactose, peaches, cinnamon, fenugreek, and vanilla.

Day Block Brewing

• Czech One, Two! – On tap now, this Pilsner is made with Saaz and Tettnanger hops.

Elm Creek Brewing Co.

• Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout barrel aged in Heaven Heaven Hill barrels – One of two new BA imperial stouts, this beer is described as “intense chocolate tones backed up with smooth bourbon flavors leaving a real smooth sip.” Sold in bottles and on draft in limited supply.
• Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout barrel aged in Four Roses barrels – This imperial stout was barrel conditioned on vanilla beans. “A pleasant aroma of vanilla and oak and intense flavors of chocolate bourbon toffee and vanilla,” the brewery notes. Available in bottles with a limited supply on draft too.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

• Cooperator Doppelbock – Aged in an oak foeder, this doppelbock features smoke and rye malts and has malty, moderately sweet, notes of smoke, oak tannin, grape nuts, and roast, the brewery says.

Hacienda Beer Co.

• From Sand + Stone – A 6.8% ABV hazy IPA made with Riwaka, Mosaic, and Strata hops.

Half Pint Brewing Company

• Norway Haze – A hazy spin on Norway IPA, made with the same ingredients, including Kveik yeast, but hopped differently.

HeadFlyer Brewing

• Kingfield Coffee Porter – Cold press coffee from Five Watt, plus milk sugar, sea salt, and vanilla are added to this porter base for a flavorful winter seasonal. Available on draft and in cans.
• Mint Chocolate Factory – A rich and creamy pastry stout brewed with mint chocolates. Available on draft and in cans.

Imminent Brewing

• Barrel-Aged Mash Machine Chocolate and roasted malt flavors set the tone in tis dark imperial sout, aged in bourbon barrels. 9% ABV, 55 IBU.
• Scooby Doonkel – A light-body dunkel with bread and toast character, pouring at 5.1% ABV, 21 IBU.

Inbound BrewCo

• The Fuzz – “Did you know these beauties are back in liquor stores? The Fuzz, our award winning, crowd favorite, one of the very first Inbound beers we ever made, Apricot Pale Ale has made its seasonal return to 4-packs,” Inbound proclaims.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Company

• Stout Szn: Coffee Imperial Stout Infusion – A limited stout infusion, tapped today, Friday Dec. 16.

Lupulin Brewing Company

• Ski Break – A new 9% ABV double IPA made with CTZ Cryo, Simcoe Cryo, Talus, Simcoe T90, and CTZ T90 hops and made with “mountain water” featuring a distinct mineral quality, in nod to the slope-themed name.
• Waking The Grapevine – A new mini-series in the Scribbled Lines sour line, multiple infusions release in 375-milliliter bottles at the taproom today, described as beer/wine hybrids.

Modist Brewing Co.

• Circular Thoughts – A collaboration New England-style IPA made with BlackStack, this beer presents thiolized yeast, plus Nelson Sauvin, Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, and HBC 586 hops.

New Glarus Brewing Company

• Cabin Fever Honey Bock – A pale bock brewed with Wisconsin barley, European hops, and honey. Available in Wisconsin only.

Oliphant Brewing

• Amerston Spiral Bug Egg Mask – This Baltic-style porter was aged in 45th Parallel bourbon barrels and is sold in wax-dipped bottles at Oliphant. 9% ABV.
• Nose Hozzle – A Baltic-style porter at 8% ABV.

OMNI Brewing Co.

The annual Hibernation Party takes place at OMNI this Saturday from 11am-11pm, including the following special releases:

• Imperial Shanty Town + cherries – Aged in cherry brandy barrels.
• Leon – Aged in young rye whiskey barrels.
• Super Scotch – Aged in Skaalvenn bourbon barrels.
• Wheat Wine – Aged in cabernet sauvignon barrels.

Pryes Brewing Co.

• Lost Moon – The full lineup of this imperial stout is available as the featured beer for The Long Night solstice celebration, a brewery party that takes place this Saturday. Find this year’s batch, vintages, and barrel-aged options.

Saint Paul Brewing

• Hold Your Fire – This limited porter infusion includes hot pepper. Tapped on Tuesday at the brewery.

Schell’s Brewery

• Cave-Aged Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter – The latest Barrel series beer is a smooth and dark porter aged in rye whiskey barrels onsite at Schell’s in New Ulm.

Talking Waters Brewing Co.

• Coastin’ – “Two of our favorite styles collide to make one thirst quenching pilsner,” Talking Waters explains. “We started with a pure and simple German malt bill and piled on some new school hop flavor using Mandarina Bavaria and Citra. It’s crisp and pops just right with notes of tangerine and citrus.”

Utepils Brewing

• Bandwagon – A new cheekily-named THC sparkling water with 4mg of THC per 16-ounce can.

Venn Brewing Company

Four different infusions of Opulessence imperial stout are available on Saturday as Venn celebrates five years in south Minneapolis. Counting the original beer, that makes five imperial stouts for five years:

• Chocolate & Orange
• Chocolate & Mint
• Fluffernutter (Peanut Butter & Marshmallow)
• Over-Oaked (aged on American Oak)

Wabasha Brewing Co.

• High and Mighty – Toasted coconut and vanilla, are added to Cathedral Hill, giving it notes of candy bars and colada, the brewery says.
• Kata Batch 3 – “A hazy IPA with big citrus notes and restrained bitterness,” the brewery says. “Experiments this batch incl. water treatment, whirlpool hop temps, and tossing Mosaic into the mix.”

Waconia Brewing Company

• Baby on Board Jasmine IPA – Tapping today.
• Holiday Punch Seltzer – A limited seltzer flavor made with lemon-lime, cherry, and blood orange.

Whit Wôrt Brewing Co.

• Grandma’s Cookie – An imperial stout with mint. Tapped in late November and very limited in supply.

Wicked Wort Brewing

• Highway to Helles – Tapped in early December.

Wild Mind Ales

• WLD WTR Infusions: POG – Flavors of passion fruit, orange and guava in a THC beverage.

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

• Project Amarillo – A West Coast-style IPA made with Amarillo hops for citrus and bitter flavors. 5.9% ABV.

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