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. 

It seems like any type of beer can pairs with football this weekend. There are Czech-style and American lagers, dank and juicy IPAs, milky stouts stuffed with candy and a few fruited, funky affairs available for the big game on Sunday. Then we shift gears to the sweet stuff as peanut butter cups, chocolate covered cherries, tart raspberries and black currants, and white chocolate take over the taps for Valentine’s Day, when breweries host dessert pairings, date nights, anti-date nights and more.

 

 

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

9 Mile Brewing Company Parallels Pale Ale – “This simple, straight-forward American Pale Ale straddles the line of two worlds…a nod to classic West Coast style pale ales with a tip of the hat to their softer, juicier cousins as well,” the brewery says.

Bricksworth Beer Czechs Over Stripes – In contrast to Bricksworth’s big and heavy stout Cheer Up Buttercup that’s also releasing this week, Czechs is a Tmävy-style Czech dark lager at 5.1% ABV, brewed in collaboration with Forager, Arrow Lodge (Covina, CA), and Slice (Lincoln, CA).

Duluth Cider Big George Rum Barrel-Aged Cider – Named to honor “Big George” Bonga, one of the first documented Black men in Minnesota and an early advocate for civil rights. Proceeds will benefit Duluth’s Neighborhood Youth Services.

Falling Knife Brewing Co. Lil Shaky – A “café con miel” style stout with large doses of cinnamon, vanilla, and espresso. On draft and sold in 16-ounce cans.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company Parabola: Vintage 2022 – This year Firestone Walker aged its imperial stout in 12-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, when previous vintages used six to eight year-old barrels. The older-stock barrels accentuated the black cherry, dark chocolate, and vanilla flavors, the brewery says, with “vintage-specific notes of stone fruit, fudge and tobacco.” Available in single 12-ounce bottles now.

New beers available this week

10K Brewing

  • Mexican Lager – Crisp, clean, smooth, and mellow, the brewery says of this 4.9% ABV lager.

608 Brewing Company

  • Maple Mocha – 6.1% Oatmeal Stout w/ Maple Syrup and Wonderstate Coffee added – A smooth oatmeal stout with a breakfast twist. Released.

Photo via 608 Brewing Company

9 Mile Brewing Company

The city of Bloomington’s first brewery officially opens today. The lineup includes:

  • Current Obsession – A New England-style IPA made with Azacca and Idaho 7 hops to deliver “flavors/aromas of punchy citrus, bright mango, and a hint of dank pine,” the brewery says.
  • Nein Brau – A dark lager brewed in collaboration with Giesenbräu using kveik yeast.
  • Parallels Pale Ale – “This simple, straight-forward American Pale Ale straddles the line of two worlds…a nod to classic West Coast style pale ales with a tip of the hat to their softer, juicier cousins as well,” the brewery says.
  • Schifdtbier – “Slightly-sweet cracker maltiness merges with hints of bright citrus and floral notes,” 9 Mile says of this lighter American lager.
  • Swamp Thang – Another collaboration, this smoked wee heavy has rich malt flavors that include caramel, nuttinuess, and toast, the brewery says. 9.0% ABV.
  • Tangerine Guava Sour – A punchy sour ale with two tropical fruits.

Read our Now Open (Or Damn Close) feature on 9 Mile Brewing here!

Alloy Brewing Company

  • Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged White Noise – A white chocolate stout, aged for 8 months in maple syrup barrels (previously used to age bourbon), which add a light maple finish to its boozy profile, the brewery says. 9.7% ABV, 54 IBU.

Bad Habit Brewing Company

  • Smitten Kitten – On draft and in bottles, this Friday release is a chocolate and cherry oatmeal stout.
  • Sour Puss – A pomegranate golden sour that taps today.

BlackStack Brewing

  • Alf Pogs – A passion fruit, orange, and guava gose with “a dash of Hawaiian sea salt,” the brewery says. 5.5% ABV. On draft and in cans.
  • ALL CAPS – A new double IPA at 8.3% ABV and featuring Mosaic and Strata hops. Brewed in homage to the lage MF DOOM.
  • Self Sabotage – Citra, Idaho 7 Cryo, and Ekuanot Cryo combine in a big 10.0% ABV triple IPA that is on tap and available in cans now.

Bobbing Bobber Brewing Company

  • Jig Stick – A chocolate covered cherry imperial stout. Available in 750-milliliter bottles.

Bricksworth Beer

  • Cheer Up Buttercup – “A silky and sinister imperial stout base conditioned on egregious quantities of chocolate peanut butter cups,” says Bricksworth. 12.6% ABV.
  • Czechs Over Stripes – Top Flight selection

Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative

  • Raspberry Chocolate Porter – “This American brown porter has dark chocolate and toffee flavors with a solid hop backbone. We then added raspberries and cocoa nib,” the brewery says. 6.3% ABV, 44 IBU.

Drekker Brewing

  • Braaaaaaaains! – “This one was blasted with blackberry and lime then we hit it with our double secret smoothie treatment of sea salt, lactose, and vanilla beans,” The Fargo-based brewery says. 6.9% ABV and released a week ago today.
  • Chonk Spumoni Sundae Sour – A tri-color ice cream-inspired sour ale with cherry, pistachios, and chocolate ice cream. 7.2% ABV and released last week.
  • Smooth Or Die – Chocolate and peanut butter combine in this 6.5% ABV milk stout. SOld in 4-packs.

Duluth Cider

  • Big George Rum Barrel-Aged Cider – Top Flight selection
  • Raspberry Sour – Tapping today, this is a semi-sweet cider with sour and tart raspberry added.

Excelsior Brewing Company

  • Mush Puppy Chocolate Brown Ale

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

  • Big Doinks – The West Coast-style dank IPA is now sold in 12-packs of cans in addition to 6-packs. 6.5% ABV.
  • Heated Agreement – “Heated Agreement is a double IPA made with Idaho 7, Mosaic, and thiolized yeast. The base beer is pleasantly creamy, and I get lots of papaya, blueberry, and gummy orange slice notes from the hops. The thiolized yeast nicely rounds out those elements and adds an interesting white grape flavor,” says Innovation Brewer Zach. 8.4% ABV.

Falling Knife Brewing Co.

  • Lil Shaky – Top Flight selection
  • Pomegranate 5 Spice Winter Hard Seltzer – As Falling Knife puts it: “This isn’t your regular every day ‘whisper of a flavor from the other room’ fizzy drink. It’s the hard seltzer, elevated.” A collaboration with Meteor.

Fat Pants Brewing Co.

  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter – A smooth and rich peanut butter and chocolate porter at 7.5% ABV and served on nitro.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company

  • Parabola: Vintage 2022 – This year Firestone Walker aged its imperial stout in 12-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, when previous vintages used six to eight year-old barrels. The older-stock barrels accentuated the black cherry, dark chocolate, and vanilla flavors, the brewery says, with “vintage-specific notes of stone fruit, fudge and tobacco.” Available in single 12-ounce bottles now.
  • Paraboloid – A new, limited spinoff of Parabola, aged in “an equal selection of rare older-stock barrels from premium spirits producers—specifically 14-year-old Old Fitzgerald bourbon barrels and 18-year-old Sazerac rye whiskey barrels,” Firestone Walker says, adding “hints of stone fruits, fudge, leather and peppery spice.”
  • Mind Haze – “Our juiciest, fruitiest, haziest IPA ever. Double Mind Haze IPA is an explosion of tropical hop flavor at 8.3% ABV,” the brewery says.

Variants include:

  • Citrus Cyclone
  • Double Mind Haze – Defined by juicy pineapple, melon, and mango flavors.
  • Hopical Crush
  • Tiki Smash

Forager Brewery

  • She’s A Looker – A 7% ABV New England-style IPA made with Citra, Mosaic, and Strata hops.

Foremost Brewing Cooperative

  • Blonde Ale – A 4.8% ABV, 23 IBU golden ale, back on tap as of early February.
  • Nothing is Real – A 7.2% ABV, 49 IBU strawberry milkshake-style IPA.

Fulton Brewing Co.

  • Coffee Dodger – “Rich, black ale infused with whole bean dark roast Peace Coffee,” the brewery says of this 6.6% ABV coffee black ale available at the taproom now.
  • St. John’s Abbey Ale – A Belgian abbey-style dubbel with winter spice, dark fruit, and sweet malt flavors. 6.9% ABV.

Hop & Barrel Brewing Hudson

  • Lady Of The Woods – A white stout brewed in collaboration with Witch Hunt Minneapolis, this Brew Like A Girl series stout is creamy, sweet and full-bodied but light in color. 5.7% ABV.

Hop & Barrel Brewing Spring Valley

  • Home By Midnight – An Irish-style extra stout with dark chocolate and coffee roast flavors followed by caramel and toffee sweetness. 6.4% ABV.

Indeed Brewing Company

  • File Me Under Funky – Foeder-aged, this is a brett saison with tropical and vinous flavors, indeed says. In liquor stores only, though samples will be poured at Indeed Minneapolis next Thursday. 7.5% ABV.

Photo via Indeed Brewing Company

Lake Monster Brewing

  • Raspberry Sour – Available in cans and on draft this is a German-style wheat ale with tart raspberry.

Lupulin Brewing Company

  • Centsless – A 7% ABV, 60 IBU American IPA.
  • Fragmentary Delusion: Black Currant – One of two new barrel-aged dark sours released in bottles today. With funk from a combination of  brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus, the brewery added black currants to half of the batch and raspberries to the other half (see the next listing). 
  • Fragmentary Delusion: Raspberry – The second of two new sours in Lupulin’s Scribbled Lines series. 7.3% ABV.

Oliphant Brewing

  • Dracula Weed – The 6% ABV West Coast-style IPA is back.
  • Swamp Thang – A smoked wee heavy-style ale made in collaboration with the new 9 Mile Brewing. 9% ABV.

Surly Brewing Co.

  • Permanent Echo – Available until April, this is a new seasonal double IPA with fruity and citrusy flavors. Sold in 6-packs and on draft.

Wabasha Brewing Company

  • Horror Frost – “This delectable craft brew has a delicate roasted malt aroma, smooth creamy middle and finishes with the subtle taste of white chocolate,” says Wabasha. 5.8% ABV, 39 IBU, and on tap today after a one keg preview last week.

Waconia Brewing Company

  • Hopdragon Black IPA – A black IPA that features Styrian Dragon hops, for citrus, grapefruit, lemon, berry, rose, and tropical fruit flavors that blend with the roasty and subtle chocolate malt tones.
  • Single Hop Styrian Wolf Pale Ale – Another beer showcasing Syrian Dragon hops from Slovenia.

Waldmann Brewery

  • Schokoladeweizen – Available for Valentine’s Day, this translates roughly to “Chocolate-roasted wheat beer.”

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