Hazy IPA Image from Rogue

Photo via Dangerous Man 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. 

T

he keg has not run dry but there is always a last call. Welcome to the final edition of Freshies, your weekly snapshot of what’s new in Minnesota beer.

So what is on tap this week? Just like the 2023-2024 winter, there’s a mixed bag of crisp and light lagers side by side with big barrel-aged beers. The trend seems to be lighter beers overall this winter, though, as many of the barrel-aged offerings are tied to anniversaries and other celebrations.

Whether this is your first time reading this piece or if you’ve followed over the past few years, thank you.

Each week, the Beer Dabbler team highlights the most tantalizing new beers available across the state that we’re most excited to try. Check out these Top Flights at Dabbler Depot—Click on each image for stock levels.

Barrel Theory It Is What It Is Hazy IPA 4pk 16oz – Hazy India Pale Ale with Galaxy Nectaron + HBC 586 Hops 7% ABV

Earth Rider Haakon Honey Bock 6pk 12oz – Smooth lager blended with floral-honey aroma and flavor with a toasted malt character. 7% ABV

Barrel Theory Rude Awakening DDH Hazy IPA 4pk 16oz – Hazy India Pale Ale with Citra T-90 Hops. 7% ABV

Earth Rider Spirit Mountain Hazy DIPA 4pk 12oz – Spirit Mountain features Simcoe, Centennial, and Columbus hops. 8.8% ABV

Barrel Theory Raining 3s Hazy DIPA 4pk 16oz – Hazy Double IPA with Citra, Mosaic, and Vic Secret. 8.9% ABV

Phase Three Collab Black Bouquet DDH DIPA 4pk 16oz – Double dry-hopped double IPA with Mosaic, Talus, Idaho 7, and Strata. 8% ABV

New beers available this week across Minnesota

Looking for a taste of these great new beers? The icon indicates beers available at Dabbler Depot. Keep in mind—stock is limited! Check dabblerdepot.com or text (651)-802-2112 for availability.

608 Brewing Company

  • Blueberry Coconut Crisp – A 6% ABV pastry sour.

  • Grandpa’s Liquor Cabinet: Chocolate Toffee Bar – A blend of barrel-aged stout and English barleywine, aged on cacao nibs and vanilla. 13.1% ABV.

  • Smoked Polish Lager – A collaboration with Venture Brewing Co. (Milwaukee, WI). 3.6% ABV.
  • Stability Factor – Tapped last week, this IPA features Strata, Simcoe, Citra Incognito, and Citra Spectrum hops and pours 7.1% ABV.

  • G5 Brewing Collaboration – A new IPA made with G5 (Beloit, WI) is in development.

Arbeiter Brewing

The brewery celebrates its third anniversary this week, releasing four limited bottles on Monday:

  • Born To Lose – A bourbon barrel-aged barleywine.
  • Foundation – A barrel-aged imperial stout.
  • Jolene – A brandy barrel-aged barley wine.
  • Mama Tried – A wheat whiskey barrel-aged barleywine.
  • Tokki – The Korean-style rice lager, which is available in regular supply.
  • Dragon Lager 2.0 – Available Saturday for the Lunar New Year along with a celebration.
  • Frequency Shift – Back for Black History Month, this beer returns on February 9 with a portion of proceeds to benefit the Lifting Lucy organization.

Bauhaus Brew Labs

  • Nah: Hazy Pale Ale

Bear Cave Brewing

  • Secrets are Lies – On tap now, this pale ale has notes of fresh red berries, white wine, and a hint of dankness. 5.1% ABV, 50 IBU.

Bemidji Brewing

  • Double IPA – Out now, this 9.0% ABV, 95 IBU imperial IPA is West Coast in style with notes of passion fruit, mango, and tangerine over a malt base.

Bent Brewstillery

  • Daring – A new double export stout that tapped on Saturday.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

  • New Zealand Pilsner – This new seasonal is a Pilsner-style lager with New Zealand-grown hop varieties. “It is a light and crisp beer with a light bready malt base showcasing the big notes of tropical fruit, white grapes, and light grass from the New Zealand-type hops,” the brewery says.

Drekker Brewing Company

  • Cherry Bomb Braaaaaaaains! – A new double fruit smoothie sour with cherry, lemon, sea salt, lactose, and vanilla.

  • Metaphase – The return of a doubly dry-hopped double IPA with a soft body and flavors of orange, pineapple, papaya, and white grape.

  • Smol: Strawberry Lemonade – A “less fruited” sour ale with strawberry, lemon, and lemonade mix.

  • The Execution Club – An IPA collaboration with Barrel Theory with tropical fruit, dank pine, ripe strawberry, lime zest, and Zebra Stripe gum-like flavors.

  • There Will Be PRRRT! – “It’s a geyser of strawberry milkshake brewed with vanilla ice cream, strawberry, and piles of vanilla beans,” Drekker says.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

  • Interior People – On tap, this light lager is crisp with low bitterness, brewed in collaboration with Hopewell (Chicago, IL). 4.3% ABV.

Falling Knife Brewing Co.

  • Lipstick Stigmata – A new New England-style double IPA, Lipstick Stigmata “Showcases bio-transformed Cryo Pop as well as Talus, Mango Cryo, and New Zealand Nectaron hops for an intensely tropical and citrusy experience,” Falling Knife tells us.

  • Werewolves of Broadway – An English-style robust porter with roast and chocolate notes, on tap since mid-Jaunary.

FINNEGANS Brew Co.

  • Smoky Oat – A new oat stout with subtle smoke and balanced dark chocolate flavors. 7.8% ABV, 37 IBU.
  • The Minneapple – A Belgian-style ale aged in apple wood and oak barrel-aged ale with sweet caramel flavors. 9.1% ABV, 12 IBU.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company

  • Cosmic Crusher – Juicy, imperial, and with tropical fruit flavors, this beer has “punchy mango and pineapple” character, the California brewery says.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

  • Midwest IPA – A new year-round IPA with bright, hop-forward flavors from the likes of Triumph, Strata, Cascade, and Citra hops. 7.0% ABV.
  • Coming this spring from the Cleveland, OH brewery:
    • A revamped Double Feature IPA Series
    • Juicy Vibacious Double IPA
    • Strawberry Pineapple Wheat

Hacienda Beer Co.

  • Evolving Perspectives – A 6.8% ABV West Coast-style IPA made with (Citra, Simcoe, Nelson Sauvin, and Idaho 7 hops. Available Feb. 24.
  • Please Stop Talking – This “smoked rose corn wine” is a collaboration with Giant Jones Brewing and comes out on Feb. 10.

Junkyard Brewing Co.

  • Ice Auger Lager – On tap now in Moorhead and also sold in 4-packs.

Lake Monster Brewing

  • Cocoa Valencia Ale – “Our seasonal beer combining raw cacao nibs and sweet orange peel with specially toasted malts to create a drinkable, medium-bodied, brown ale,” the brewery says. Available at the taproom.
  • Imperial Honey Ale – A limited release and collaboration with Monarch Joint Venture for Pints & Pollinators. Tapped on Wednesday, January 31st.

Lakeville Brewing Co.

  • Cecilia’s Coconut Brown Ale – Out now. It’s also batch #500 from the Lakeville brewpub.

Lift Bridge Brewing Co.

  • Grape Ape – Inspired by the cocktail, this malt beverage has grape and lemon-lime flavors and is also sold in 12-packs.

LocAle Brewing Company

The Mankato brewery just turned five, with these special limited releases:

  • 2022 – Aged in whiskey barrels and 11.9% ABV.
  • 2023 – Aged in whiskey bottles at 14.2% ABV.
  • 2024 – Aged in rum barrels (originally bourbon) and 14% ABV.

Also available: 

  • Altstadt – A German-style amber ale.
  • Westbound – A West Coast-style IPA, this batch is made with Civil Sass Hops’ MN Chinook, plus Columbus Lupomax, and Simcoe Cryo hops.

Loon’s Landing Brewery

  • Golden Ticket – A Muich-style helles lager, “with a smooth grainy-sweet malty flavor and a soft, dry finish. Subtle spicy, floral, or herbal hops and restrained bitterness help keep the balance malty but not sweet,” says the brewery. 5.1% ABV, 21 IUB.

Lost Saint Brewing

  • 3 Red Flags – A 9.1% ABV imperial stout, on tap now.
  • Dunkelweizen – “This dark wheat features German yeast that gives off banana and clove character,” Lost Saint says. 4.3% ABV.

Montgomery Brewing Company

  • Double Chocolate Oatmeal Stout – Coming in late January, the brewery previously announced.

New Glarus Brewery

  • Dancing Man Wheat
  • Milk Chocolate Stout

Nouvelle Brewing

  • Trellis Project: Petite Syrah – A barrel-aged Oenobeer, Nouvelle says “We fermented this oenobeer on Petite Syrah grape must, then refermented it in French oak red wine barrels for 12 months on more Petite Syrah juice…You’ll find juicy aromas of blueberry, blackberry, and cherries on the nose with complex flavors of dark fruits, chocolate, vanilla pipe tobacco, and oaky tannins on the sip.” 12% ABV and sold in bottles. Available Feb. 6.

Oliphant Brewing

  • Brown Ale – 6.5% ABV
  • Sangy Squishy – A new sour ale made with peanut butter, marshmallow, cacao nibs, cherry, and banana. 5% ABV with limited distribution.

Revelation Ale Works

  • Campfire Essentials S’mores Stout – As the name notes, this beer is made with marshmallows, cacao nibs, graham crackers, and lactose.
  • Gimme The Berries – A new New England-style IPA with tropical and citrus fruit flavors and a medley of berries.

Starry Eyed Brewing Co.

  • Wee Tully – A whiskey-aged Scotch ale.

Talking Waters Brewing Co.

  • Ice Castle Classic – A 5% ABV crisp lager.

  • Snowdrift – “This light unfiltered beauty has a subtle spice,” Talking Waters says, plus coriander and orange peel flavors. 5.5% ABV.

Tanzenwald Brewing Company

  • Down In My Plums – This new beer is a Belgian-style sour ale, aged in neutral wine barrels with added Minnesota plums, ginger, and Szechuan peppercorn.

Town Hall Brewery

  • The annual Barrel Week event is coming soon. Presales begin on Sunday, Feb. 4 and beers will tap beginning Feb. 12.

Under Pressure Brewing Company

  • Barrel-Aged Anniversary Beer – On tap for their fifth anniversary this Saturday.

Wabasha Brewing Co.

  • Beloved Haunt – A white stout with coffee, hazelnut, and vanilla flavors. 7.2% ABV.

Waldmann Brewery

  • Schokoladeweizen – A chocolate-roasted wheat beer coming on Valentine’s week.

Wild Mind Ales

  • Tiger in a Trance – Available on Friday, this mixed culture honey rye saison is 6.5% ABV. “The sweetness of the honey pairs harmoniously with the hearty robustness of rye and spelt…with subtle hints of spice from the rye, complemented by the delicate, sweet undertones from the honey. The spelt adds a slightly nutty note, enhancing the brew’s overall complexity,” the brewery says.

Wooden Hill Brewing Co.

  • The brewery celebrates its anniversary 6 on March 1.

Yoerg Brewing

  • Strong Doppelbock – A big, malt-forward doppelbock at 7.6% ABV with a smooth, silky body and caramel notes.

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