Low Calorie and Sessionable Beers for Fool’s Spring

Bad Weather’s LIGHTning low-calorie light beer • Photo via Bad Weather Brewing Company

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. 

Visions of long-buried yards and the sound of chirping birds have Minnesotans in refresh mode. The same goes for current beer lineups, with a tendency toward crisp, fresh, and tart (and brunch) flavors this week—and more than a few low-cal and sessionable options to counter all those dense winter beers from the subzero temps last month. As always, the majority of these beers are available to take home too.

It’s also a season of celebration. March is Women’s History Month, with several breweries tapping special beers in a range of styles while also raising awareness of various local organizations. In Edina, Wooden Hill turns three this year and, in New Brighton, Barley John’s has set the date for its 21-anniversary celebration.

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

Dangerous Man Crewel Juice – A dry-hopped fruited imperial sour brewed by Dangerous Man’s non-male staff just before International Women’s Day. On tap today.

Fitger’s Brewhouse Cherry Batch Flanders Red –Using a base of Cherry Batch 24 that was aged in white wine barrels with Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces, “It pours a slightly dulled red color with a lasting head, and has rich aromas of cherry pie and tart cherries. Balanced to the malt side, but dominated by the fruity, sour, wine-like impression. Low levels of acetic acid blend well with the subdued sweetness of the remaining cherry,” the brewpub says. 7.1% ABV.

Lift Bridge Free the Bibs – Brewed by the women of Lift Bridge, this is a wheat-based hefeweizen with blood orange. It debuts today, with a portion of proceeds going to benefit Valley Outreach.

Lupulin BA Snozzberry Lateralus – 14% ABV and made with blackberries, blueberries, graham cracker, cinnamon, vanilla, and honey. Available on draft and in Crowlers.

Steel Toe Hoptread 6 – The latest in the brewery’s experimental IPA series, Hoptread 6 “features a plethora of hop candy, juicy, tropical notes. This variation highlights the dank, fruity, nature of the Strata hop variety, with a blend of other pungent hops used in various ways through the brewing process, Citra, Simcoe, and Idaho Gem,” says Steel Toe. On tap at the brewery now. 5.8% ABV, 42 IBU

New beers available this week

10K Brewing   

• 3 Witches – A 10.9% ABV triple IPA with strong citrus notes.

3 Sheeps Brewing Co.

• Operation SOS #2 – Short for “Support Our Spots,” this collaboration with a cause was brewed with 1840 Brewing Co (Milwaukee, Wis.) and 608 Brewing Co. (La Crosse, Wis.), is a doubly dry-hopped double IPA with notes of mango, passion fruit, melon, citrus, and herbs. It’s sold exclusively in Wisconsin, including in many border cities, in 16-ounce cans and on draft. 9.2% ABV.

3 Sheeps Operation SOS #2 • Photo via 3 Sheeps Brewing Company

608 Brewing Company

• Alphaburst – A new triple IPA with sticky, dank, pineapple, white grape, coconut water, and mango nectar flavors, 608 says, plus a malt sweetness to battle the big hop profile. 9.2% ABV.
• Dairy Economics: Rocky Road – A pastry milk stout made with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, marshmallow, lactose, and walnuts. “We’re getting strong yields from our lactose, vanilla bean, and marshmallow stocks, while our blue-chip investments in cocoa nibs and walnuts are paying strong dividends as well. Our portfolio is sweet yet well balanced, with all flavors pulling their weight,” the brewery says. 7.7% ABV.

Arbeiter Brewing

• Orange Ya Hazy – A hazy pale ale with gooseberry, grapefruit, and citrus notes. At 4.7% ABV, 44 IBU the pale ale features a blend of American-grown Centennial hops and German-grown Ariana hops.
• Tropic Dust – “This big boy is Arbeiter’s own first ‘real’ Hazy IPA with an ABV of over 7%,” the recently opened brewery says. At 7.2% ABV, 34 IBU the double dry-hopped beer is hop-forward with pineapple, peach, mango, kiwi, and lime notes.

Back Channel Brewing

• Right Hand Yellow –  A New England-style IPA with notes of apricot, nectarine, and raspberry. 6.75% ABV.

Bad Habit Brewing Company   

• Big Boy Pants – An American IPA that embraces a strong malt bill and old school hop cocktail of Cascade, Hallertau, Amarillo, Centennial, and Cintra. 6.8% ABV, 82 IBU.
• Johnny Lager – A Vienna-style lager at 5.5% ABV that pours reddish-brown in color and slightly caramelized and toasted character, the brewery says.
• Orange Mimosa Sour – A sour ale with fresh orange puree. On tap at the brewery now.
• Rather Ripped – Back on tap last week (in Crowlers too).

Bad Weather Brewing Company

• LIGHTning – A new batch of Bad Weather’s low-calorie beer is back. This edition is a lager that pours a clear, pale straw hue with a white head.
• Mythic Mongrel – An Irish cream ale that “miraculously balances sweet caramel and toasted biscuit malt with a floral hop finish,” the brewery says. Available in Dabbler in a Box – Season 6, in liquor stores, and at the taproom.
• Shallow Fog – Another low-calorie offering, this pale ale features peach, pineapple, pine, and breakfast cereal malt flavors with a dry finish and moderate bitterness.

Badger Hill Brewing Company

• F5 Blackberry – Badger Hill’s kettle sour series is now available in cans too. The first of Badger Hill’s kettle sours to hit liquor stores, this is a mildly tart blackberry ale. Featured in Dabbler in a Box – Season 6.
• Irish Red Ale – On tap at the brewery now.

Bauhaus Brew Labs

• Lounge Wizard – Bestoked may draw influence from West Coast IPAs, but Bauhaus’ New England-style juicy IPA is also available, including now in 12-packs/12-ounce cans.
• Bestoked IPA – A brand new IPA joins the Bauhaus year-round lineup. Replacing Sky-Five!, this beer similarly bridges the gap between overly bitter West Coast-IPA with more balanced flavors. At 6.4% ABV, 70 IBU, Bauhaus says, “Bestoked is a deliciously gnarly hop concoction, featuring Azacca and Strata hops, balanced by just the right amount of malty goodness. Now on tap, it comes to 6-packs and the Many Pack soon.

Big Wood Brewery   

• Wayne Grodziskie – A Polish-style light and smoke-tinged grodziskie beer is now on tap: low in alcohol, high in carbonation with a touch of smoke. 4% ABV, 14 IBU.

Boom Island Brewing Company

• Cassis – A taproom draft-exclusive, this limited beer spent two years in French wine barrels with added black currants. The result is a tart and slightly sweet fruited Belgian-style lambic at 4.8% ABV. Refreshing for spring.

Castle Danger Brewery

• Free The Growler – The latest in beer in Castle Danger’s taproom-exclusive series designed to raise awareness of Minnesota liquor laws is a coffee pale with a malty APA backbone complemented by citrus hop notes and light-roast coffee.

Clown Shoes Beer

• Space Cupcake – A sibling beer to Space Cake that pouts at 6% ABV and offers tropical fruit IPA flavors. A limited release.

Copper Trail Brewing Co.

• The Chillsner – “A German-style Pilsner that’s light and easy drinking with a slight hop bitterness. We used all German Noble hops, which provide an excelled floral and fruity bitterness/flavor/aroma,” the brewery says. 5.6% ABV, 36 IBU.
• Clouded Judgement –  A soft, pillowy, and hazy IPA with dank, citrusy, and pineapple flavors. 7.4% ABV, 67 IBU.
• Rednarok – A red lager with rosy, sweet caramel, and roast notes on the nose and an earthy and floral base. 5.8% ABV, 18 IBU.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

• Crewel Juice – Top Flight selection.

Drekker Brewing Company

• Braaaaaaaains Double Fruit Smoothie Sour – “This one is packed with gobs of tart, sweet blackberries and juicy pineapple and then we hit it with our double secret sea salt, lactose, and vanilla bean smoothie treatment,” Drekker says. 7.8% ABV.
• Slang Du Jour Sour à la Mode – The latest batch of Slang Du Jour is cobbler-inspired. Pouring at 8.1% ABV, it was made with mango, apricot, granola, cinnamon, brown sugar, lactose, and vanilla.

Earth Rider Brewery

• Stoney Point IPA – Now sold in 16-ounce cans too.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative   

• Canyonero – As Fair State puts it, “Canyonero is a delicately smoked pale amber lager modeled after a slightly more delicate version of our Vienna Lager, with a strong but not overbearing addition of Beechwood-smoked barley malt direct from Bamberg, Germany.”
• Double Strata – A biggest version of Strata IPA, this dry-hopped double IPA pours 8.6% ABV with big tropical fruit, plus dank and piney notes too.

Fitger’s Brewhouse

• Cherry Batch Flanders Red – Top Flight selection.

Founders Brewing Co.

• Más Agave Premium Hard Seltzer – A hard seltzer series with three flavors: strawberry, lime, and grapefruit.
• Panther Cub – A Barrel Series beer that pours at 9.2% ABV, this is a robust porter that was aged in bourbon barrels with “a touch of” maple syrup and vanilla extract. Sold in 4-pack/12-ounce bottles.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

• Crushworthy Lo-Cal Citrus Wheat – A brand new year-round 105 calorie session beer that the brewery describes as “A light-bodied wheat beer bursting with real citrus peel and purée.”
• Chillwave Double IPA – The double IPA is back for 2021 as part of the seasonal Imperial IPA series, which will release different DIPAs every few months in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans throughout the year.

Indeed Brewing Company

• Hiding Place – A Lacto and Pedio black currant sour red ale that was aged for 18 months. The beer features an earthy base in contrast to its bright, juicy, and tart flavors of dark berries. 7.1% ABV. On tap as a “sneak peak” Up Top at the Minneapolis taproom, and tapping throughout the facility in soon. Bottles are available for sale at the brewery as well.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Company   

• Vibe Czech – A new 5.2% ABV Czech-style Pilsener described by the brewery as “Crisp, floral, smooth and brewed with Saaz hops.”

Left Hand Brewing Co.

• Found Fortune – An 8.7% ABV DIPA dry-hopped with El Dorado, Galaxy, and Citra hops.

Lift Bridge Brewing Company   

• Free the Bibs – Top Flight selection

Luce Line Brewing Co.

• Hardwood Helles – As with all Luce Line beers, this new offering—a German-inspired Helles lager—is named after a Minnesota trail.

Lupulin Brewing Company

Big Beer Week runs March 7–14 this year (tickets required), falling under two Freshies calendars for those who are keeping close track. The day one lineup is listed below. For the full listing, check out the “Announced” section last week. The Sioux Falls taproom will also celebrate, with a different lineup/schedule.

• BA Polarnattens Paradis
• BA Snozzberry Lateralus – Top Flight selection.
• Barrel God 2020
• Belgian Quad
• Belgian Tripel
• Coconut Vanilla Demigod
• Lateralus Snozzberry Pie with Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam – A limited offering infusion.
• Polarnattens Paradis
• Rubus Cubus

Modist Brewing Co.

• The Fix: IWD 2021 – On tap tomorrow and in stores next week, this is a new zero IBU IPA named in honor of a Michelle P. King book about gender inequality in the workplace. Proceeds will benefit local non-profit And Now She Rises.

New Belgium Brewing   

• Dominga Mimosa Sour – A new year-round offering that is designed as the perfect brunch companion. It’s a sparkling beer with a citrus bouquet followed by “a flash of refreshing acidity and a dry, semi-sweet finish,” the brewery says.

Oskar Blues Brewery

• Slow Chill – “The Slow Chill Series of classic, crisp lagers rotates again with the return of the Vienna-style Lager (5.0% ABV), a beer celebrating what malts mean to lagers. With biscuity, toasty undertones and a cool, dry finish,” the brewery says.

Stacked Deck Brewing Co.   

• Astronaut Sauce: Mango, Peach & Guava

Steel Toe Brewing

• Hoptread 6 – Top Flight selection

Summit Brewing Company

• Oatmeal Stout – First introduced in 2004 and served exclusively on nitro draft until now. “Oatmeal Stout is a great beer on draught, but we really thought we could do it justice by putting it into glass and showcasing some of the differences that the packaged CO2 route provides from the nitro/mixed gas draught form,” head brewer Damian McConn says via a press release, adding that, “The elevated carbon dioxide levels for the bottled version adds a sharpness to the aromas, really bringing forth the hazelnut notes and even added a hint of florals. It’s a bit fuller, a bit sharper, but just as delicious.” Available in 12-packs of 12-ounce bottles, plus on nitro at select bars and restaurants. 5.0% ABV, 32 IBU.

Surly Brewing Company

• Barrel-Aged Darkness – After aging in Elijah Craig 12-year-old barrels, “The chocolate, vanilla, dried fruit, and cherry notes are emphasized and enhanced by the oak and bourbon character of the barrel and its former occupant.,” the brewery says of this bigger, bolder Darkness. 12% ABV and sold in 750-milliliter bottles.

The Freehouse

• No. 60 Cedar Wood Rice Lager – A Japanese-inspired lager brewed with Sorachi Ace hops and aged on cedar wood staves. “The result is a very unique, earthy, and herbal spice light lager,” The Freehouse says.

Tin Whiskers Brewing Company

• Gummy Bear Hydropower – Tin Whiskers kicks off a new hard seltzer series with this candy-inspired, highly carbonated hard beverage.
• Orange Dream State – A cream ale with orange and vanilla. On draft and available in Crowlers.

Venn Brewing Company

• Sultana Hazy IPA – A 7.0% ABV, 30 IBU hazy IPA featuring the Sultana hop. Tropical, bright, and fresh flavors.

Waconia Brewing Company   

• Short Squeeze Session IPA – A hop-forward session IPA made with El Dorado and Equanot hops, a dry-hop cryo Simcoe addition, plus lemon feel. “A lemony finish rounds out this crushable IPA,” Waconia summarizes.

Wild Mind Ales   

• Kaleidoscope Eyes – A foeder-lagered saison with French saison yeast, a mix of pilsner malty, wheat, and rye, and then dry-hopped. “Expect notes of tropical melon, spicy saison yeast, and a subtle oak smoothness,” the brewery says.

Wooden Hill Brewing Company   

• 3 – Wooden Hill celebrates its third anniversary this week with a new dry-hopped tripel. At 11.1% ABV, this special beer “Tastes of bubble gum and white grape with light mandarin orange notes mixed with moderate bitterness,” the brewery says. Available today.
• Batch 229 – This numerical beer is a double dry-hopped juicy IPA that pours at 7% ABV with juicy flavors from the use of Southern Passion and Galaxy hops.

Beers just announced

22 Northmen Brewing Company

• Red Wine Barrel-Aged Baltic Porter – The Alexandria brewery has brewed a Baltic porter with specific plans for aging it in Carlos Creek red wine barrels.

Barley John’s Brewpub

• Anniversary Red Ale – The New Brighton brewpub celebrates 21 years of business with an in-house party and an anniversary red ale on Tuesday, March 16.

Dual Citizen Brewing Company

• Girls Rule – The women of Dual Citizen teamed up on a specialty beer to come out soon. Using a sour base, this upcomer was made with a mix of marshmallow, graham cracker, guava, lime, and T-Rex cookies.

Dual Citizen Girls Rule • Photo via Dual Citizen Brewing Company

Fulton Brewery

• 300 IPA – The popular IPA will soon also be sold in 12-pack/12-ounce cans.

Lupulin Brewing Company

• Full Spectrum Mosaic – An upcoming limited release Mosaic single-hop IPA  made with different forms of the hop: T90 Pellets, Cryo, CO2 extract, INCOGNITO, and terpene oils. 6% ABV and packaging next week.

Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.

• Barrel Aged Stout Hawks – A barrel-aged stout inspired by a caramel pecan chocolate bar. “Imagine a turtle Bundt cake topped with vanilla ice cream and a double dose of roasted pecans,” the Iowa brewery says. Bottle sales begin on March 13.
• Kaiju Clash – A stout aged in bourbon barrels for 20 months with added vanilla beans and coffee, “We get notes of vanilla frosting, dark chocolate, and fresh frothed espresso upfront, that gently segues into bourbon drizzled brownies,” the brewery adds. Also available in limited supply, starting on March 13.

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