From Holiday Spice to Berliner Weisse—Holiday Beers Are Here

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—call for stock availability. 

Half Acre Nelson Double Daisy Cutter Pale Ale – Daisy Cutter began as a special-release bomber back in 2009 that hit with natural power and lush, dank characteristics making it a favorite in the Chicago brewing scene. 5.2% ABV.

3 Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf Imperial IPA – This dry, medium-bodied Double IPA was brewed with Canadian 2-Row malt and plenty of American hops. Available for a limited time through November and December.

Spiral Hastings Hibernation Spiced Winter Ale – A great winter beer with notes of chocolate, spice, and tobacco. 6.6% ABV.

Fair State Mister Falcon Hazy IPA – A collaboration between Fair State and Barrel Theory, this DDH Hazy IPA is made with Strata, Citra, and Simcoe Cryo hops.

Portage North of There Hoppy Pale Ale – According to Portage, this beer is a great companion for a long winter hike. Columbus Cryo, Mosaic, and Chinook hops give off aromas of pine and fruit.

New beers available this week across Minnesota

AEGIR Brewing Company

Four new flavors of hard seltzer recently tapped, in varied supply:

• Cranberry
• Maraschino Lime Seltzer
• Ol’ Fashioned – Inspired by the cocktail
• Snow Bird – Made with orange juice, mango, and coconut extract. Served with cherries.

Bear Cave Brewing

• New-Fangled Amber – “It’s got caramel and toffee sweetness that you would normally find, but with a punch of raspberry from the fresh French ‘Barbe Rouge’ hops,” the downtown Hopkins brewery explains. 6.3% ABV, 29 IBU.

Bell’s Brewing

• Christmas Ale – A Scotch-style ale for the holiday season.

Big Wood Brewery

• Black Anvil – An imperial stout aged on toasted, whisky-soaked oak chips and pours at 10% ABV, 77 IBU. Expect big-body and rich chocolate tones, the brewery says. Draft only.
• Hipp Check IPA –  The official beer of Hockey Day Minnesota 2023 is named in reference to White Bear Lake’s Hippodrome and pours at 6.2% ABV, 50 IBU. On draft and sold in area liquor stores.

BlackStack Brewing

• Citra…But Make It Pop – The launch beer of a new hop showcasing a line of New England-style IPAs. 7.0% ABV. Tapped at the end of November.
• Loud N’ Clear – A clear-in-profile West Coast-style double IPA, double dry-hopped and pouring at 8.0% ABV.
• Rule of Thirds – Citra, Simcoe, Mosaic, and Experimental hop HBC 303 Cryo containing Phantasm come together in a 10.1% ABV triple IPA.
• Spare Parts – A 5.3% ABV dark lager, back on tap now.
• TDH Pocket Dial – A triple dry-hopped double IPA, this beer is a collaboration with Lua Brewing (Des Moines, IA) that was made with Strata, Cashmere, Vic Secret, Mosaic Cryo, Sabro Fryo, and Talus hops. 8.3% ABV.

Copper Trail Brewing Co.

• Hard Pressed – A seasonal cider ale made with local Haralson, Honeycrisp, SweeTango, and Zestar apples.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

• Imperial Peanut Butter Pudding Porter – Available today after spending 15 months aging in Willet bourbon barrels. On draft and sold in 750-milliliter bottles.

Deschutes Brewery

• Jubelale Festive Winter Ale – Back for 2022.

Drekker Brewing

• Pay It Forward – A Pilsner helping to raise funds and awareness for the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch.
• Pay It Forward: Mango, Guava, Passion Fruit – A seltzer smoothie helping to raise funds and awareness for the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch.

Earth Rider Brewery

• Brett IPA – Available today at the Cedar Lounge Taproom in Superior, WI, this is an IPA aged in French oak barrels with Brettanomyces Bruxellensis var. Drie and then dry-hopped with Idaho 7. The resulting beer is light in body and dry, with tropical fruit, citrus, pine, and oak flavors. Available on draft and in 375-milliliter bottles.

Fair State Cooperative

• Lobster Stuffed With Tacos – A bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout with added toasted coconut, vanilla beans, and caramelized cocoa nibs.
• Mister Falcon – A double dry-hopped hazy IPA collaboration with Barrel Theory, back again for a limited time. This batch was made with Strata, Simcoe Cryo, and Citra hops, plus malted oats. Cool fermented for a fruity twist, the brewery adds.
• The Get Down Coffee Stout – Brewed in collaboration with The Get Down Coffee Company, this American stout is made with a blend of roasted, chocolate, and caramel malts.

FINNEGANS Brew Co.

• Buckwheat Honey & Kernza Brown Ale – “Along with the honey sourced locally from the Bone Lake Meadows Apiary, this is also our first beer to incorporate Kernza grains, and the result is a dark, well-balanced, and velvety complex beer,” the brewery says. 6.7% ABV, 35 IBU.

The Freehouse

• Infinity Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout – Black in color with flavors of chocolate, raisin, caramel, and oak, along with notes of nuts, vanilla, and molasses. 10.9% ABV and available now.

Gouden

• Carolus – A Belgian dark special ale for the holidays.

Hacienda Beer Co.

• This Is Not A Sandwich – A Pilsner at 5.1% ABV. Available Saturday.

Island City Brewing Co.

• Moonlight White – A Berliner weisse German-style sour ale.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Company

The Minneapolis brewery celebrates its seventh anniversary with several limited beers, plus hosting the MPLS Craft Market on Saturday, 12-5pm.

• Barrel-Aged Brett Bock – Available on Friday.
• Drunken Gnome – A Belgian-style quad to tap on Saturday.
• Mango Habanero Vibe Czech – Available on Friday.
• MN Coffee Cream Ale – Available on Friday.
• Party Starter – An Australian-style sparkling ale to tap on Saturday.
• Plum Marigold – Available Friday.
• Stout Szn: Snickerdoodle – A limited infusion stout, tapped last week.
• Vanilla St. Gail – Available Friday.

Lift Bridge Brewing Co.

• Hay-Z IPA – “Introduced during the Minnesota State Fair, this refreshing New England-style pale ale boasts tropical flavors, most notably passion fruit, which adds an extra ‘fruit punch’ to this hazy summer ale,” the brewery says of its collaboration with Freehouse. 5.5% ABV and sold in Crowlers.

Lupulin Brewing Company

• Baggage Czech – A 4.2% ABV Czech-style pale lager.
• Schokoladenkuchen – A mouthful to say, this is a German chocolate cake-inspired imperial pastry stout. Pouring at 11% ABV and made with cacao nibs, coconut, vanilla, and caramel. Tapped on Monday.

Odell Brewing Co.

• Barreled Treasure – Aged in Spirit Hound whisky barrels, this imperial stout is described as having notes of roasted barley, sweet vanilla, and toffee. Sold in 4-packs.

Ommegang 

• Everything Nice – A winter-spiced strong blonde ale.

OMNI Brewing Co.

• Rosemary Mint Ale – “Mint and rosemary dominate the aroma and flavor, with the mint being prominent but not overpowering and the rosemary providing a subtle but sturdy backbone,” OMNI says of this herbed ale. “Zeus hops add some black pepper spice and also accentuate the herbal character, providing just enough hop flavor and aroma to remind you that this is, in fact, a beer.”

Pryes Brewing Co.

• Royal Peach – Sour ale, available now.
• Tellement Pinot Noir – Available on Saturday, this wine hybrid in the Idyll Forest series offers notes of raspberry, dark cherry, and hibiscus with an effervescent and citrus-like mixed culture wild ale, Pryes explains.

Saint Paul Brewing

• Pooka – An Irish creme-styled porter tapped on Tuesday in limited supply.

Surly Brewing Co.

• Ginger Snap Darkness – A Darkness imperial stout variant with ginger bite and notes of cacao, vanilla, and bourbon. 12% ABV.
• Darkness: Lumberjack Breakfast – A Darkness imperial stout variant aged in bourbon barrels with added maple, coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla beans.
• Darkness: Raspberry Chocolate Torte – This imperial stout variant was aged in rye whiskey barrels with added raspberry, cacao, and vanilla.
• Demo Day – A limited taproom-exclusive hazy double IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Idaho 7. It is the debut beer from the brewery’s new 7-barrel system.

Town Hall Brewery

• 1800 – An English-style IPA based on a recipe from 1800, built on a base of English East Kent Golding and Fuggle hops. 6.15% ABV.
• Elves’ Elixir – A Baltic-style porter.
• Festivus Sweet Brown Ale
• Grinch’s Grog – A winter pale ale.

Uncommon Loon Brewing Company

• Raven’s Cry – Imperial stout aged in J. Carver Brickyard bourbon barrels. Pouring at 12.5% ABV, this big beer is rich with notes of bourbon, chocolate, vanilla, and oak. Sold in 750-milliliter bottles and wax-dipped 650-milliliter bottles.

Ursa Minor Brewing

• Donner’s Party – A malt-forward red lager with medium body and “a balanced smokiness,” the brewery says.
• Sauna Beer – A 5.0% ABV “Scandinavian pale ale.”

Waconia Brewing Company

• Cosmo Seltzer – Newly available as of this week.

Wooden Hill Brewing Co.

• Ace Rice Lager – A light and crisp rice lager brewed with puffed Jasmine rice and mash ad. Whirlpool hopped with Sorachi Ace, the brewery says. 5.1% ABV.

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