FINNEGANS Starry Night Stout • Photo via FINNEGANS Brew Co.

FINNEGANS Starry Night Stout • Photo via FINNEGANS Brew Co.

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. 

The only way to survive a bold north winter is to embrace it or escape it. We get both options this week in liquor form with lots of roasty stouts and dark beers courtesy of events by FINNEGANS, OMNI, and Rogue Ales, contrasted by tropical flavors of pineapple, guava, and coconut from breweries such as Junkyard, Fair State/Wild State, and Lupulin. A few breweries take their familiar flagships and double them.

Looking ahead,  Summit celebrates 35 years in 2021 with a retro EPA package to come, plus some new (and old) surprises.

 

 

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

Alloy White Noise • Photo via Alloy Brewing Company
Forager Wanderlust • Photo via Forager Brewery
Lake Monster Notorious RBG • Photo via Lake Monster Brewing
Lupulin and Little Thistle Unicorn's Share • Photo via Lupulin Brewing
Wild State and Fair State collaboration Ruby • Photo via Wild State Cider

Alloy Bourbon Barrel Aged White Noise – A stout with white chocolate with added oak and a hint of vanilla that was also aged in Knob Creek barrels. 8.9% ABV, 74 IBU.

Forager Wanderlust – A mixed-culture coolship beer with complex, local flavors and dry-hopped with French and Slovenian hops. 5.9% ABV.

Lake Monster Notorious RBG – Back for a second time is this juicy IPA made with Rakau, Bravo, and Galaxy hops and brewed in honor of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Available in Season 5 of Dabbler in a Box, in Crowlers, and at the brewery.

Lupulin & Little Thistle The Unicorn’s Share – Available in bottles today, this is a collaboration with Little Thistle of Rochester. The beer is a dark 11% ABV imperial stout aged in non-peated Scotch barrels for a year.

Wild State & Fair State Ruby Grapefruit Cider – Made in collaboration with Fair State, this is a hopped cider with grapefruit for bright citrus flavors including grapefruit, of course, plus notes of fresh pineapple and pine. Available directly from Wild State and hitting liquor stores in Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin now.

New beers available this week

608 Brewing Company

  • Dunkula – A 5.2% ABV dunkel with hearty, malt-forward flavors for the colder weather.
  • F6 Citranado – An 8% ABV hazy double IPA twist on Citranado flagship IPA. “Flavors of sticky deep cantaloupe, passionfruit, and maraschino cherry” define this bigger version, on draft and available in 4-packs to go.

Alloy Brewing Company

  • Bourbon Barrel Aged White Noise – Top Flight selection.

Bent Paddle Brewing Co.   

  • Extra Baked – In the taproom today and coming to liquor stores next week, this is a barrel-aged stout with coconut and chocolate flavors.

Big Wood Brewery   

  • Bad Axe – On tap and to-go from the brewery beginning today, this is a 9.8% ABV, 76 IBU imperial IPA featuring a blend of Julius, Chinook, Mosaic, and Centennial hops. Available only from the brewery on draft and in Crowlers to start.

Boom Island Brewing Company   

  • Czernobog – Named for the Slavic god of night, “This thick-bodied, malt-laden beast owns notes of chocolate, dark roast coffee and hints of dark fruit,” Boom Island says of its new Russian-style imperial stout.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

  • Gingersnap Brown Ale! Snowman Cookie – A cookie-inspired beer made with an American-style brown ale base with added molasses, cinnamon, fenugreek, nutmeg, vanilla, and fresh ginger for earthy, zesty, and spicy and baked goods character.
  • Boysenberry Frangipane Pastry Ale Fireworks Shortcake – A fruity and tart ale with boysenberry, almond, and vanilla and a pastry-like light and fluffy body.

Duluth Cider

  • Trailside Strawberry Basil Cider – Normally a summer recipe, Duluth Cider tapped a limited amount of this cider today.

Eastlake Craft Brewery   

  • Beneath The Wolf Moon – A new hazy IPA featuring Pacific Jade, Azacca, and Amarillo hops, which impart citrus, lemon zest, and black pepper flavors.
  • Kirby Pucker #8 – A traditional sour gose base with added beet, pepper, mustard seed, and dill weed, sea salt, and coriander.
  • Tsathoggua 18 Cellar Reserve – This limited beer is available in bottles to allows fans to taste test their own verticals comparing 2018’s batch to 2020’s. “Expect a smoother ethanol heat and a subtle vinous port-like character to the dark chocolate, marshmallow, and dank pineapple in the 11.1% thick black imperial stout,” the brewery says.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

  • Mr. Falcon – Made in collaboration with Barrel Theory, this hazy and double dry-hopped IPA is described as “A nice balance of fruity and dank, sweet but not overbearing, low bitterness.” 7.3% ABV.
  • Wut Pina Colada – The last of the “Wut” line before Fair State rebrands its seltzer smoothies as “Fruityboom.” Wut Pina Colada is inspired by the cocktail of the same name. An 8% ABV thick, creamy, and experimental seltzer with added coconut cream and pineapple puree.

FINNEGANS Brew Co.

  • Hailstones Scotch Ale – This dark beer offers notes of peat smoke and toffee, the brewery says. Solid in the Celtic Fan Pack along with Dead Irish Poet, Irish Amber, and Mischievous Pixie Lager. 6.4% ABV, 25 IBU.
  • Mischievous Pixie Lager – A new unfiltered Pilsner with citrus notes available in the Celtic Fan Pack. 5.1% ABV, 30 IBU.
  • Pulling Copper –  “Brewed exclusively with Michigan Copper hops and Maltwerks pilsner, red wheat, and Munich malts. This IPA has an aroma of passion fruit and pineapple,” FINNEGANS says. 6% ABV, 46 IBU.
  • Starry Night Stout – FINNEGANS wraps up its Dark Month celebration with a Belgian-style stout. With blackberry, stone fruit, and mild funk on the nose, this beer spent a year in wild oak barrels. “[It is] reminiscent of Biere de Garde slightly but with a lot more chocolate character and that beautiful stout quality that the month of January deserves,” the brewery says. 7.8% ABV, 32 IBU in 750-milliliter bottles.

Forager Brewery

  • Permagrin: Strawberry Lamington Cake – A new pastry sour inspired by a strawberry jelly roll. This was made using Forager’s house lactobacillus culture, strawberries, marshmallow, coconut, and vanilla. Sold in a new, limited pack along with the two beers below.
  • The Rage – A barrel-aged coffee stout made with roasted hazelnuts, coffee, and vanilla beans, then aged in Rock Filter and Buffalo Trace barrels and, finally, blended to a 13.2% ABV perfection.
  • Wanderlust – Top Flight selection.

Founders Brewing Co.

  • Moon Rambler IPA – “Brewed with milk sugar for just the right hit of sweetness, while a variety of American hops bring the fresh and aromatic hoppiness you crave in an IPA,” the brewery says.

The Freehouse

  • D20 Cucumber Ginger Seltzer

Fulton Brewery

  • Lagerstar – Strictly a taproom one-off, “We stole some Hopstar wort and put it in a small fermenter with lager yeast. It’s unfiltered and features five different hop varieties,” Fulton says. 4.3% ABV, 35 IBU.

Hop & Barrel Brewing Co.

  • Turning Violet – A blueberry kettle sour.

Humble Forager   

  • Coastal Sunset v2 – A fruited dessert sour inspired by cherry cheesecake, this new offering imparts flavors of tart cherry with smooth cream cheese, graham cracker, vanilla, and marshmallow notes. 6% ABV. Sold in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans.

Indeed Brewing Company   

  • Boon Hard Kombucha – A light and refreshing new (gluten-free) hard kombucha. At 8.2% ABV, the drink pours a blue/purple hue with tart, spritzy, and funky blueberry and basil-like flavors. Indeed plans for a spring release in cans as well.

Inver Grove Brewing Company   

  • Sergeant Schneiders Reserve NEIPA – A 7.3% ABV, 20 IBU hazy IPA made with the 2020 Veteran’s Hop blend from Yakima Chief, consisting of citrus, sweet fruit, and stone fruit character– proceeds from this hop blend benefit the Gary Sinise Foundation.

Junkyard Brewing Co.   

  • Mama’s Trip to Jamaica – The latest “Mama’s Trip” beer is a tropical sour ale inspired by Jamaican rum punch. “We stirred it up with orange, pineapple, lime, and grenadine, the brewery says of the new 6.7% ABV offering.
  • Nectar-Tron – A brand new New England-style IPA featuring a brand new hop: Nectar. Made with a blend of Citra hops as well, “This new hop hails from New Zealand and is loaded with flavors and aromas of citrus, peaches, and passionfruit,” the brewery notes. 6.6% ABV.
  • Final Boss – An earthy and melon-y New England-style double IPA made with Citra, Bru-1, Galaxy, and Wai-iti hops. Dank flavors up front with a bitter finish, Junkyard says.

Lake Monster Brewing

  • Notorious RBG IPA – Top Flight selection.

Lupulin Brewing Company   

  • DDH Hooey – “We jacked up our hazy hop elixir with even more of the juiciest hops available,” Lupulin explains, noting, “Simcoe, Cashmere, Cryo, Amarillo, Idaho #7, Cryo, Mosaic, Mandarina Bavaria, Citra add notes of pineapple, mandarin orange, and coconut.”
  • The Unicorn’s Share – Top Flight selection.

O’so Brewing   

  • Narcissist Style #1 – One of two special imperial stouts now available. 10.5% ABV and aged in Willett bourbon barrels.
  • Narcissist Style #2 – One of two special imperial stouts now available. 10.5% ABV and aged in Templeton Rye whiskey barrels.
  • Stubborn Pride – A double IPA featuring a blend of Mosaic, Calypso, and Sultana hops. 8.2% ABV.

OMNI Brewing Co.

10+ barrel-aged and dark beers will be on tap for Hibernation Weekend. The lineup includes:

  • 2018 Barrel-Aged Omnipotent
  • 2019 Super Scotch
  • 2020 Super Scotch
  • Barrel-Aged Léon – Imperial stout
  • Barrel-Aged Maple Snowprint    – Draft only.
  • Barrel-Aged Raspberry Cacao Léon – Draft only.
  • Maple Super Scotch – A Scotch ale/wee heavy.
  • Omnipotent  – A Scotch ale/wee heavy.
  • Snowprint – Doppelbock
  • Superior Siege Weapon – barleywine
  • Theo – Imperial stout
  • Trail Mix – Scotch ale/wee heavy
  • Unite! – OMNI’s first anniversary beer, a Russian imperial stout.
  • Vanilla Barrel-Aged Léon

Rogue Ales & Spirits   

  • Chocolate Stout Nitro – “The addition of a nitro charge to Rogue’s classic Chocolate Stout blends up chocolate and malt flavors into a smooth creamy chocolate experience,” Rogue says. 5.8% ABV, 69 IBU.
  • Double Chocolate Stout – A 9.0% ABV doubled version of Chocolate Stout. 9.0% ABV, 68 IBU. Available this winter in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans.
  • Shakespeare Stout Nitro – Another Rogue classic, on nitro. 5.7% ABV, 75 IBU.
Rogue Ales stouts • Photo via Rogue Ales

Rogue Ales stouts • Photo via Rogue Ales

Rustech Brewing Co.   

  • Mixed Reactions – A 5.4% ABV, 15 IBU sour ale with raspberry and guava.

Stacked Deck Brewing Company

  • Raspberry Passion Fruit Astronaut Sauce – Fruited Sour Ale. The perfect balance of tart and sour, now available in 12oz 4-packs! 4.5% ABV
  • Secret of the Lost Simcoe – A New England IPA made with Simcoe and Simcoe Cryo hops giving it juicy notes of Passion Fruit, Citrus, and Pine. Available in 16oz 4-packs and crowlers for curbside pickup or free home delivery (within 10 miles of the brewery and a minimum order of $40). 7.1% ABV.
Stacked Deck Astronaut Sauce Raspberry Passion Fruit • Photo via Stacked Deck Brewing Company

Stacked Deck Astronaut Sauce Raspberry Passion Fruit • Photo via Stacked Deck Brewing Company

Tin Whiskers Brewing Company   

  • Lowertown Lager – Available, only in Crowlers, now.
  • Mango Dragon Fruit Sour – A limited, Crowler-only sour ale with mango and dragonfruit.

Waconia Brewing Company   

  • Peach Sour

Wild Mind Ales   

  • Static Spectrum – A new smooth-style sour ale with blackberry, banana, and lactose. Sold in 16-ounce cans.

Wild State Cider   

  • Ruby – Top Flight selection.

Beers just announced

10K Brewing

  • Triple IPA – Brewed this week.

Founders Brewing Co.

  • All Day Vacay    – Available in spring and summer, Founders is extending the All Day line with a new seasonally-focused session wheat ale. At 4.6% ABV the Michigan brewery describes the new offering as being slightly sweet with delicate citrus notes.

High Pines Brewing Company   

A new brewery is set to open doors in Roseville, perhaps as early as next week. With room for 22 taps in the future, they will open with four-to-six choices that may include:

  • Brown Ale
  • Honey Blonde
  • IPA
  • Raspberry Wheat
  • Session IPA

Later additions:

  • Double IPA
  • Lager
  • Sour

Insight Brewing   

  • Hop Spin – A new limited release IPA series will showcase new IPA blends under a common name: the Hop Spin series.

Lift Bridge Brewing Company   

  • Irish Coffee Stout – Preorders for Crowlers of this spring seasonal are available now. Irish Coffee Stout is a toasty and creamy milk stout that is blended with whiskey barrel-aged imperial stout and finished off with roasted Five Watt coffee.  Available Feb. 10.

Summit Brewing Company

The Summit brand calendar for 2021 was announced. For the Saint Paul brewery’s thirty-fifth anniversary, we see some old favorites return and we see the continued growth of the Crusher series. In May, a new limited-time retro EPA bottle will also debut.

  • Cabin Crusher Kölsch-Style Ale with Lemon – Back in April, the lemon-added Kölsch-style ale will be sold in the Crusher Soulmates Combo Pack, alongside the original lime and two new flavors listed below.
  • Cabin Crusher Kölsch-Style Ale – A summer seasonal to be sold in both 6- and 12-packs.
  • Great Northern Porter    – Returning in September as part of the Mixed Pack Best Of edition.
  • Horizon Red IPA – A red IPA that returns for the first time since 2017. To be sold in the spring edition of the Mixed Pack IPA sampler.
  • Lake Crusher Tangerine – One of two new fruit-added Kölsch-style beers in the Crusher series, this will be sold beginning in April in the new Crusher Soulmates Combo Pack.
  • Oasis Crusher Passion Fruit – Another Crusher, this one set for debut in a second Crush Soulmates Combo Pack, scheduled for the fall. Hitting tap lines in August, this is a passion fruit-flavored Kölsch-style ale.
  • Oktoberfest – Available in August in 6- and 12-packs of 12-ounce bottles and 12-packs of 12-ounce cans.
  • True Brit IPA – Back from hiatus, this English-style IPA will be sold in the Mixed Pack Best Of edition in the fall.
  • Winter Ale – Currently available from 2020, 2021’s edition taps again next winter.

Surly Brewing Company

  • Mapping the Universe – A new 7.3% ABV hazy double IPA with juicy and citrusy flavors of grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, and lemon.

Tin Whiskers Brewing Company

  • Irish Cream Stout 2021 – A new recipe in 2021, “This year’s version is a classic dry Irish stout, infused with chocolate, coffee, and vanilla, then finished on Irish whiskey-soaked oak, Tin Whiskers says. Coming in February.

Waconia Brewing Company   

  • Barley Wine – Coming soon, but with no set release date yet, the brewery announced in this week’s newsletter.
  • Blonde – Coming soon, but with no set release date yet, the brewery announced in this week’s newsletter.

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