Prickly Pear, Bog Myrtle, and Heather Tips Flavor This Week’s New Beers

Inbound North Star Cowboy Prickly Pear IPA • Photo via Inbound BrewCo

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 new Freshies this week won’t just have you salivating for new flavors, it will have you grabbing a dictionary too. Ingredients include vanilla and coffee…and blackberry and prickly pear and pink guava and even Snickers bars, triticale, heather tips, and bog myrtle.

Each ingredient is lovingly selected by its brewers, some for delicate notes in the body or subtle spice, others for big upfront flavor. Whether you crave a Kölsch, a triple IPA, or a barrel-aged vanilla imperial stout, there’s a new batch, recently tapped, and waiting to be poured nearby.

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

Hayes’ Public House Uroica Scottish Heather Ale – “This ale is brewed with malty/biscuity base malts, a hint of white wheat, and Caramalt. Infused with heather tips and bog myrtle from Scotland during pre-boil and post-boil. No hops necessary,” the brewery says. 5.1% ABV, 12 IBU, and served via hand-pulled beer engines.

La Doña Chin Diaper IPA – Made with Chinook hops, Golden Promise male, and flaked oats, this IPA has grapefruit flavors with subtle spice and a touch of sweetness at the finish. 6.9% ABV, 69 IBU. The name is a nod to beertender staff’s ongoing efforts to enforce mask rules over the past year.

Little Thistle #nofilter – A naturally hazy and golden hefeweizen with banana, clove, vanilla, and bubblegum-like flavors. 4.5% ABV.

LocAle Landbier – “This rustic unfiltered pale lager was brewed with locally grown triticale from Fischer’s Sleepy Bison Acres in Sleepy Eye, MN alongside Maltwerks Pilsner malt. It was hopped with floral Minnesota-grown Sterling hops. A silky young refreshing lager with haze from yeast in suspension as well as the triticale,” LocAle says. 5.5% ABV, 25 IBU.

Pig Ate My Pizza Grizzy – On the opposite side of the flight board from the big IPAs, Grizzy is a 3.8% grisette that is described as crisp and slightly tart with fruity spice and citrus notes.

New beers available this week

608 Brewing Company

• Nebulous Void: BA Imperial Vanilla Hazelnut Cacoa Nib Stout – One of three variants of Nebulous Void barrel-aged imperial stout to go on sale at 11 am on Saturday. This blended bourbon and rye barrel-aged offering includes vanilla, roasted hazelnuts, and cocoa nibs. All four are sold in 500-milliliter bottles and pour at 13.3% ABV.
• Nebulous Void: BA Imperial Vanilla Maple Stout – A bourbon and rye barrel-aged imperial stout with vanilla and maple syrup.
• Nebulous Void: BA Imperial Vanilla Stout – This bourbon and rye barrel-aged imperial stout was made with a blend of Papa New Guinea Tahitensis vanilla beans and Madagascar vanilla bean powder.
• Rhinocleberry Koolatron – A tropical berry kettle sour at 7.1% ABV. Sold in 4-packs and on tap.
• The Session – A hazy session IPA made with Citra and Mosaic hops with flavors of pineapple, guava, and orange peel.. 6% ABV.

608 The Session • Photo via 608 Brewing

Alloy Brewing Company

• Hard Rapids Blackberry, Lime, & Vanilla – A hard seltzer made with real blackberries, lime, and vanilla. Purple in color and 7.9% ABV.

Arbeiter Brewing   

• Sleiyer – On tap today, this is a tropical fruit sour ale made in collaboration with Dangerous Man.
• Haus Bier – The 5.5% ABV easy drinker is back on tap now.

Bad Weather Brewing Company

• Monk’s Ale – Dip-hopped and dry-hopped with copious amounts of Hallertau Mittelfrüeh hops for a lovely array of floral/perfume/hay flavors and aromas,” Bad Weather says of their newly tapped, returning Belgian-style Singel.

Copper Trail Brewing Co.

• Nautical – A non-alcoholic Pilsner, on tap now.
• Nordic Mosaic – “An American Pale Ale brewed with 100% Mosaic hops. This is a highly drinkable beer with a bright citrus aroma and flavor,” the brewery says. 5% ABV, 57 IBU.
• Wave – A 4.5% ABV black cherry flavored seltzer.
• Weisse Guy – A tart Berliner Weisse sour ale available in two fruited varieties: Boysenberry and Blood Orange. 5.5% ABV, 17 IBU.

Eastlake Craft Brewery

• Southside Pils – “Brewed with a deliberately present 100% Saaz hop profile and local craft Pilsner malt,” Eastlake explains.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

• Mango Coconut Lime Fruitybooms – Available in both draft smoothie and frozen slushie form at the taproom, this is an 8% ABV beer smoothie/slushie. To-go options will be available later this weekend.
• Pineapple-Hefeweizen-Lemonade – Another slushie beer and a staff favorite in recent summers. 6.4% ABV and available at the brewery now.

Founders Brewing Co.

• Más Agave Clásica Grapefruit – A 9.7% ABV Barrel-Aged series release, sold in 4-packs of 12-ounce bottles.
• Más Agave Clásica Lime – A 10% ABV Barrel-Aged series release, sold in 4-packs of 12-ounce bottles.
• Más Agave Clásica Prickly Pear – The newest in the Más Agave line, this tequila barrel-aged imperial gose with prickly pear which, the brewery says, “mellow[s] out the tangy tartness with hints of berry and melon.” 9.7% ABV.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

• Lemon Hefeweizen – A limited release last year, this returns as a seasonal offering in both 12- and 16-ounce cans.

Hayes’ Public House

• Blood Orange Hazy IPA – Tapped on May 8.
• Chocolate Milk Stout – Tapped last week, this is a chocolate take on Fliodhais Irish Cream Milk Stout, but made with cacao nibs instead of Irish cream. 7% ABV, 25 IBU.
• Uroica Scottish Heather Ale – Top Flight selection.

Inbound BrewCo

• North Star Cowboy – Available at the brewery now, this prickly pear IPA offers bright notes of prickly pear, simile to berries, melon, and pineapple. 6.6% ABV, 54 IBU. Coming to cans soon.

Junkyard Brewing Co.   

• Dirty Pete and the Dungeon Chiefs – A Mosaic and Cryo Ekuanot hops-forward IPA with tropical flavors like pineapple, mango, and melon. 7.3% ABV.

• Gone Hollywood – A new batch of the West Coast–style IPA, this time made with Cyro Cascade, Simcoe, and Amarillo for flavors of grapefruit and orange, plus dank and floral notes. 6.8% ABV.
• Kissing Booth – A crisp and juicy golden ale that’s light in body with balanced with strawberry. 5.0% ABV.
• Little Sticky – “This time around we added peach, a touch of lactose, and hundreds of pounds of more blackberry! If that doesn’t sound delicious enough, we threw in plenty of marshmallow to make this beer stickier than ever. Look for a bright fruit profile, thick body, and marshmallow on the finish,” Junkyard says. 6.5% ABV.
• The Munchies – This sweet and creamy ale was made with 200 pounds of Snickers candy bars, plus vanilla and lactose. 5.3% ABV.
• Wicked Awesome Slurry – A New England-style double IPA with dank hop flavors, big tropical notes, and a pillowy body, the brewery says. 8.4% ABV.

La Doña Cervecería

• Chin Diaper IPA – Top Flight selection.

Left Hand Brewing Company

• Dry-Hopped Pineapple Ginger Sour – Available only in the Mixed Pack of cans (alongside Left Hand IPA, St. Vrain Belgian Tripel, and Peanut Butter Milk Stout).

Little Thistle Brewing Co.

• #nofilter – Top Flight selection.

LocAle Brewing Company

• Altstadt – A malt-forward German-style amber altbier made with German Perle and Minnesota-grown Triple Pearl hops. 5.5% ABV, 30 IBU.
• Landbier – Top Flight selection.

Lost Sanity Brewing

• Kookaloo Lager – Tapped back on May 5, this salted lime lager is meant for warm weather, including a habanero pepper variant.

LTD Brewing Co.

• Glacial Express – A 5.0% ABV Swiss-style lager. Tapped last week.
• Pink Lemonade Splash – “Prepared specifically for sunshine and long summer days, we infused our newest sour ale with the freshest of fresh pink guava and Meyer lemon purées,” the brewery explains. 4.5% ABV.
• Tribes of Galway – A light-body and balanced Irish-style red ale. 5.9% ABV.

LTS Brewing Company

• Girl Power – Tapped in early May, this New England-style IPA features the Pink Boots Blend of hops and has notes of tropical and citrus fruits with herbal and woody touches on the nose, the brewery says. 6.4% ABV, 53 IBU.

Luce Line Brewing Co.

• Eastern Star Lager – “Eastern Star Lager is a light, crisp, and hop-forward lager brewed with flaked rice, Motueka hops from New Zealand, and a traditional German lager yeast strain. The rice contributes a soft mouthfeel while adding a very clean flavor while the Motueka hops add a subtle hint of tropical lime and lemon zest with a light and balanced bitterness.,” Luce Line says.
• Electric Owl Sour – A heavily-fruited purple sour with blackberry and pink guava, then aged on vanilla beans.

Lupulin Brewing Company

• Adopted Highway – A newly available dip-hopped IPA.
• DDH Fashion Mullet – A double dry-hopped version of Fashion Mullet IPA is the star of the show at Lupulin’s sixth anniversary party this Saturday. The brewery will also release multiple beers in the Scribbled Lines series (still to be named).
• Ryelee’s Amber – A smoked amber ale, not on tap.
• Vanilla Dreams – An imperial stout with vanilla, aged on oak spirals and pouring at 10% ABV.

Modist Brewing Co.

• Double Local Dream Mirror – Take Mirror Universe (Fair State), Local 755 (BlackStack), and Dreamyard (Modist), then stir. Well, maybe it’s not that simple, but this New England-style double IPA is a mash-up of three local hazies, then dry-hopped with seven more hop varieties. On tap at the brewery on Saturday and hitting liquor stores next Tuesday, May 25.

Pig Ate My Pizza Kitchen + Brewery

• 3 Cheers to 8 Years – “For our 8th anniversary (and 2nd year of brewing) we made our first Triple IPA, and it’s a big one! It was hopped solely in the whirlpool with Mosaic, Citra, and Sabro Incognito hop oil then hopped mid and post-fermentation with Mosaic, Citra, and Cashmere Lupomax, and Sabro T90. This beer uses multiple advanced hop products to coax out huge tropical flavors,” the brewpub says. 10.1% ABV.
• Double Dipped – A dip-hopped oat IPA with a creamy body and flavors of mango, passionfruit, and pineapple. 7.6% ABV.
• Grizzy – Top Flight selection.
• Heckin’ Shreddit – “High protein malts give this hazy IPA a frothy silky texture…breaking with a gentle grainy malt sweetness,” the brewery says. The 7% ABV New England-style IPA has notes of tropical fruit, berry, citrus, and a touch of cotton candy.
• Magic Zamboni – An 8.1% ABV New England-style double IPA made with Zamba, Strata, and Citra hops for flavors such as candied peach, tangerine, and pineapple.
• Private Tabs – A 4.9% ABV hazy pale ale with peach, candied lemon rind, mandarin orange, and lychee flavors with a restrained bitterness to go with its smooth body.
• Tropic Like It’s Hot – A “tropical lager” with a hop profile more like an IPA. 5.7% ABV.

Spiral Brewery   

• The Other Bridge – A IPA with guava, brewed in collaboration with Swinging Bridge Brewing Co.

StormKing Barbecue and Brewpub

A joint venture between operating partners at Rapids Brewing Company and Black Sheep Pizza opened in the former ONE space in Minneapolis, serving Minneapolis brewed versions of Rapids Brewing recipes, including:

• Brown Boot Brown Ale
• Hands On Hazy IPA
• Jam IPA
• Noble Pilsner
• She Gone Rye Lager
• Milky Way Porter – A porter made with barrel-aged Minnesota syrup, cold brew coffee, and Madagascar vanilla bean.

Uncommon Loon Brewing Company

• Things We Don’t Say IPA – A beer for a cause, Uncommon Loon explains: “A collaboration with 170+ breweries worldwide to bring awareness and support for mental health. Things We Don’t Say is an easy-drinking hazy IPA loaded with Cashmere, El Dorado, and Azacca hops. Featuring the aroma and intense flavors of citrus and ripe tropical fruit, it has a silky mouthfeel and finishes with a well-balanced bitterness.” Raising both mental health awareness and funds for Hope For The Day.

Venn Brewing Company

• Cosmosis Pacific Punch – A fruity sour at 9% ABV, made with pineapple, pink guava, passion fruit, blood orange, and apricot.

Waldmann Brewery

• Kölsch – A fruity, light-bodied, yellow-in-color Kölsch-style ale made with Pilsen and Vienna malts, Herkules hops, and North German ale yeast.

Waldmann Kölsch • Photo via Waldmann Brewery

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

• Cahill – A cream ale made with Pilsner malt, flaked corn, and Triumph hops. Back on tap now. 6% ABV.

Beers just announced

Forager Brewery

• Nillerzzzzz 2021 – The latest batch of Forager’s annual barrel-aged double stout will be sold in bottles on June 12. Made with vanilla beans grown in Comoros, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Mexico, and Madagascar.

Waconia Brewing Company

• Raspberry Blonde – Coming soon, the brewery says in its latest newsletter.

Waconia Raspberry Blonde • Photo via Waconia Brewing Company

Waconia Brewing Company

• Single Hop Series: Centennial – To tap next Tuesday, May 22.

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