Summer garden flavors and community-oriented collaborations are on tap this week

An array of corn varietals present in Dangerous Man’s Heirloom Sipper Mexican Corn Lager collaboration with Nixta • Photo via Dangerous Man 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. 

Tart wheat ales and lots of local ingredients are on tap this week, whether that means fruit-infused Berliners or other styles of beer made with rhubarb or Minnesota honey. Sure, there’s an Oktoberfest in nearly every lineup already, but we aren’t ready to abandon summer just yet.

A common theme this week is community. Bald Man has a beer exclusively for the Dakota County Fair, Chanhassen gives a nod to its most famous resident, and Dangerous Man has a brand new collaboration that just tapped. And speaking of community collaborations, The Northwest Passage Craft Beer Festival takes place in Brooklyn Park this Friday and Saturday. The inaugural event features Allow, OMNI, Elm Creek, Blue Wolf, 10K, and Torg—with special one-time pours available.

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

Alloy Scotch Barrel Aged Iron Kilt Wee Heavy – A malt-forward wee heavy barrel-aged for eight months in unpeated scotch barrels. 10.2% ABV, 31 IBU.

Chanhassen Red Birds Cashmere Red IPA – “Flavor is malt forward before giving way to tropical hop fruitiness with notes of mango and passion fruit followed by a residual sweetness,” the brewery says of this 6.5% ABV, 55 IBU red IPA.

Fair State Storm Cellar Reserve – On pour this Saturday only, from bottles in the back beer garden. “Storm Cellar Reserve is our barrel-fermented Czech dark lager (brewed in collaboration with our friends at Smith and Lentz in East Nashville, TN), blended with black currants, local raspberries, and our house culture for a year before packaging,” the brewery says.

Lupulin Spread the Sunshine – A tart wheat ale with sunflower seeds, sea salt, coriander, and Minnesota honey, this 5% sunshine beer was brewed in collaboration with Fish Sunflowers. 5% ABV.

Pig Ate My Pizza Kitchen + Brewery Flying Overzeas – This New England-style double hazy IPA shows off guava, passion fruit, and lime-like flavors derived from an experimental New Zealand hop blend. 8.2% ABV.

New beers available this week

10K Brewing

• ExNW – A Northwest Passage festival collaboration beer. Compare 10K’s recipe to that of Alloy and OMNI.
• German Pilsner – 4.6% ABV
• Strawberry Milkshake IPA – 7.1% ABV.
• The Law – A 5.0% ABV hard seltzer available in blackberry and mango flavors.

Alloy Brewing Company

• ExNW – One of two collaborations specific to the Northwest Passage Craft Beer Festival on Friday and Saturday, this peach New England-style IPA will be on tap at Alloy and the festival exclusively—poured in a friendly competition with similar recipes from 10K and Torg, each with a unique hop profile.
• Scotch Barrel Aged Iron Kilt Wee Heavy – Top Flight selection.

Badger Hill Brewing Company

• F5 Huckleberry

Bald Man Brewing

• Summer Breeze Kolsch – A Kölsch-style ale on tap exclusively at the Dakota County Fair, which is running now through Sunday.

Bauhaus Brew Labs

• Schwandtoberfest – Back for the season, this Märzen-style lager is “An elegant, malty, bready German lager with restrained hop bitterness and a dry finish that encourages another round amongst friends,” the brewery says. On tap and sold in 6- and 12-packs now, and the star of the show at Bauhaus’ seventh annual Schwantoberfest party on Sept. 25.

BlackStack Brewing

• TDH Thread Count – A triple dry-hopped double IPA with a big dose of Mosaic, Cashmere, Mosaic Cryo, and Cashmere Cryo hops.

Blue Wolf Brewing

• WxNW – A Northwest Passage festival collaboration beer. Compare Blue Wolf’s recipe to that of Elm Creek and OMNI.
• Positive #LIVIN – Available at Northwest Passage beer festival this weekend, this is an American Pilsner-style lager brewed in collaboration with #LIVIN Foundation organization.

Brau Brothers Brewing Co.

• Functional Buzz IIPA – 8.6% ABV, 90 IBU.

Bricksworth Beer

• Sense of Decency – A light American lager with corn. 4.7% ABV and just in time for another heatwave.

Burning Brothers Brewing

• o-Mango Shandy – An orange-mango shandy at 4.9% ABV.

Canal Park Brewing Company

• Freshwater Surf – A double IPA at 8.5% ABV, 64 IBU.

Castle Danger Brewery

• Secret of the Abbey – A 10.3% ABV taproom exclusive abbey ale from the Pilot Series.

Chanhassen Brewing Company

• Red Birds Cashmere Red IPA – Top Flight selection.
• Welcome 2 Chanhassen – A raspberry and coffee sour ale that tapped in late July, which offers dark chocolate and raspberry notes that transition to a dry and nutty finish with lingering tartness, the brewery says.

Clown Shoes Beer

• Pumpkin Sombrero – A Luchador Series limited Mexican-style chocolate stout with added pumpkin puree.

Copper Trail Brewing Co.

• Dock Lemonade – A lemon, mint, and juniper sour ale at 5.6% ABV, 8 IBU with bright lemons, fresh mint, and subtle pine flavors.
• Just the Tip – A once-per-year spruce tip pale ale with citrus, fruitness, and a mild bop bitterness touched off at the finish with notes of spruce and pine. 4.9% ABV, 57 IBU.
• Tangarang – A sour ale with orange and grapefruit puree, offering tangerine-like sweetness upfront and mild tart grapefruit finish. 5.6% ABV, 8 IBU.
• The Mule – A cocktail-inspired light and refreshing golden ale with ginger root and lime zest. 5.2% ABV, 18 IBU.

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

• Heirloom Sipper – Brewed in collaboration with Nixta Tortilleria, this is a Mexican-style corn lager.

Earth Rider Brewery

• Blueberry Honey Cream Ale

Elm Creek Brewing Co.

• WxNW – A Northwest Passage festival collaboration beer. Compare Elm Creek’s recipe to that of Blue Wolf and OMNI.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

• Art & Agriculture – A 6.6% ABV hazy IPA with lightly sweet tropical flavors of stone fruit and lemon-lime soda and dank notes. A collaboration with Pinthouse Pizza (Austin, TX).
• Storm Cellar Reserve – Top Flight selection.

Fat Pants Brewing Co.

• Shirley – A modestly hazy witbier with cherries.

FINNEGANS Brew Co.

A new Lager Pack sampler is out, featuring 12 beers in total: 6 Fest, 3 Huell Melon Helles, and 3 Dunkel’s in each. All three styles are on tap at the brewery and the pack is hitting area liquor stores now.

• Dunkel – A brand new German-style dark lager described as “smooth and very approachable for any lager fan.”
• Fest – “A Bavarian-style fest lager brewed with all German malts, hops and yeast,” the brewery says. 5.6% ABV, 33 IBU.
• Huell Melon Helles – A Helles-style lager hopped with Huell Melon for an overall floral and crisp experience. 5.1% ABV, 31 IBU.

FINNEGANS lager pack • Photo via FINNEGANS Brew Co.

Firestone Walker Brewing Company

• Oaktoberfest – “While similar in style to previous editions, the 2021 Oaktoberfest comes with a twist—for the first time in packaged form, the beer was lagered in French oak barrels from a premium Napa Valley Cabernet producer,” Firestone Walker explains. “The beer’s light amber color foreshadows its toasty, biscuity flavor. The oak-barrel lagering allows for an even smoother mouthfeel, all while remaining true to the beer’s crisp malt profile and hints of noble German hops.” Sold in 6-packs of 12-ounce bottles and on draft.

Fulton Brewing

• Lime & Salt Lonely Blonde – A new blonde ale variant for late summer.

Lake Monster Brewing   

• Passion Fruit, Orange & Guava Sour – A wheat sour ale with added fruit puree, this juicy and tropical beer is mostly tart and just a little sweet, Lake Monster says. On draft now and in liquor stores soon.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Company   

• Swing Set – A strawberry and rhubarb sour ale described as “Zippy, light and mouthwatering,” by the brewery.

Lupulin Brewing Company

• House IPA w/ Sorachi Ace – 6.3% ABV, 60 IBU.
• Spread the Sunshine – Top Flight selection.

New Glarus Brewing Company

• Staghorn Oktoberfest – Available across the border—you know which one.

Oliphant Brewing   

• Festbier – A 5.5% ABV Oktoberfest lager.

OMNI Brewing Co.

• WxNW – On tap at Northwest Passage beer festival this Friday-Saturday in Brooklyn Park, this is a New England-style IPA with Citra Cryo hops, then dry-hopped with Lotus and Sabro for an orange dreamsicle with subtle coconut profile.

Pig Ate My Pizza Kitchen + Brewery

• DDH Secret Sauce – A clear yet juicy double dry-hopped triple IPA. “Kettle hopped with Citra and Sabro incognito, mid fermentation hopped with Cashmere Lupomax then double dry-hopped with copious amounts of Citra, Vic Secret, and El Dorado,” the brewpub says. 10.7% ABV.
• Flying Overzeas – Top Flight selection.
• From Which Those Hops Came – Another New England-style IPA, this 7% ABV recipe offers a pillowy body with a blend of Citra, Mosaic, Mosaic Incognito, and Azacca Lupomax hops.
• Joosie Handshake: Cherry Razz – A Berliner weisse-style sour with cherry, described as having a “medium-to-high pulp factor.” 5.4% ABV.
• Joosie Handshake: Pineapple, Pink Guave, Curuba – Another pulpy, fruited Berliner weisse at 5.4% ABV.
• Grizzy Bare – A grisette with local honey. 4.6% ABV and easy-drinking, the brewery says.

Pig Ate My Pizza Grizzy Bare Grisette • Photo via Pig Ate My Pizza

Pryes Brewing Co.

• Blood Orange Miraculum – Pryes’ signature Midwest-style IPA with added blood orange. In cans now.

Rogue Ales & Spirits

• Pumpkin Patch Ale – Made with real pumpkin, “The hand roast caramelizes the natural sugars, which when combined with a delicate balance of spices, creates the signature flavor of this classic fall-themed brew,” Rogue says. In 16-ounce cans this year and 6.1% ABV, 25 IBU.

Surly Brewing Company

• Oktoberfest – “Our Oktoberfest lager is rich, malty, and sweet up front, with a clean, dry finish and just the slightest touch of hops,” the brewery says. 6% ABV.

The Freehouse

• No. 57 Strawberries and Cream Sour

Tin Whiskers Brewing Company

• Deep Space Brine – In their own words, “Our re-engineered, classic Kölsch brewed with fresh dill and cucumbers to taste just like a crisp dill pickle.” This 4.5% ABV, 20 IBU Kolsch-style beer was brewed with fresh dill and cucumbers, along with acidulated malt to mimic pickle brine.

Torg Brewery

• ExNW – A Northwest Passage festival collaboration beer. Compare Torg’s recipe to that of Alloy and 10K.

Union 32 Craft House   

• There And Back Eagan – A south suburban Hobbit’s tale of a hazy IPA with grapefruit and tropic aromas. 6.9% ABV.

Urban Forage Winery & Cider House   

• Currant Seltzer – “This is a naturally fermented fruit-based seltzer, rather than another flavored-water-plus-grain-alcohol beverage. We made this bubbly, lower alcohol beverage from currants that had already flavored a batch of our cider, but which still had a lot of flavor and color,” the cidery/winery explains. On tap and in bottles.

Utepils Brewing

• Receptional – A 5.9% ABV, 28 IBU German-style festbier. Tapping today and also sold in cans.

Wabasha Brewing Co.

• Green Avenger IPA

Wild Mind Ales

• Golf Cart Juicebox: Peach – A pale sour with shades of Arnold Palmer with added lemon, English tea, and milk sugar, then reconditioned on peach. 6.5% ABV
• Lunch Money – A hazy double IPA, back on tap. “Our house double IPA is built on a sturdy foundation of oats and wheat and hopped thoughtfully with the freshest Mosaic and Simcoe we can get our hands on,” the brewery says.
• WLD WTR: Pink Lemonade – A new smoothie-style seltzer with strawberry, dragon fruit, lemon, and lactose. 9% ABV. Sold on tap and in Crowlers.

Wooden Ship Brewing Co

• Forty – “This blonde ale is light and easy-drinking, with just enough added Cara Cara orange and rhubarb to brighten it up,” the brewery says. 4.5% ABV.

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