Dangerous Man Brewing Company’s Soco Cara Cara • Photo via Dangerous Man Brewing 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. 

Easter bocks, carrot cake ales and even some Peeps are on tap this week, with many bright and crisp options that cross the style spectrum. Popular styles appearing across Minnesota include pink hibiscus and guava beers, citrusy orange, and subtly fruity Kolsch-style ales.

From a Kent Hrbek collaboration in Bloomington to several beers tapping at CHS Field for Saints games, it’s looking more like springtime – at least on the tap handles.

 

 

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

Copper Trail Brewing Co. Das G.O.A.T. – “The upfront nose throws off strong malty aromas, paired with subtle toasty notes, caramel, plums, and chocolate. It is dark, thick and full bodied, and just boozy enough to warm you right up,” the brewery says. On tap for Bockfest. 8.4% ABV, 18 IBU.

Drekker Brewing Carrot Cake Slang Du Jour – A dessert-inspired beer with carrot juice, granola, cream cheese, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, and lactose.

Eastlake Craft Brewery Kirby Pucker No. 28: Hibiscus Sour Paloma – A deep pink in color sour ale, “”was brewed with hibiscus flower, grapefruit, sea salt, and lime, then finished with a hint of agave tequila,” Eastlake says.

HammerHeart Brewing Company Snösmältning – A lightly smoked lager with Sugar Rush Peach peppers and Sabro hops for fruity pepper-derived notes and a touch of sweet coconut and earthy hop character.

Utepils Brewing Pontoon Afternoon Tangerine – Available for a limited time at the Utepils taproom, this fruity kölsch remixes the original Pontoon Afternoon’s raspberry flavor with fresh blast of Spring citrus. 

New beers available this week

10K Brewing

  • Gracefully Pink – A 4.9% ABV wheat beer with pink guava and honey.
  • Honey Hash IPA – An IPA with honey.
  • Honey Hefeweizen – “A slightly sweet take on this classic style,” 10K says.

Alloy Brewing Company

  • Not All Capes Wear Heroes – A hazy IPA featuring Mourere and Pacifica hops. 5.6% ABV.
  • Prickly Pear What Happened?! Bourbon Cream Ale – “A smooth and sweet bourbon cream ale, aged with oak staves and with prickly pear for a bubble gum-like sweetness,” the brewery says. 8.3% ABV, 10 IBU.

Arbeiter Brewing

  • Cosmic Dance – Galaxy and Zamba hops come together in this hazy, New England-style IPA with pineapple and orange tropical/citrus flavors. 7.0% ABV and on tap today.

Badger Hill Brewing Company

  • F5 Cranberry Orange – A 4.4% ABV sour ale, on tap at the Shakopee taproom now.

Bricksworth Beer

  • DDH Expositional Dialogue A 7.2% ABV New England-style IPA dry-hopped with Citra Cryo, Strata, and Nelson Sauvin.

Copper Trail Brewing Co.

  • Das G.O.A.T. – Top Flight selection
  • Oat In A Boat – Expect deep caramel undertones, chocolate sweetness, and an overall roasty experience with a fruity backnote, the brewery says. Served on nitro, this oatmeal stout is 7.8% ABV, 27 IBU. 
  • Wanna Bock – Tapping today for Bockfest, this 7.1% ABV, 26 IBU maibock is described as light and sweet with toasty and slight peppery notes. 

 

Dangerous Man Brewing Company

  • Soco Cara Cara – “A single fruited IPA made with Southern Cross hops and Cara Cara oranges. The hops bring citrus, pith, dried orange peel and a nice warming of pine, while the oranges bring a bright juicy sweetness,” the brewery explains.

 

Drekker Brewing

  • Braaaaaaaains! – This fruited smoothie sour ale has added mango, strawberry, pineapple, coconut, sea salt, lactose, and vanilla.
  • Carrot Cake Slang Du Jour – Top Flight selection
  • Master Manipulator – A double IPA with citrus and peach flavors, made with oats, spelt, and a combination of Citra and Vic Secret hops.

Dual Citizen Brewing Company

  • Juice Tiger – On tap at CHS Field for the new Saints season.

Eastlake Craft Brewery

  • Kirby Pucker No. 28: Hibiscus Sour Paloma – A deep pink in color sour ale, “”was brewed with hibiscus flower, grapefruit, sea salt, and lime, then finished with a hint of agave tequila,” Eastlake says.
  • Tsathoggua with Vanilla and Coffee – A limited infusion recipe of Eastlake’s 10% ABV imperial stout.

Elm Creek Brewing Co.

  • Lost Eternity – Brewed with Ctira in the whirlpool and dry-hopped with Lotus and Lemondrop, this is a double New England-style IPA with notes of honeydew melon, citrus, candied fruit, and mango. 8.5% ABV.
  • Sweet Cherry Seltzer – A 6.0% ABV hard seltzer made in collaboration with ABV Technology.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

  • My Whole Life Is Thunder – A new IPA with orange marmalade, strawberry, hibiscus, and mimosa flavors, Fair State says. 7.2% ABV.
  • U-Pick – The fifth iteration of U-Pick mixed culture raspberry fruited sour. “This year’s batch has a nice bright acidity that blends with the fruit to create a nice raspberry lemonade flavor up front. The heavy addition of raspberries imparts a small tannic linger, but it’s more mouth-coating than drying, and creates a pleasant raspberry jam aftertaste,” the brewery says. 5.3% ABV.

FINNEGANS Brew Co.

A new seasonal sampler is available from FINNEGANS, featuring cans of:

  • Lemongrass Grissette – A spritzy, herbal table beer at 3.9% ABV with bright lemongrass and earthy noble hop notes.
  • Twisted Berry Vegan Wheat – A collaboration with Wicked Kitchen, this is a 6% ABV wheat ale with blackberry and blueberry.
  • Wild Berry Blonde Ale – A 4.6% ABV blonde ale with an even blend of raspberry, boysenberry, and plum. Inspired by a previous mixed culture barrel aged release.
  • Zita – A pale ale with sweet peach that makes way for a crisp citrus finish. 5.5% ABV.

Fulton Brewery

  • New Boots – A tart and unfiltered Berliner Weisse at 5% ABV.
  • Strawberry Blonde – A new fruited Lonely Blonde variant. On tap at the brewery now and coming in a mixed pack soon.
  • Tropical Blonde – A new Lonely Blonde variant made with passion fruit, orange, and guava. Available at the brewery now and coming in a mixed pack soon.

HammerHeart Brewing Company

The final run of Lino Lakes produced beers is available in cans at area stores now, including: 

  • Snösmältning – Top Flight selection
  • Stone Circle – “This is the final beer brewed and canned at the Lino Brewery. It is a big Gravøl, smoked with some cocoa nibs. This style is something like a big dark ale,” HammerHeart explains.
  • Thor’s Fury Returns – Thor’s Porter “with a lot more peppers.”

Invictus Brewing Co.

  • Good Strawberry (Fresa Buena) Strawberry Blonde Ale – “On the nose it pops strawberry, citrus fruit and sweet malts. On the palate crisp, malty, sweet, and strawberry,” the brewery says. 3.5% ABV, 25 IBU. On tap now and also available at CHS Field.

Inbound BrewCo

  • Needs More Plants – Double dry hopped with Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin hops, giving this Berliner Weisse notes of tropical fruit and lime, the brewery says. 3.8% ABV, 0 IBU. On tap and hitting liquor stores this week.

Invictus Brewing Co.

  • Troy IPA – A 6.2% ABV, 72 IBU IPA, “Doctored up with surgical precision to present aromas of peach, guava, and oranges with a slash of intense citrusy greatness on the palate,” the brewery says. Brewed to celebrate the 50th birthday of orthopedic surgeon/co-owner Troy Wolter.

Lake Monster Brewing

  • Apricot Gose – “This sessionable, tart German-style wheat beer is brewed with sea salt, coriander and a boat load of apricot puree,” Lake Monster says. Available on draft and at liquor stores.

Lakeville Brewing Co.

  • Buzzin’ Double IPA – A 9.1% ABV IPA made with Minnesota honey.
  • Dunkel Fruhlingsbier – A 5.4% ABV German-style spring lager. “It pours a light copper color, has a malty sweet aroma, and sips with a slight spiciness from the German hops and a touch of rye malt, the brewery says.
  • Yer Da Wurst! – Inspired by the Vienna lager style, this 5.7% ABV offering has a dry body with a hint of corn for sweetness and mild rye and hop spice character. Tapped yesterday.

Little Thistle Brewery

  • Executive Producer Dank Wolf – The third CBC collaboration from Little Thistle is a dank hazy IPA with tropical notes of passion fruit, guava, mango, pineapple, and white wine, brewed in collaboration with Lift Bridge.

New Glarus Brewery

  • Totally Naked – Back for the summer. Available statewide…in Wisconsin.

Nine Mile Brewing

  • Astral Zest – A new golden ale with citrus flavors.
  • Hrbie’s Grand Slam Kölsch – A new Kolsch-style ale brewed with help from ex-Twin and Bloomington local Kent Hrbek. Tapped this Tuesday.
  • Westies 4ever – Newly tapped, the brewery says this new beer offers flavors of citrus, pine, stone fruit, and melon.

Northbound Smokehouse & Brewpub

  • Granola Gurl – A golden ale with oatmeal, on tap now.

Oliphant Brewing

  • Zwub – A hazy IPA made with exclusively Citra hops. 7.5% ABV.

PawPrint Brewery

  • Narc Dawg – A 7.0% ABV, 48 IBU dank IPA, back on tap.

Schell’s Brewery

  • Lake Escape – A Kolsch-style ale hitting liquor stores soon.

Spilled Grain Brewhouse

  • Jam Session Raspberry Vanilla Milkshake IPA
  • Kim Knievel Jalapeño Pineapple Hazy IPA
  • Tap That Maple Brown Ale

StormKing Brewpub

  • Max Haze – A hazy IPA brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops. 6.4% ABV.

Summit Brewing Company

  • Cabin Crusher – The Kolsch-style ale with lime is back.

Take 16 Brewing Co.

  • OPE! – “Pouring a dark brown with a light tan head this American take on a traditional Munich dunkel lager is malty with subtle notes of toffee and chocolate,” the brewery says. Tapped in mid-March.

Talking Waters Brewing Co.

  • Coast Is Clear – A West Coast-style IPA with Simcoe hops in brewing, then dry-hopped with Strata, Galaxy, and Mosaic for tropical fruit flavors and a bitter note. 8% ABV.
  • Mixed Signals – A juicy IPA with a Citra and Mosaic hop combo.
  • Wheels Go West – A double dry-hopped IPA with Simcoe, Mosaic, and Citra hops. 6.8% ABV.

Tallgrass Cider

  • Scratch & Tangle – Raspberry cider

Utepils Brewing

  • Ewald the Wildman – The dry-hopped variant of Utepils’ hefe is back.
  • Pontoon Afternoon Raspberry
  • Pontoon Afternoon Tangerine – Top Flight selection

Venn Brewing Company

  • Bloody Haze – A hazy IPA brewed with Strata, Mosaic, and Citra hops. With added blood orange. 6.0% ABV.
  • Choconut Stout – Peanut butter and chocolate meet in this 6.5% ABV stout.
  • Porter – A 6.3% ABV roast-forward porter with strong milk chocolate notes.

Wabasha Brewing Company

  • Frangelico Parts Unknown Sour – “Oaky, vanilla, then whammy…sour,” Wabasha says.

Waconia Brewing Company

  • Marshmallow Peep Flashpoint – Tapped on Thursday for Easter weekend.

Wild Mind Ales

  • Disco Nap – A mixed culture ale with Sacchromyces and Brettanomyces, which offers light funk, plus tropical and citrus notes.
  • Doomscrolling – “A huge aromatic hazy DIPA hopped with Galaxy, Motueka, and NZH-107. Bursting with aromas and flavors of grapefruit, candy lime fruit slices, passionfruit and guava rock candy. A soft malty body provided by spelt and oats. Dry-hopped for maximum aroma extraction,” the brewery says.
  • Tree Trunks – An oatmeal brown ale with maple syrup.

White Claw

  • White Claw Surf – A lineup of three new flavors: Citrus Yuzu Smash, Tropical Pomelo Smash, and Wildberry Acai Smash.

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

  • Rabbit Hole – A “carrot cake amber ale,” brewed with carrot cake spices, plus lactose and bourbon vanilla beans. “This malt-forward ale is the ideal ratio of cake to icing,” the brewery says.

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