The older I get, the more that sampling most of the new beverages at the Minnesota State Fair in one day seems like hubris, but once again, a merry band of us did just that, for you, dear reader.
This year, there were 56 official new beverages. We did not drink any of the wine-based concoctions, because the ones we have tried in the past have been decidedly not our jam, and we don’t feel we can give them a fair (pun intended) shake. If you like sweet drinks, you’ll have to check those out on your own.
The 40 beers and seltzers we did try included a whole lot of fruit, some of it used well, some of it not. Blessedly, vendors this year did not torture us by putting sugar on the rims of our glasses, which ruins every beer it touches. There were still plenty of overly sweet beers, though, which bugged the more mature tasters in our bunch, but thoroughly pleased my newly 21-year-old son, who joined us for the last leg of the day.
We sampled safely by bringing an entire box of Dixie cups, so that we could pour individual portions.
Here’s your guide to this year’s new beers, helpfully grouped by location.
Cheers!
BALL PARK CAFE
East side of Underwood Street between Dan Patch and Carnes avenues, outside The Garden
Clasico Salted Lime Cream Ale by Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
I’m not always a cream ale fan, but the lime in this beer covered up the usual graininess. That being said, it doesn’t hit you over the head with lime or salt. Overall, pretty inoffensive.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
Grip and Rip IPA by Surly Brewing Co.
This beer, brewed in collaboration with former Minnesota Twins baseball star Trevor Plouffe, split the testers, half of whom enjoy a nice IPA, and the other half of whom are just not fans. I’m in the former camp, and I liked this one. Citrusy and tropical, with a nice dry finish, it’s a pretty easy drinker for an IPA. One of the tasters said it would be “a good gateway IPA.”
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7.5%
Kirby Pucker Watermelon Paloma by Eastlake Craft Brewery
Even though we didn’t get a ton of watermelon or paloma flavor, we didn’t hate this. Although one of the tasters nailed it by saying the beer, which is also supposed to have a touch of salt, had an “assertive, vegetal wateriness.”
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
MN Brew Together Peaches and Cream Milkshake IPA, by Modist Brewing and Dangerous Man Brewing Co.
It was universal: We all hated this thick, viscous beer, which tasted very much like peach baby food. If you like that, by all means, get this.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.5%
Mountain Brew by Indeed Brewing Co.
After seeing the fluorescent hue of this beer, we were fully prepared to hate it, but were impressed by how much it looks, smells and tastes like Mountain Dew. A fun trick, and Indeed gets bonus points for whimsy and creativity.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.4%
The Shandlot Golden Tea Edition by Bauhaus Brew Labs
We didn’t pick up much tea flavor here, but this Arnie Palmer wannabe was a nice, refreshing beer that was maybe a hair too sweet.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.5%
Sweat Back Together by Bent Brewstillery
Although the name of this beer turned us off, the beer itself was a pretty straightforward IPA, with plenty of pine- and citrus-flavored hops, but not a ton of bitterness.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.5%
Tropical Smoothie Sour by Modist Brewing
Smoothie beers are trending, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. This one was better than most. Tasters said it was like a pineapple upside down cake or those brandy slushies our parents used to keep in an ice cream bucket in the freezer. Still, we’re not sure that’s something beer should aspire to.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7%
BLUE BARN
West End Market, south of the History and Heritage Center
Frozen Fruit Punch by The Freehouse
True to its name, this light, fluffy slushie tasted like fruit punch. If you don’t like the taste of booze, get this. One taster got a bubble gum vibe, but I think it’s more like those little juice pouches my kids used to love.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
Ginger Shandy by The Freehouse
We liked this. It was not too sweet, and there was just enough ginger flavor. Though one taster said they’d rather have a beer or a ginger ale, and I couldn’t disagree.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
CAFE CARIBE
South side of Carnes Avenue between Chambers and Nelson streets
Bolo Blue: Tropical Punch Hard Seltzer by Bauhaus Brew Labs
There’s no mincing words here: This bright blue monstrosity was terrible. Too sweet even for the 21-year-old, who declared that it tasted like something he’d had at a college house party. In case you’re wondering, that’s not a compliment. The Swedish Fish swimming in the bottom were overkill.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
Caribbean Dream Passion Fruit Tart Ale by Surly Brewing Co.
This one tasted more like fruit punch than passion fruit, but we liked it. I wonder, do beer makers get together and decide upon the ingredient of the year? If so, this is definitely the year of the passion fruit.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6%
COASTERS
On the southeast corner of Carnes Avenue and Liggett Street
Blue Razzmatazz by Lupulin Brewing
Admittedly, this came late in our tasting journey, but it elicited shrugs all around, except from the 21-year-old, who declared it to be his favorite of the day. Lots of raspberry flavor.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
Golden Cookies N Cream Ale by Waconia Brewing Co.
I didn’t tell my tasters what this was supposed to be, and I got answers ranging from bananas foster to Bailey’s. Perhaps because I knew what it was, I could taste cookies. I also did not want to drink it. The 21-year-old polished it off, though.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.6%
Minnesota Mule Ale by Bald Man Brewing
The second mule-inspired drink of the day was also decent, but it had a bit of a grainy aftertaste. Plenty of ginger in there, though.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.4%
DINO’S GYROS
North side of Carnes Avenue between Nelson and Underwood streets
Pomegranate Pils by Indeed Brewing Co.
Dino’s has really upped its game in the beer department — the three newbies pouring from their taps were all delicious. This crisp, clean pilsner gets a pleasant bitterness from pomegranate and is a great pairing for the Middle Eastern flavors at Dino’s.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.1%
Tangerine Titan by Surly Brewing Co.
This is how you do a fruit beer! The tangerine flavor here is fruity, not sweet and definitely not overwhelming. It’s a summery, lovely treat, and the perfect Fair beer.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.5%
Toga Party Kanu by Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
Our tasters said this tasted like Squirt soda, but in the best way. Orange, lemon and lime give it a good citrus boost, and citrusy hops bring the bitter.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.8%
FRONTIER BAR
South side of Carnes Avenue between Liggett and Nelson streets
OMG Seltzer Slushy by Fulton Brewing
We almost didn’t try this because we were so over fruity slushies by the end of the night, but we are glad we did. It tastes just like an orange dreamsicle, which is one of my favorite childhood flavors. Would be great on a hot day.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
GIGGLES’ CAMPFIRE GRILL
Southeast corner of Lee Avenue and Cooper Street, at The North Woods
Buoyed Up Mango Shandy by Mankato Brewery
I found this to be a little too sweet, and other testers said they prefer Lift Bridge’s mango blonde. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.5%
Orange Solstice Witbier
This felt like it was inspired by Blue Moon — and was similarly served with an orange slice. If you like Blue Moon, you’ll like this. Testers declared that they’d be happy to walk around the Fairgrounds on a hot day with one of these.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.5%
Outboard Motor Ale by Coronado Brewing Co. (San Diego)
I let the tasters guess what this one was, and their answers say more than I could:
“Marshmallow?”
“Spent grain.”
“Pizza crust.”
“Beer that got cold, then warm again.”
What is it actually supposed to be? A blonde citrus ale with notes of lemon and orange peel.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.5%
Peach Tree Ale by Third Street Brewhouse
Peach is another theme at this year’s Fair, and by the time we tasted this one, we were peached out. The best thing any of us could say was that it was “better than the last peach beer; at least it’s not chunky.”
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4%
THE HANGAR
Northeast corner of Underwood Street and Murphy Avenue
Triple Berry Cheesecake Lager by Mankato Brewery
Predictably, we could have done without trying this beer, but it wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be. Some of us even thought it would be good in an adult ice cream float. Others thought it tasted like you’d soaked the crust of a cheesecake in beer.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
Waffle Dog Breakfast Ale by Insight Brewing
If you like beer, stay away from this sweet mess, which tastes like straight Mrs. Buttersworth’s.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7%
LEINE LODGE
East side of Cooper Street between Dan Patch & Judson avenues, just south of the Leinie Lodge Bandshell
Collaboration Lager
Leine’s beers always have a certain aftertaste — my husband is convinced it’s something in the Chippewa Falls, Wis., water. Despite that, we thought the amber-colored lager was pretty decent.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.4%
LULU’S PUBLIC HOUSE
West End Market, south of the Schell’s Stage at Schilling Amphitheater
LuLu’s Juicy MN Midway Hazy by Surly Brewing Co.
An absolute hop bomb, this is not for the IPA hater. Those of us who liked IPAs thought it was decent, but not our favorite of the new IPAs this year.
No ABV provided
Cherry-Go-Round by August Schell Brewing Co.
This pretty traditional sour has lots of cherry flavor — it’s billed as being brewed with 6,600 pounds of Montmorency cherries, and I believe that. We all really liked it and would go back for another.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.4%
Minnesota Maple Mead by Sociable Cider Werks
I hate mead. This did not change my mind. The “splash of Minnesota maple syrup” made it more sweet than usual. None of our tasters liked it, either.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6%
OAKtoberfest by August Schell Brewing Co.
This was one of my favorite beers of the day. The slight oaky flavor really took things up a notch from the typical Oktoberfest. This is less sweet and lighter in body than many of the style.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7.2%
Passion Berry Cider by Sociable Cider Werks
Yet another passion fruit entry. This was light, refreshing and fruity. There’s also a little hop bitterness, which balances things out nicely.
No ABV provided
MANCINI’S AL FRESCO
North side of Carnes Avenue between Nelson and Underwood streets
Celegrapetion Ale by Bent Brewstillery
We all love Mancini’s but this was a swing and a huge miss — probably our least favorite beer of the day. Here are some quotes from my notebook:
“Nope. Nope. Nope.”
“Musty. Too sweet.”
“That’s a bad funk. Eww.”
We did get some garlic toast here, which was the perfect carb-laden snack for beer drinking, and sort of made up for the bad beer.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.5%
O’GARA’S AT THE FAIR
Southwest corner of Dan Patch Avenue and Cosgrove Street
Homegrown Haze Hazy IPA by Lakes and Legends Brewing Co.
This is an IPA, and it is hazy. If you like that, you’ll like this. We did, except for the 21-year-old, who made a face and pushed away his Dixie cup.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.5%
Strawberry Cream Ale by Castle Danger Brewing
I know Castle Danger’s cream ale has many fans, but I’m not one of them. However, I think the strawberry infusion actually helped hide the grainy flavor I dislike. The 21-year-old loved it, of course.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.5%
SCHELL’S PAVILION
South of the Schell’s Stage at Schilling Amphitheater
Schandy
If you like Leine’s Summer Shandy, you’ll like this. We do not and did not.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 3.7%
SHANGHAIED HENRI’S
International Bazaar
Beach Cruiser Hard Cider by Sociable Cider Werks
Sociable makes some of my favorite ciders, and this one was no exception. Loads of passion fruit flavor. We couldn’t pick up the advertised pineapple or guava, but we still loved it.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.4%
Berry Bazaar Kölsch-Style Ale by Summit Brewing Co.
The best thing we could say about this mild beer was, “I don’t hate it.” A good day-drinking beer and if you like berries, you’ll like this.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.8%
Buzzin Moscow Mule Slushie
Ginger, lime and bitters could all be detected in this refreshing slushie. It would be great on a really hot day. The 21-year-old was a fan.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5.9%
Guava Have It Hard Seltzer by Sociable Cider Werks
I’m pretty over hard seltzer, but this might be the exception. Lots of guava flavor, very refreshing.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.5%
WARNER COLISEUM
At Aldo’s, Sabino’s, Swine & Spuds and Snack House, located in the Warner Coliseum
Key Lime Hypezig by Lupulin Brewing Co.
A friend who makes it a point to try every beer every year said this was her least favorite of the bunch. I actually didn’t mind it, even though I generally despise vanilla as a beer ingredient and hate sweet stuff on the rim (in this case, graham cracker crumbs). Blessedly, I did not pick up any coriander flavor.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 5%
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