The Mash-Up: Hullabaloo, Festival of Oak, and Fresh Hop Fest bring the beer

With well over 100 breweries now pouring their beer in Minnesota, there’s always something new to try. To keep you up-to-date, we present The Mash-Up—our weekly rundown of new beers and seasonal releases in Minnesota from your favorite local and national breweries. Visit growlermag.com every Friday for the latest or sign up for a weekly email.

The changing of the seasons always brings a wealth of beer activity. This weekend is no different. Indeed celebrates Hullabaloo 2017 with live music in the parking lot all weekend, 21 special casks, and the return of Rum King. In south Minneapolis, Wild Mind celebrates their second Festival of Oak, dedicated to their coolship beers, and in Lino Lakes, HammerHeart will bow to the Dark Gourd with two bottle releases. Town Hall Lanes hosts their annual Fresh Hop Festival.

In non-local beers, Lagunitas and Lakefront have a bevvy of new beers hitting area stores this season, and Odell has a limited run of a whiskey barrel–aged version of Lugene Milk Stout.

There are a lot of new fall seasonals hitting the market. What are some of your favorites?

New beers available this week (October 9–October 15)

12welve Eyes Brewing

• Cwambewwy – A new kettle sour.

Alloy Brewing

• Brimley Stout – This oatmeal stout was tapped last weekend.

Bad Weather Brewing Company

• Weizenbock – From the brewery: “A dunkelweizen brewed to Bock strength. Rich, bready malt accompanied with plum, raisin, clove, and light banana aromas. Flavors of toasted marshmallow, bread, banana, clove, and rich malt. Full bodied with a light and pleasant alcohol warming. Pours a hazy dark amber with a mousse like tan head.” On tap now at the taproom.

Barrel Theory Beer Company

• Raspberry Lemonade Berliner

Brewery Ommegang

Ommegang is celebrating their 20th anniversary with a special ale and a special sampler with new twists on old favorites.

• 20th Anniversary Ale – This Belgian-style dark ale spent more than five months in bourbon barrels. “Anniversary Ale pours a deep mahogany color with a thick tan head. Aromas of oak and bourbon upfront give way to subtler notes of toffee, caramel, and chocolate. The flavor is mildly sweet, with notes of caramel and molasses mingling with hints of bourbon and oak,” the brewery says.

The sampler pack includes:

• Bourbon Barrel–Aged Abbey Ale
• Bourbon Barrel–Aged Three Philosophers
• Ginnepin Saison – Brewed with juniper berries

Dangerous Man Brewing Co.

• Oatmeal IPA – Now available, the brewery describes this as “Smooth body with suppressed yet noticeable hop bitterness. Citrus and nectarine notes round out this softer, obscenely drinkable IPA.” 7.4% ABV, 70 IBU.

Disgruntled Brewing

• Double Juicy – Juicylicious IPA, doubled.

Flat Earth Brewing Company

• Barrel Aged Winter Warlock – Flat Earth’s golden barleywine, aged in J. Carver gin barrels. Bottles are available in limited supply.
• Dubbel Agent – A Belgian Dubbel.

Lagunitas Brewing

• NightTime – A highly roasted ale, “then bitterly balanced with fistfuls of the dankest hops,” says Lagunitas.

Lakefront Brewery

• My Turn: Michael – A stout with spiced black tea. It’s described as chocolately and full-bodied, with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and pepper flavors. 8.0% ABV, 21 IBU.

Left Hand Brewing Co.

• Wake Up Dead Nitro – A Russian Imperial Stout with cocoa, dried fruit and licorice notes. Available from October to December.

Loony’s Brew

• Black Swan – Here’s a chocolate coffee stout with oat flakes added. 5.0% ABV, 42 IBU.

Lupine Brewing Company

• Collective Buzz – Lupine has teamed up with Hive Apparel and Keegan’s Apiary Sweet Bee Honey for a new lager. Bottles were released on Wednesday.

LynLake Brewery

• Sirius
• The Bachelor

Oliphant Brewing

• Also Bort – A Belgian tripel at 9.2% ABV.

Shakopee Brewhall

• Zephyr – A grisette beer, courtesy of Shakopee’s newest brewery.
• Hopped for Mama

Surly Brewing Co.

• Pils #10 – This non traditional pils is is gluten-reduced, dry-hopped, crisp and bitter.

Tin Whiskers Brewing

• Volt Elderflower Rhubarb Wheat – Out on October 12, this beer returns after premiering in the June Brew-Off with Urban Growler. It’s a wheat ale brewed with oats, elderflower, rhubarb, and minimal hops. It has, the brewery says, “A smooth, slightly dry, and mildly tart flavor.”

Wild Mind Artisan Ales

• Bramble Spontané – One of two announced beers available at Festival of Oak on October 14. This coolship beer was fermented on blackberries, cherries, and boysenberries and refermented in the bottle. “The 100-percent spontaneously fermented wild ale has notes of dark currants and fresh berries with a strong base of barnyard funk,” Wild Mind says. Bottles will also be available.
• Spontané – “A year-old blend of spontaneously fermented wild ale that was inoculated overnight in our custom-made coolship. We then refermented in the bottle, resulting in a complex, truly wild ale with notes of stone fruit, honey, and loads of barnyard funk.”
• Fresh Hop Coolship – Available for Festival of Oak this weekend, with bottles coming in late October.
• Vitesse: Blackberry – “This mixed fermentation sour went on tap last Friday.
• West Coast Vibes – “We brewed a West Coast inspired IPA hopped aggressively with Simcoe hops and fermented with our house yeast,” the brewery says.
• DDH West Coast Vibes – Dry-hopped a second time with simcoe hops.

Seasonal or rotating returns

12welve Eyes Brewing

• Lowertown IPA – Back on tap since October 6. 

August Schell Brewing Company

• Electrik Empress –  A new Noble Star release, aged on 6,600 pounds of plums, now available in bottles.

Bad Weather Brewing Company

• Scarecrow’s Friend – Back on tap for Friday the 13th. The brewery call it an “Imperial Harvest Cream Ale because its is packed with pumpkin, maize, wild rice, ginger and cinnamon.”

Badger Hill Brewing Company

• Oktoberfest – A märzen-style beer now on tap. Badger Hill celebrates Shaktoberfest this weekend at the brewery.

Bald Man Brewing Co.

• Calibration Day Session IPA – Returned to the Eagan taproom on October 12.

Beaver Island Brewing Co.

• Tip Up – A winter ale, available now.

BlackStack Brewing

• Local 755 – The hazy New England–style IPA is back on tap.

Castle Danger Brewery

• Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA – Now available on tap and in 16-ounce cans.

Cosmos Brewing

Cosmos has three new beers available in cans.

• Buzzed Aldrin – A cappuccino golden ale. 7.0% ABV, 20 IBU.
• Martian Rambler – This American amber/red is 6.0% ABV, 20 IBU and uses only US-grown ingredients.
• Planet XPA – A Citra pale ale. “Balanced malt character and a floral citrus aroma. Oats provide a frothy head and full mouthfeel,” the brewery says.

Excelsior Brewing Company

• Scofflaw Russian Imperial Stout – Available now in the taproom, this big beer features notes of dark fruit, plums, and roasted nuts, according to the brewery’s website. 10.6% ABV, 75 IBU.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

• Funkelweizen – “A dunkelweizen (dark wheat beer) gone funky. Flavors of sour cherry, wheat, and oak. The original kettle soured version of this beer was the first sour beer Fair State ever made. We’ve resurrected it in 100 percent barrel-fermented, mixed culture format,” Fair State says. 4.4 % ABV, 10 IBU. On tap and in 750-milliliter bottles as of Thursday.

HammerHeart Brewing Company

• Hail to the Dark Gourd – The annual fall release from HammerHeart comes out on October 14. “This year’s edition is a smokey (sic) doppelbock that really allows the pumpkin flavor to shine. The flavor is rounded out with some cinnamon and vanilla.” It will be available on tap and in bottles.
• Flaming Longship – The Scottish ale returns in bottles at Dark Gourd Night.
• Barrel-Aged Gorm the Old – A bourbon barrel–aged mesquite-smoked old ale that will be available on Saturday.

Inbound BrewCo

• Cascadian Double Dark Ale – German and chocolate malt plus a mix of Chinook, Cascade, and Centennial hops round out this fall beer. 8.5% ABV, 100 IBU.

Indeed Brewing Company

• Cask Wall – One feature at this year’s Hullabaloo party at Indeed (October 14–15) is the cask wall, featuring 21 special infusion offerings.
• Fresh Hop Ale – This ale debuted this week. Indeed describes it as “bright, resinous, and bursting with fresh blueberry and tropical fruit aromas.”
• Rum King Imperial Stout – The rum barrel aged local favorite returns for Hullabaloo 2016. Cans release next week.
• Stir Crazy Porter – Indeed’s winter warmer is described as having “satisfying notes of roasted malt, chocolate, and caramel.” This year’s version uses the experimental HBC 472 for notes of coconut and bourbon oak.
  

Lagunitas Brewing

• Brown Shugga – A brewery favorite returns for the season in six-pack cans and on tap.

Lakes & Legends Brewing

• Minneapple Ale – This beer highlights local ingredients. Made in partnership with The Minneapple Pie Company, it uses apple pie spices and pours at 4.9% ABV.

Lift Bridge Brewing Company

• Pro-Am Beer – A doppelbock, available now at the Stillwater taproom.

Odell Brewing

• Whiskey Barrel Aged Lugene – A chocolate milk stout named in honor of a dairy farmer who collects Odell’s spent grains. This single run of the occasional beer, “is an imperial stout brewed with dark chocolate and lactose, then aged for six months in rye whiskey barrels, resulting in a rich, chewy stout with hints of molasses, vanilla, and oak,” the brewery says. 10.5% ABV.

Oliphant Brewing

• Blizzard of ’91 – A pecan and pumpkin ale for the fall. 4.1% ABV.

Portage Brewing Company

• Coppersquash – This autumn ale made with organic butternut squash, Colombian Kaffe Havn Coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, clove, and vanilla was tapped at the  taproom in Walker, Minnesota, on Monday.

Surly Brewing Co.

• Damien – “On the high end of a small beer, this black ale comes from the second runnings of Darkness, our Russian imperial stout,” says Surly. Out now. Darkness Day is October 21.

Sisyphus Brewing

• Mashtadon – A seasonal barleywine. 11.3% ABV, 60 IBU.

Town Hall Brewery

Town Hall is in the fall spirit with several new releases as they prepare for Fresh Hop Fest & Fall Beer Showcase 2017 this Saturday at Town Hall Lanes.

• Crimson Oat – Released on October 6, this oatmeal amber ale has notes of toasted bread, caramel, fruit, and dark berries along with a pronounced harvest grain finish.
• Fresh Hop 100 – It’s year 12 for this fresh hop favorite. This year’s uses ingredients from Yakima Valley, Washington, and will be one of many fresh hop and fall beers featured at Fresh Hop Fest at Town Hall Lanes. “It offers a round sweet malt with prominent agriculture green happens, accented by citrus and husky blueberry notes,” according to the brewery.
• Keller Lager – “A hearty unfiltered naturally-aged German-style lager that is very smooth with round ready pilsner malt tones and honey-like finish.”
• Oktoberfest Lager – “Classic German festival-style märzen lager that has an unexpected cotton candy finish.”
• Petunia’s Pumpkin Ale – A pumpkin ale with nutty and pie characteristics.

Beers just announced

Bad Weather Brewing Company

• Ominous – Bad Weather’s fall release, a double brown ale, returns soon.

Cosmos Brewing

Cosmos lists a few upcoming projects that will later appear in bomber bottles.

• 3D Lager – An IPL using proprietary hops. “Maize provides well rounded smoothness and levels out the higher ABV and IBUs. Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo hops,” says the brewery. 6.5% ABV, 60 IBU.
• Apollo Smash – A SMaSH India session ale using golden promise malt and Apollo hop. 5.2% ABV, 75 IBU.
• Light Source Lager – “A light lager infused with ginger. Rice makes the body light and crisp and also makes this beer gluten reduced. Sorachi Ace hops provide mild lemon and citrus notes,” according to the brewery website. 5.0% ABV, 22 IBU.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

• Giantsbane Double American Stout – Coming to the taproom on October 19, this black and roasty stout will enter the can market on the week of October 23. 8.0% ABV, 50 IBU.

Fulton Brewing

• Specter – A New England–style beer formerly known as Grog. Brewed in honor of former employee Greg Sincheff, Specter will be available in 16-ounce cans and on draft for a limited time, starting next Monday.

Giesenbräu Bier Co.

This new brewery and biergarten opens its doors in New Prague on October 21 with seven beers on tap:

• Festbier
• Giesenweiss Hefeweizen
• Spaceballs the Milk Stout
• 31 Hour Pale Ale
• Bavarian Gangsta IPA
• Frickin Scruggly IPA
• Imperial Porter

Hayes’ Public House

• Báirín Breac – The annual Halloween Celtic Dark Ale returns to Hayes’ on October 28.

Insight Brewing

• Gravity Well – Insight will celebrate three years in business with this bottle release on November 18.

Lagunitas

• Born Yesterday – “A Newer New Dogtown Pale with a fresh addition,” Lagunitas says. The new pale ale uses wet Yakima Valley hops.
• Eroica – A funkified Flemish Farmhouse ale, aged in red wine oak barrels with Brettanomyces yeast.

Lakefront Brewery

• Brandy Barrel Aged Winter Spiced Lager – A winter warmer to debut in the first week of November. 13.9% ABV, 19 IBU.
• Mangy Rabbit Double IPA – This DIPA uses Azacca, Comet, and El Dorado hops. 8.8% ABV, out in early November.
• S/HOP Denali – Part of Lakefront’s single hop series, this IPA has strong citrus and tropical fruit flavors. 7.0% ABV, 55 IBU.
• Warm Front EPA – An extra pale ale brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops. Out in early November. 5.4% ABV, 34 IBU.

Modist Brewing Co.

• Lord Humungus – Another October 28 release, this unique Imperial Rye Stout is made from over 53 percent malted rye, chocolate rye, and caramel rye. Says Modist: “Lord Humungus 2017 is 11.8% ABV, thicker than 40 weight motor oil, darker than a tire fire, and dominated by flavors of caramelized rye and dark chocolate. Very limited quantity available.”

Portage Brewing Company

• Schwarzbier – Coming soon, according to the brewery website.

Summit Brewing Co.

• High Sticke Alt – A German-style malty ale will debut this fall inside the Summit Penalty Box variety pack. 7.5% ABV, 55 IBU.

Surly Brewing Co.

• Damien teabagged with Simcoe – This special release is in the Beer Hall only on Tuesday, October 17.

Three Twenty Brewing Co.

• Pumpkin Ale

Wild Mind Artisan Ales

• A new cider was poured into red wine barrels to spontaneously ferment this week.

Did we miss a beer release or announcement? Email us at [email protected] to let us know about new beers from this week and beyond. Or let us know what new beer you’re enjoying by using #TheMashUp on Twitter and Instagram.