The Mash-Up: Coffee beers and winter warmers mark the end of Daylight Saving Time

With over 175 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.

If the 5pm sunset rudely brought on by the end of Daylight Saving Time has made it hard to stay awake, several breweries are doing their best to help. Coffee beers are especially popular this week, though other malty seasonal offerings are also on tap. Summit Winter Ale makes its return, as does Lift Bridge’s The Commander.

In celebratory news, Number 12 Cider is celebrating its first anniversary this weekend, and several breweries are looking ahead to the winter holidays and New Year’s.

 

 

Each week, The Growler’s editorial team highlights five of the most tantalizing new beers hitting taps and store shelves that we’re most excited to try.

Bent Paddle Double Shot Double Black

This popular robust version of Black Ale releases at a special Double Shot Black-Tie Affair in Duluth on Saturday for ticketed guests. It hits liquor stores next Monday, November 11. The beer itself is malt-forward with smooth chocolate and roast flavors, coffee-derived vanilla bean notes, plus oak and whiskey character from barrel-aging. 11.2% ABV.

Number 12 Cider MN Ice

Number 12 Cider is celebrating its one-year anniversary of the North Loop cider house with a party on Saturday, November 9, where it will debut MN Ice Cider “which uses a special technique that results in a dessert-like, high-alcohol cider,” says Number 12.

Lift Bridge Commander 25

This extremely limited batch of The Commander barleywine was aged in a 25-year bourbon barrel. Only 100 bottles are available (this Saturday).

Lupulin Sophistry 04

A new 7.5% ABV IPA in the ongoing Sophistry series. “A big chewy malt base heavy in oats gives way to a massive hit of tropical and citrus hops. With more hops than we’ve ever put in our whirlpool and finished with a massive dry-hop of Citra and Sabro, along with a cool new hop blend from New Zealand called Motu,” says the brewery.

Little Thistle Brewery Jagged Little Pils

Brewed in collaboration with Fair State, this Pilsner is made with all UK ingredients and is described as clean and crisp with “a little fruit bitterness.” 5.1% ABV, 30 IBU

 

New beers available this week (November 4–November 10) 

22 Northmen Brewing Co.

• Bohemian Pilsner – A newly tapped Pilsner with a blend of complex German malt and spicy hop character. 5.4% ABV.
• Abbey Smasher – This is a 9.1% ABV Belgian triple infused with apricots.

Avery Brewing Co.

• Old Grumbler – No. 55 in the Barrel-Aged Series, this is a blend of 12-month and 24-month rum barrel-aged imperial ales.

Back Channel Brewing Co.

• The Big Ticket – a New England-style triple IPA made with a heavy dose of Strata hops, plus Vic Secret and Sabro. 10.0% ABV, 90 IBU.
• The Skip – A feathery hazy IPA with notes of peach, clementine, mango, strawberry, and starfruit. 6.75% ABV, 57 IBU.

Bad Weather Brewing Company

• Hitched – A white ale with added grapefruit, tapped at the brewery last week.
• Syzygy – A schwarzbier that tapped at the brewery last week with chocolate, coffee, and floral hops flavors.

Beaver Island Brewing Co.

• Tip Up – A winter ale brewed with smoked malt, Minnesota-grown hops, and Minnesota spruce tips. 7.5% ABV, 34 IBU.

Bell’s Brewery

• Christmas Ale – A Scotch ale for the winter season, 7.4% ABV.

Bent Paddle Brewing Co.

• Double Shot Double Black – Top Flight selection.

BlackStack Brewing

• Promise Ring – In stores as of Wednesday, this is a double dry-hopped double IPA brewed in collaboration with Junkyard. Made with Strata, Dr. Rudi, and Sabro Cryo hops, the beer pours at 8.6% ABV and has white gummy bear-like flavors, the brewery says.

Castle Danger Brewery

• Belgian Abbey – Available tonight, Belgian Abbey is the final Taproom Series release from Castle Danger in 2019.

Chapel Brewing

• Quad – “Brewed exclusively with European malts, yeast, and featuring the addition of dark candi sugar syrup. It is rated at a minimum of 5 years storage in 750-milliliter glass, as is offered in 750-milliliter Crowler and on draft in the taproom,” the brewery says. 11.2% ABV.

Disgruntled Brewing

• La Catrina – A barrel-aged gose with mango, sea salt, and lime. Available in bottles as of last Saturday, November 2.

Earth Rider Brewery

• Cloud Top – A hazy IPA with orange, pineapple, and mango flavors. Available today.
• Valhalla Ale – A Scotch ale with caramel and dark fruit flavors, available in the taproom and also in cans.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative

• FSB Pt. 2 – FSB imperial stout this year is a three-part series of pastry stouts, each brewed in collaboration with Humble Forager. The second installment will be a salted caramel pastry stout with vanilla, tapping at the brewery on November 14.
• Party Forward – Two variants of this new beer tapped at the brewery yesterday: one using traditional hop pellets and the other featuring Cryo pellets.

Falling Knife Brewing Co.

• Neon Midnight – This IPL was brewed with 100% Simcoe hops and carries dank and clementine characteristics along with a clean lager body.

Fergus Brewing Co.

• Leisure Suit – Tapped last week for Dia De Los Muertos

Firestone Walker Brewing Company

• Anniversary Ale XXIII – A blend of Stickee Monkee (28%), Parabola (28%), Bravo (20%), Bourbon Barrel Helldorado (15%), Velvet Merkin (9%), and Tequila Barrel Helldorado (11.9%), available in liquor stores now.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.

• Blackout Stout Imperial Stout

HeadFlyer Brewing

• Baby Got Peach – “Sweet peach flavor balances the tart finish of this super bright sour,” HeadFlyer says of this 5.2% ABV new release in theCrushable Kettle Sour series.

Hop & Barrel Brewing Co.

• Big Mik’s Coffee Stout – “This [milk] stout has a huge coffee aroma and follows up with a sweet caramel and subtly roasty flavor with plenty of coffee flavors throughout,” the brewery says.
• Dirty Scowl – A black IPA with bitter hop aromatics and a roasted malt base, 7.5% ABV.

Junkyard Brewing Co.

• Luxardo Cherry – Aged in Willett barrels, this is an imperial stout that is available in Crowlers this weekend.
• Toad Warrior – A Citra and Galaxy-hopped West Coast-style IPA.

Lakes & Legends Brewing Company

• Brune – A brown ale brewed with Belgian candi syrup that carries toasty, caramel, marshmallow, and bread-like flavors. “The candi syrup has been heated and caramelized to the point of turning black and is used to add a touch of color, add booze and lighten the body of the beer,” the brewery explains. 6.6% ABV.
• Pale Ale – A new pale ale from the brewery, described as “a great balance of sweetness and bitterness. This beer starts with a delightful orange fruity taste followed by a touch of tartness and ends with a nice bitter note.”

Left Hand Brewing Company

• Waked Up Dead – A 10.2% ABV Russian imperial stout.

Lift Bridge Brewing Company

• The Commander – This annual English-style barleywine returns on Saturday, November 9, with Lift Bridge throwing a bottle release party from 3pm–10pm. Aged in bourbon barrels, The Commander presents a complex malt bill with subtle and sweet cardamom.
• The Commander 25 – Top Flight selection.

Little Thistle Brewery

• Jagged Little Pils – Top Flight selection.

Lupulin Brewing Company

• Coconut Session IPA – 4.5% ABV, 20 IBU
• Helles – A 4.8% ABV Bavarian-style helles lager.
• Sophistry 04  – Top Flight selection.

Number 12 Cider

Number 12 Cider is celebrating its one-year anniversary of the North Loop cider house with a party on Saturday, November 9, where it will debut two new “fire and ice” ciders:

• MN Ice – Top Flight selection.
• Toddy – A hot cider cocktail made with 12’s Black Market cider.

Pryes Brewing Company

• Blood Orange Miraculum – Pryes’ flagship Miraculum IPA, with a subtle addition of blood orange, is now available in 16-ounce cans at area liquor stores.

Rogue Ales & Spirits

• Cherry Choctabulous – A rich milk stout that “drinks like a cherry cordial in a bottle,” Rogue says. 8.4% ABV and available in 22-ounce bottles.
• Double Time Cherry Lime – This tart imperial Berliner weisse has cherry and lime juice, using a sour base to balance tart and sweet cherry notes and citrus lime. 9.1% ABV.

Summit Brewing Company

• Cabin Crusher Kölsch with Meyer Lemon  – A pilot batch of this beer debuted at the Ratskeller on Thursday.
• Cranky Woodsman – Available at the Ratskeller taproom now.
• Winter Ale – In sync with the chilly morning and slippery commute, Winter Ale is back.

Talking Waters Brewing Co.

• White Noise – A 7.1% ABV New England-style IPA with flavors of citrus, pineapple and mango derived from the use of Citra, Sultana and El Dorado hops.

The Lab

• Oatmeal Stout 0101 – A dark brown stout with roasty, dry malt on the nose followed by a light body with coffee flavors and mild bitterness that segues to a touch of sweetness at the end. 5.2% ABV, 29 IBU.

Tin Whiskers Brewing

• Coffee Parsec Porter – Available on nitro at the brewery.

Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.

• Stout Hawks – A collaborative stout aged on coffee beans, vanilla beans, and roasted pecans for notes of milk chocolate, maple glaze, and caramel, the brewery says. Bottles will be sold at the Decorah brewery on Saturday, November 9.

Town Hall Brewery

• Belgian Crush – A 10% ABV Belgian golden ale with spicy flavors of plum, pear, banana, sweet bread, and caramel.

Urban Growler Brewing Company

• Endicott Double IPA – “There’s nothing subtle about this beer. The aroma of apricot, passion fruit, and citrus give only a hint of what’s to come,” the brewery says. 8.4% ABV, 70 IBU.
• Pumpkin Saison – The latest Plow to Pint series release uses locally sourced fresh pumpkins to complement Belgian yeast and holiday spices.

Wooden Hill Brewing Company

• Project Simcoe – A session IPA that is 100% hopped with Simcoe hops. 4.7% ABV.

 

Beers just announced

Able Seedhouse + Brewery

• Oh Baby – A new stout that begins with a rich and sweet base, with oats and lactose for a smooth texture. “Berry notes from the Glacier hops are slight, and compliment the beer’s sweet, dessert-like ingredients,” head brewer Bobby Blasey says, along with notes of cherry, cacao nibs, and vanilla. 8.2% ABV, 8 IBU. In the taproom on November 15 and coming to liquor stores and bars on November 18.

Bell’s Brewery

• This One Goes To 11…Ale – A double dry-hopped imperial red. Making its first appearance in bottles since 2012.
• Bright White – A rebrand of Winter White Belgian-inspired wheat ale. It pours at 5% and will be available later this month, lasting into March.

Forgotten Star Brewing Co.

A new brewery opens in Fridley next week on November 16. Beers will include:

• Big Stick IPA
• Boiler Room Porter
• Liquid Sunshine Belgian Blonde
• Northstar Golden Ale
• River Road Red

Founders Brewing Co.

• Imperial Stout – Returning to liquor stores and bars soon, the Grand Rapids-based brewery says.

Lift Bridge Brewing Company

• Double Barrel Gray Duck – A Baltic porter made in collaboration with Goose Island, this was aged in bourbon barrels and has sweet toffee and caramel, plus hints of cherry, vanilla, and smoke, the brewery says. 11.5% ABV, 29 IBU. Bottles go on sale on Black Friday, November 29.

Rogue Ales & Spirits

• Santa’s Private Reserve – This unique holiday ale was made with handpicked candy cap mushrooms, which help to give the beer “a deep maple flavor and aroma,” Rogue says. The sweet malt base is complemented by Cascade hops for balance. An 8.1% ABV strong ale.

Surly Brewing Company

• 13 – A limited edition maple barrel-aged imperial stout that releases at a special ticketed December 13 party at Surly’s Brooklyn Center facility.

Wild Mind Artisan Ales

• First Press – An American wild ale made with fresh watermelon.
• Midnight Kisses – A celebratory cider ale fermented with Champagne yeast and conditioned on raspberries and rose pedals. This beer releases at the annual December 31 Réveillon party at the brewery, with each ticketed guest receiving a bottle.

Curious about recent releases? Peruse our Mash-Up archives. 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.