Best Beer Made in MN is?

A lot of great beers mentioned but I would like to add Summit Keller Pils to the mix.

 

Really tough tossup between Rum King and BA Sil...

For something lighter, there really is no better AAL than Hauenstein.

 

Big beer: Rum King
Pounder: Premium

 

Yeah, amazing since it is only distributed in Minnesota and Wisconsin...

 

Man, i wish Schells would brew Hopfenmalz again. I would have to put that one at the top. Such a well made beer.

 

I think for best beer in the state I would go with the Noble Star series of beers from Schell's. Sure, there are some great BA stouts, tasty IPAs, and incredibly well crafted lagers coming from a number of breweries but I think the beers Jace are making stand out because of how unique they are. You can travel just about anywhere these days and find people making great stouts, IPA, and pilsners, but I think what they are doing down in New Ulm is much more rare. So yeah, objectively best beer, hard to say, but given the degree of difficulty and availability of other styles I'm going with the entire star of the noble star series in general.

Ask me again in 10 minutes and I'd probably have a different answer.

 

Best all time for me was 2015 Darkness. I loved how hoppy that beer was. The two Disgruntled IPAs I've had had been pretty killer, but I feel I need to have more to nominate them to the vaunted heights of Statewide greats. But the the potential is there.

For best regular beer, I think Fulton 300, Summit Keller Pils, and Bent Paddle Black are tops for me.

 

Your thread title says "Best Beer Made in MN", but your question in your post is "best crafted beer in Minnesota".

I'm going with the "best crafted..." question. IOW, high example of the brewer's skill.

I would not at all claim to have tasted a broad enough sample of all the beers brewed in MN to truly answer the question, but here is my list where I have had more than one of the style.

Also, variability batch to batch from well done to less well done is a negative in my list, indicating a lack of QC. Batch variability the other direction I consider the brewer improving so the earlier inferior example is ignored.

I did not include any special one time only beers. I only included the top example of each style. This did cause some beers that are "better" in my view than some that "won" their style category to not be listed, but them's the breaks!

This list is ordered by my overall ranking.

Best ESB: Northgate Parapet ESB
Best Stout: Summit Oatmeal Stout
Best Fresh Hop: Castle Danger Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA
Best Porter: Bent Paddle Cold Press Black (so sue me.. I include it with the porters)
Best IPA: Fulton 300
Best Brown Ale: Northgate Wall's End
Best American Pale Ale: Summit Hopvale
Best Oktoberfest: Schell's Oktoberfest
Best Pilsener: Summit Keller Pils (assuming the regular is the same as the 30th)

Honorable mention goes to Best English Pale Ale: Summit EPA (only MN brewed in this style I have had, but it is one well-crafted beer).

Second honorable mention goes to Barley John's Old 8 Porter, which would have been at the top of the porters if I had not lumped Cold Press Black into the porter style (also assuming Barley John's is considered to be MN brewed...).

 

Fitger's Big Boat Oatmeal Stout was one I always looked forward to!

 

Gotta echo @Ol_Johnny_Skippelwicky - Rosie's is right at the top I think, but DSDB and BA Silhouette are very close contenders!

 

Agreed! Wish they'd dump their Bohemian Pilsner, of which I'm not a huge fan, in favor of the Keller Pils!

 

Barley John's Rosie's just won tenfold for best old ale for me. Wow! Is this ever canned?

 

With Barely John's production brewery just recently canning and releasing Dark Knight, I think there is a chance we will see Rosie's canned in the future.

I wouldn't complain if with the production brewery if they can do away with the 3 year rotation with Rosie's, Dark Knight and Dark Knight Returns.

 

I'd settle for Keller Pils as a regular addition, even if it is seasonal. I hope it won't be a box exclusive.

 

I asked about growlers and was instantly terrified about the price cans could be. $105 for a growler!! I loved it so much I was prepared to go up to $50

 

That is for 64oz, the growlette is still steap, but should be in the $30/$40 range.

 

Disgruntled Stoopid Good IPA.

 

I might have to stop by again tomorrow for one of those. All I saw was they're available on draft and in 64oz growlers, but they didn't even mention that when I asked. Thanks for the heads up!

 

They never have when I have gotten their expensive beers. I always forget and ask for a growler and they get all serious, sit me down and let me know how much it is and ask if I still want it. I then say I want the growlette and the price comes down.

 

What? How is this price determined?