Seasonal Beers!!
I started in the beer business almost 30 years ago when G Heileman was number 1 in Minnesota beer sales, which included brands like Schmidt's, Blatz and don't forget Pheiffer's famous beer.
Back then you might have an Octoberfest in the fall and a Bock in the spring but that was about it for seasonal beers.
Seasonal beers many times were created out of festivals and celebrations.
Now every week a company is offering you a short term seasonal beer, this can be good for you because usually these are quick in and out products.
Lets review some of the popular seasonal you should be handling.
Summer
Summer Beers - Typically lighter bodied beers for warmer weather, citrus of fruity flavors are common. Many ales and wheat Beers.
Saisons - French for season from the French speaking regions of Belgium, typically fruity light in body somewhat hoppy and pale orange body.
Shandys or Radlers - Trypically a beer mixed with Lemonade or a form of Juice.
Popular Brands include: Summit Summer Ale, Lenie Shandy's, Widmer Hefe Shandy, Stiegl Radler, Schells Goosetown & Shocked Grapefruit, Coors light even had a summer shandy. Fall
Octoberfest - Started as a celebration Prince Ludwig ( Not Bill ) in 1810. This style also known as Marzen can be heavy on the malt side, toasty and copper color.
Pumpkin - Sometimes made with actual pumpin and sometimes just falltime spices are included. Mild to no bitterness fairly malty and very time consuming to produce.
Popular Brands include: Surly Fest, Sam Adams Octoberfest, Shipyard Pumpkin & Hacker-Pschorr Ocktoberfest. Winter
Winter Beers also known as winter warmers are sweet, dark and malty. Sometimes the may be spiced.
Stouts and rich and thick the top lof this line reffered to as Russian Imperial Stout can have caramel and coffee tones. Typically higher ABV6%, 8% even 10%
Popular Brands include: Surly Darkness, Brooklyn Winter Ale, Ommegang Abbey, Goose Island Burbon County Stout & 21st Amendment Fireside Chat. Spring
Bocks brewed in the sign of the goat, typically strong and dark from the name Einbeck shortened to "Bock"
Lambics - whole fruits added after fermentation include cherries, peaches, raspberries aqnd black currant.
Popular Brands include: Lindemans, Shiner (Although this one is year round ), Lips of faith & Schells
You may find many of these beers mention have history from German roots and festivals.
Now many Minnesota beers are following suit with their local seasonal and festivals of their own.
If you would like to learn more about seasonal beers hit up your local book store, seems like there is one being released every week. A couple I have found helpful are: The Naked Pint and Michael Jackson's Beer Companion (No, not the one from the Thriller video ). You could also look at websites like MNBeer.com. Try and capitalize on the quick turnaround. Tom Agnes
Brooklyn Center | 
