Best Sour Beers In Minnesota

Tart, vibrant sour beers challenge the notion of what a beer can be. They can be lip-puckeringly sour or a little milder, but certainly don't look or feel anything like your average game day brew. Gaining popularity as people tire of the traditional yellow beer that often dominates beer lists in the Midwest, sours add an addicting funk and bite to the beer drinking experience. With the Minnesota craft beer boom showing no signs of slowing down, it seems like these sours, and the bars and breweries serving them up, are here to stay.

Noble Star
1860 Schell's Road
New Ulm, MN 56073
(507) 354-5528
www.schellsbrewery.com

Schell's sour beer program, which is in full swing after the New Ulm brewery purchased 11 acres near their existing headquarters to dedicated strictly to sour beers, proves old dogs can learn new tricks, at least when it comes to beer. Minnesota's oldest and largest brewery, Schell's hasn't always been on the radar for beer enthusiasts. But with the classic German brewing techniques making mouths happy across the state, it's safe to say that this is a whole new chapter in Schell's long history. Make the trek down to New Ulm to try them onsite, or look for the Black Forest Cherry (as tart as it sounds), Cypress Blanc (with more floral notes) and Apparent Horizon (lemon makes this one sour) at liquor stores across the state.

Surly Pentagram
520 Malcolm Ave. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(763) 999-4040
www.surlybrewing.com/pentagram

If you haven't been to Surly's "destination brewery" yet, and you are looking to drink of Minnesota's most unique sours, maybe it's time to do both. Equal parts dark and sour, with notes of tobacco and oak to complement the sour cherry, this is a sour unlike any other on this list. The Surly Pentagram is a seasonal offering, so you won't necessarily find it all year round, but keep an eye out for the release each year, usually in early spring, to take part in the latest batch.

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Oude Oak
www.untappd.com

Minnesota's first all-sour brewery might still be in the earliest stages of construction in Midway Township near Duluth, but their beers have already started making the rounds in Minnesota.  Look for an opening in a little more than a year, and then a taproom in South Minneapolis coming thereafter. If you don't think you can wait that long, check out Oude Oak's collaboration with Fair State Brewing. For the latest news and updates, follow brewer Levi Loesch's twitter @l_loesch1 to know when and where you'll be able to get these sours.

The Happy Gnome
498 Selby Ave.
St Paul, MN 55102
(651) 287-2018
www.thehappygnome.com

If you're looking to sample a few different sour beers, there's no place better than the local beer mecca, The Happy Gnome in St. Paul. While the list does change, there are always more than a couple of sours to try. Take a look through the easily navigable menu (look for the "Looking For Something Sour and Funky?" heading on their menu) or let the knowledgeable bartenders make a recommendation based on what you like. Right now? Try the Off Color Fierce from our neighbors in Illinois, or the Evil Twin Femme Fatale Kabosu, an IPA made with Kabosu — a Japanese citrus fruit — from Colorado.

Related: Best Beer Gardens In Minnesota

Adrian Schramm is a resident Saint Paul writer with a passion for all things local. Through his work with Saint Paul Almanac and Minneapolis Examiner at Examiner.com, as well as in the kitchens of bars and restaurants around town, he has discovered what truly makes the Twin Cities tick.