top of page

Doin’ Beers: 5 Minnesota Beers to Drink in May

  • Jerard Fagerberg
  • May 17, 2023
  • 2 min read

Updated: Aug 25, 2023


Saying goodbye to Minnesota with this beer writer’s greatest hits.

Castle Cream Ale can that is gold in color

Every month, I drink a whole scad of Minnesota beers, and I share my notes here, in this funny little column that I’ve been writing, depending how you count it, for 87 months. Now, that all comes to an end.


In that epoch, thousands of Minnesota beers have been released. Breweries have opened and closed. I got married, had two kids, and, weeks ago, bought a house in Maine. And on that last point: This edition brings an end to my tenure as the writer of Local Suds, as it was known in City Pages, and now Doin’ Beers, as it lives on in Racket.


It’s been an honor—sappy shit incoming!—to write this little list every month for these last seven-odd years, and I thank the dozens of you who bothered to read it. If this column led you to even one beer you enjoyed, hallelujah. It wasn’t in vain.

For the farewell edition, I wanted to look back at my time here and highlight some of the consistently incredible beers that propelled me from month to month. In the tide of new beers coming every day, these were the beers I’ll look back on fondly from my nine-year tenure as a Minnesotan.


BlackStack Brewing Fugazi can with a glass of Fugazi behind it

BlackStack Fugazi Italian Pilsner, 4.8% ABV, n/a IBU


BlackStack is more renowned for its big, murky IPAs and cobbler-style sours, but what makes all that maximalist shit work is that fact that the St. Paul brewery knows exactly what it’s doing. If you can’t make a beer that meets table stakes, you can’t make a beer that surges across the flavor spectrum. Fugazi, a perfectly crisp and balanced pils that breaks clean as a biscuit across the palate, is the beer that proves BlackStack is among the top of the top in Minnesota.


Read the rest of the article here!

23 Comments


truth good boy persnol
truth good boy persnol
3 days ago

Muy buena plataforma para seguir los sorteos de la Lotería Dominicana Hoy. Todo está presentado de forma práctica y facilita la consulta de resultados recientes y horarios de los sorteos.

Like

Clin Eastwood
Clin Eastwood
7 days ago

Beautiful insights on prairie wildflowers and pollinators. I loved the practical plant recommendations. I also enjoy nature-inspired articles on Los Numero de Hoy. Thanks!

Like

vbb64316
Jun 15

Barrel Theory is a renowned name in St. Paul, and "Rain Drops" is one of their crowning achievements. Brewed primarily with Citra and Mosaic wacky flip hops, this beer delivers bold aromas of ripe mango, citrus, and berries.

Like

rick Rode
rick Rode
Jun 04

I also find myself thinking about how routines become anchors even when everything else is shifting. I’ve had moments where small, recurring things felt oddly significant in the middle of bigger life changes, almost like checkpoints I didn’t realize I was keeping. It even makes me think of Ragdoll Hit in a strange way—different context entirely, but there’s something about how repetitive experiences can still carry variation, surprise, and memory over time. I guess I also feel a bit of appreciation for any long-running project like this, because I know I’d probably look back and see the same mix of nostalgia and quiet closure the writer is describing.

Like

hello
Jun 03

The writer mentioning his 87-month run and the daily tide of new beers made me reflect on how curating a personal favorite list is a bit like strategizing in a puzzle game , where each choice accumulates meaning over time.

Like
bottom of page