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Reasons to Love Minnesota No. 39: Craft Beer Collabs

Me and you and you and me, so happy together

There are more than 170 breweries in the state, but the competition isn’t as cutthroat as you’d think. On the contrary, the local beer community is more of a mutual admiration society—and refreshingly collaborative.

Joint releases like Mister Falcon, a hazy double IPA from Barrel Theory and Fair State (available exclusively at Zipps Liquors), are a common sighting.⁣ Other standout mash tun sessions from the past year include Modist and Junkyard‘s Far Side-inspired stouts (one of which featured coffee beans from Wesley Andrews); a tart pink lemonade IPA from Modist and Dangerous Man; and tropical, New England-style numbers dreamt up by brewers from Fair State and Surly when they were hanging out one night at Grumpy’s Northeast.⁣

Even more heartwarming: the huge show of support for Portage Brewing Company, whose Walker tap room was destroyed by a fire in early January. To help #rebuildportage, like-minded breweries released small-batch exclusives that built upon Portage’s original recipes. First up: Modist’s Double Sun Protection Factor, a fruit punch milkshake IPA heavy on the Mosaic-Denali-Simcoe hops and heaps of mango, strawberry, pineapple, and coconut. Up next: a big ol’ pastry stout, brought to life by BlackStack and rounded out with cacao nibs, vanilla beans, Ceylon cinnamon, and ancho chilies. Skol! 🍻