Minnesota's 10 best new drinks, from ales to cocktails

Never mind true love or the sound of children's laughter. The best things in life are quaffed and 2014 was a great year for imbibing in Minnesota. Breweries multiplied like bunnies on Viagra, microdistilleries found their footing and homegrown ciders had their coming-out party.

We're not going to lie; there is a tremendous amount of mediocre beer being made in the state. But hey, it's the holidays and our glass of egg nog is half full. So, we looked back at everything we drank (or remember drinking) over the past 12 months to compile this list of Minnesota's nine best new beers, spirits and ciders (and one cocktail) of 2014.

Best new beers:

August Schell Brewing Company Black Forest Cherry

Sour beers continued to surge in 2014 and nobody in Minnesota does 'em better than Schell's. The New Ulm wort wielder's Noble Star Collection of Berliner weisses has been so puckeringly good that it's expanding its sour capacity with an off-site facility. This complex, tart cherry bomb was aged in refurbished 1930s cypress tanks and underwent a secondary fermentation with 5,000 pounds of cherries for a high-acid hit.

Bauhaus Brew Labs Wonderstuff

The Schwandt clan burst onto the scene with fancy-looking cans, slickly produced (and pretty hilarious) digital marketing videos and one of the best taprooms in town. If their beer stunk they would've looked like tools. But beer guy Matt Schwandt knows his way around a brewhouse/brew lab/whatever and refreshingly made lagers a core part of his fleet. Wonderstuff — a Czech-style pilsner with a healthy dose of citrusy hops — quickly became a go-to along northeast Minneapolis taproom tours.

Last we checked, Bent Brewstillery brass was on the fence about brewing this beer year-round (despite what its website says). We'd like to formally start the campaign now. Lip service is paid to "balanced" beers all the time. But with tight-rope mastery, brewer Kristen England melds a biscuity malt bill and a calculated hops punch in this sessionable brew, which makes "Man on Wire" look like a cheap parlor trick.

Bent Paddle 14° ESB

These Duluthian mash stars came on stronger than an arctic wind off Lake Superior when they opened last year. The North Coasters' hot streak continued early in 2014 when they launched this nutty, caramel-y extra special bitter in January. If local praise wasn't enough for the formidable brewer tandem of Bryon Tonnis and Colin Mullen, this stellar British-style ale snagged a bronze medal at the Great American Beer Festival.

Summit Southern Cape Sparkling Ale

The only thing we don't like about Summit's Union Series is that when the beers are gone, they're gone. We had a torrid summer fling with this effervescent one-off that had us cheating on Summer Ale till the leaves changed color. Now all we have are memories of the lightly toasty, low-ABV beer made with new and unique ingredients (the Union Series' M.O.) from the Southern Hemisphere.

We could easily slot high-profile collaboration Blakkr or that sweet behemoth anniversary ale Eight here. But we'll spread some love to a beer that comparatively flew under the radar. Until blackened hops-smash Blakkr returns late winter, fans will have a better shot of drinking this draft-only robust porter. Devil's Work, brewed with molasses and star anise, debuted when U.K. psych rockers Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats came to town this fall and has been a beer hall staple during Surly MSP's inaugural week.

Urban Growler CowBell Cream Ale

To some degree the cream ale is the beer world's Rodney Dangerfield. Although we live in a part of the country hooked on Spotted Cow, as a whole this distinctly American style doesn't get a ton of respect. Perhaps because it's not as in-your-face as an imperial IPA, nor as pristine as a flawless pilsner. Either way, brewer Deb Loch delivered a knock-out rendition of this gateway beer worth toasting with twice.

Best new spirit: 11 Wells Maelstrom Rum

Even though we don't make much of it and the only pirates around here run for office, Minnesota is rum country. With plenty of local craft gins and vodkas out there, St. Paul's 11 Wells set their maritime telescope on rum — and not the standard silver or spiced stuff in your rum and Coke. The distilling duo unleashed an agricole-style rum (or rhum) made from sugarcane juice instead of molasses. The resulting Maelstrom has a floral nose like a less fruity cachaça with vegetal, earthy undertones lending a Great Lake of depth.

Its publicity probably outweighed its impact, considering how little is currently being produced. However, there's no doubt Minnesota cider is on the come-up. Milk & Honey's first offering (made with apples from last year's harvest) is particularly scarce, relegated to the Town Hall locations and a few other bars. But the Cold Spring crew's fruity-but-not-sweet blend of 83 apple varieties is worth seeking out.

Best new cocktail: Pancho and Lefty at Saffron