With 100 breweries pouring at the St. Paul Summer Beer Fest Saturday at the State Fairgrounds, it's impossible to try them all (nope, not a challenge). Luckily, we've got the scoop on some of this year's notable beers.
Goose Island 25th Anniversary Ale: The Chicago brewery made this ESB with "rich malt and rustic hop flavors" intrinsic to the English ales that inspired its founder a quarter-century ago.
Tallgrass Brewing/Third Street Brewhouse Boyz N the Hood: In honor of the SPSBF's fifth anniversary, the Kansas and Cold Spring, Minn., breweries and festival organizers collaborated on this one-off, festival-exclusive beer billed as a double India brown ale.
Bemidji Brewing Co. Brett-Saison: The less-than-year-old brewer is bringing a saison aged for three months with Brettanomyces bruxellensis, a potently funky yeast strain. This one probably isn't for the craft-brew newbies.
Bent Paddle Brewing Co. Cold Press Black: The newly opened Duluth brewery is making its Twin Cities debut this weekend, and this coffee-infused version of its year-round black ale is a good day-starter.
Flying Dog Brewery Raging Bitch and Snake Dog casks: Hop-happy cask fiends should surely flock to this big-wig brewery's booth. The Colorado-born, Maryland-based beer-makers will have casks of their beloved Belgian-style and regular IPAs.
