The best new beers, slushies and boozy drinks to try at the State Fair

The Minnesota State Fair has come a long way since its 3.2% beer days. And we went a long way this year to try to sample the offerings.

In the quarter-century since stronger beer and wine was legalized at the fair — distilled spirits like whiskey and tequila still aren’t allowed — the variety of adult beverages available on the fairgrounds has grown from standard Minnesota brews like Summit EPA to a wide array of beers, ciders, slushies, seltzers and, in very recent years, faux cocktail beverages.

Things went bonkers this year. There were 63 new alcoholic beverages added to the menu among the specialty brews available only at the fair. So your hardworking team at the Star Tribune thought it was time to treat new drinks the way we do new foods and give you suggestions.

Did we try all the new brews on opening day? Yeah, right. You wouldn’t be reading this right now if we did. We selectively sampled a lot, though.

Here’s a rundown of highly recommended standouts, other solid picks and a few we recommend avoiding.

Strawberry Guava Miraculum IPA (from Pryes Brewing): Pryes has long had a knack for infusing its core beers with fruit, and this is one of the Minneapolis brewery’s best blends yet. The guava gives a little sourness to offset the strawberry sweetness, with what’s still a top-notch IPA as its base. Is all that sweet and sour and hoppy flavor too much? Not at the fair. Available at: O’Gara’s

Mustard Stain IPA (Spiral Brewery): No, really, hear this one out. The mustard flavor comes from seeds, not artificial flavoring, and it brings a different kind of spice that obviously lends itself well to some of the fair’s core foods. If these Hastings-based beermakers wanted to slap a dog or brat on the rim as a garnish, we would not complain. At Warner Coliseum

Touchy Peely (Dual Citizen Brewing): It’s surprising there aren’t more kölsch-style beers available at the fair, given how light and summery they are. This one should set a high bar for more being added, with a lemony tartness sharp enough to pucker your lips but a super-refreshing flavor that goes down easy. At LuLu’s Public House

Sour Batch Fizz (August Schell Brewing): Who knew Germans were into fruity sour beers? And why did it take the Germanic family behind Minnesota’s oldest brewery so long to introduce this fun concoction from the old world? It’s basically a light and more carbonated sour topped off with a choice of three pumped-in flavors. We chose raspberry and don’t think we did wrong. Another great one for whenever it gets hot. At LuLu’s Public House

Chelsey’s Southern Sipper (Lift Bridge): This tasty version of a hard tea could be more of a “guzzler” than a “sipper” as it’s so refreshing and smooth even at 5% alcohol by volume. The bourbon in it isn’t real, but the smoky yet sweet Southern flavor from the Stillwater brewery is. Especially made for hot days. At RC’s BBQ

Barn Storm (Pryes): Where most spicy beers try too hard to wow you with heat, this light, tropical sour ale offers a really subtle dash of jalapeño that comes on just strong enough to offset the sourness. It may be the lightest and most drinkable sour at the fair. At the Blue Barn

“The Lingonburg” Lingonberry Radler (Excelsior Brewing): Too bad this tart shandy isn’t served at the same stand as the new Swedish meatball smorgas, because they’d make a perfect pair. The lingonberry flavor is just strong enough to lend it a pink hue and light sweetness. At the Hangar

Tropical Fruit Smoothy IPA (Pryes): The passion-fruit-y flavor comes on big but so do the Strata hops in this very hardy but still smooth ale, which has a light pink tint but is not light in the alcohol department, at 7.1% ABV. At Andy’s Grille

Prickly Pear Passion Fruit Cider (Wild State): This pink brew from Duluth’s rising cidery looks like a big glass of rosé, but it has a tartness that’s unmistakably cider, in a good way. It’s less sweet than many cactus-fruited beers, too. At O’Gara’s

Purple Maize (Summit): This is taking the craft beer trend toward Mexican lagers to a new height. Instead of the usual lime twist, the lager is infused with purple corn, lending it a tortilla-chip-like crispness that’s highly drinkable. And extra kudos to St. Paul’s Summit’s stand for being one of the few offering sampling flights (sold as “beer-on-a-stick”). At Shanghai Henri’s, International Bazaar

Hazy Days IPA (Surly): Officially a new beer exclusive to the fair, this one tastes a lot like other tangy, hazy IPAs we’ve had from the Minneapolis brewery. Not complaining. Pretty basic, and basically just a great beer. At LuLu’s

Sweet Clementine Beer (Third Street Brewhouse): This light lager from the Cold Spring brewery goes all-in on the sweetness, and even comes with a Sour Patch kind of peach candy adornment on the rim. But the orange flavor pops, too, and combined, it winds up being kind of gummy-beary addictive. At Giggle’s Campfire Grill

Cinnamon Lemoncello Cake’d Up (Mankato Brewery): A dessert beer that’s not too heavy, it’s reminiscent of a good sponge cake and hits you evenhandedly with both the cinnamon and the lemon. At the Hangar

Blueberry Pancake Lager (Third Street): This one might truly take the cake among the many blueberry-infused beverages at the fair. The pancake flavor is legit, with a bready and maple-y base well balanced with the blueberry brightness. At Café Caribe

Sparkling Pearsecco (Loon Juice Cider, Spring Valley): Don’t be fooled into thinking this will pass for actual prosecco (Italian sparkling wine), but as ciders go it’s ultrabright and crisp, and the added pear flavor is, ahem, well paired. At Mancini’s

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble (Sociable Cider Werks): Not as sweet as it sounds, this pink cider has a tinge of molasses and breadiness that nicely complements the strong fruit flavors, including a fresh apple base in addition to the strawberries. At Lulu’s

These more oddball options were fun to try, and might be for you, too. But we won’t be trying them again.

Chocobananas Wheat Ale (Freehouse, Minneapolis): There’s just too much going on in this dessert-style beer, and the dominant flavor of banana tasted a little too artificial. At Blue Barn

Purple Reign IPA (Bent Brewstillery, Roseville): If IPAs available at the fair were Prince albums, this dry-hopped cold IPA would rank along the lines of “Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic.” The unspecified fruitiness — “purple?” — tasted a tad abrasive. At Dino’s Gyros

Tutti Frutti Bubblegum Hard Slushy (Lift Bridge): It looks cute, like a bright pink Icee served with a gumball on top. But it tasted like a beer mug’s worth of Pepto Bismol. At Andy’s Grille

S’more Than a Feeling Slushie (Urban Growler, St. Paul): An already-sugary seltzer-based slushie topped by a marshmallow, graham crackers and chocolate syrup, it’s a genuine mess. At Warner Coliseum