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As the Minnesota State Fair progresses, a tasting group sampled a wide variety of the 75 new alcoholic beverages available this year, confirming that the ranch-dressing flavored beer, titled "Old Ranch Hand," wasn’t the worst of the bunch.

Day two of the Fair saw an impressive turnout, which caused some offerings to sell out quickly. The tasters managed to sample 65 different drinks, revealing a mix of flavors—many leaning towards the overly sweet and artificial.

Key Highlights from the Tasting

• Ball Park Cafe

  • Homer Black Pepper IPA: A missed opportunity for black pepper flavor, but overall pleasant with citrus notes (7% ABV).
  • Rare Candy Pink Lemonade Sour: A sour with sweet elements that confused some tasters (5% ABV).

• Shanghai Henri’s

  • Midway Sparkling Ale: Refreshing but lacking significant citrus flavor (4.9% ABV).
  • Key Lime Colada Slushie: Enjoyed by coconut lovers, it provided a refreshing taste (5.9% ABV).

• Livelihoods in the Coliseum

  • Tropical Fruit West Coast IPA: A well-balanced fruity IPA that garnered positive reviews (7% ABV).
  • Old Ranch Hand: Surprisingly better than expected, although some described it as tasting like “sour cream and onion potato chips.” This beer boasts a 5% ABV.

• The Blue Barn

  • Hugo Spritz: A hit, reminiscent of cocktails rather than a typical Fair drink (6.5% ABV).
  • Espressotini Frozen Seltzer: Very well received, likened to coffee ice cream (5% ABV).

• The Hangar

  • Lemon Agua Fresca Lager: Panned for tasting excessively sweet and reminiscent of floor cleaner (4.5% ABV).
  • Aurora Tropical Drift: Received mixed reviews due to its complicated profile (6.9% ABV).

Considering the spectrum of flavors available, the ranch beer stood out for its novelty, even if it wasn’t altogether enjoyable. With a plethora of drinks ranging from sours to slushies, this year’s beverage offerings captured almost every conceivable taste preference at the Fair.

For more insights on this year’s fair drinks, follow along for further reviews and updates.