Thanks to some luck, we were able to attend a special tasting for St. Paul's Summit Brewing's special beer that will be released for this year's Minnesota State Fair, called Helles Yeah You Betcha. The gathering was in their training. It was a small event, attended by a small gathering of Summit employees and contest winners, and people from the state fair as well.
Upon entering the event, we were offered to try some of Summit's other beers, before we were allowed to start sampling the new beer. And, of course, we obliged. We'd be dumb to turn down free beer. We were impressed by the other beers we drank, including the Okotberfest, which we usually don't drink this early.
Helles Yeah You Betcha-4.5% ABV, 25 IBU
The Helles Yeah is a dry, hoppy, hazy lager (hoppy by lager terms, which is usually no more than 30 IBV in most cases). It also had flavors of tangerine and blood orange. While a lot of breweries like to brew a special, fancy beer for the fair, Summit basically used the KISS method for this year's beer (Keep it simple, stupid).
The Verdict: The Helles Yeah You Betcha is very refreshing, easy to drink, and perfect for a hot Minnesota fair day. And considering a lot of days at the fair are hot, this is the perfect beer for it. If you plan to go to the Minnesota State Fair, swing by Summit's Beer on a Stick stand in the International Bazaar, and also at Shanghaied Henri's. You will not be disappointed.