In the spirit of March Madness, Thin Man Brewery is hosting a special tournament to choose the next variant of their popular Minkey Boodle fruited sour.
Minkey Boodle clocks in at 7% and, despite being on the higher end of the ABV spectrum, it features an approachable body. It’s definitely a tart beer, but that’s something fans have loved. Tasting notes? Raspberries on raspberries. Tart raspberries with a dry finish. Drinkable and easy.
We are down to the Elite Eight. There are eight possible raspberry-led contenders left to square off in a bracket-style tournament – new polls will be published each week and the winning flavor will be brewed after the tournament ends. Stay tuned to Thin Man’s social channels for updates.
Remaining contenders include Blue Raspberry, Raspberry Vanilla, Raspberry Blackberry, Raspberry Lemon, Raspberry Peach, Raspberry Plum, Raspberry Strawberry and Raspberry Mango.
For me, I could go a few different ways. My favorite is Raspberry Plum, but Raspberry Vanilla, Raspberry Blackberry or Raspberry Peach would be fun too. If you ask Cameron Frank from Chandler Street Breweries (he’s also the brand manager for one of my favorite local beer imprints, Smoldered Society), he’d love to see Blue Raspberry or Raspberry Strawberry take home the gold. Ironically, my frontrunner (Raspberry Plum) and Cam’s frontrunner (Blue Raspberry) are doing battle in the next round. May the best Minkey win.
Minkey has long been one of Thin Man’s most beloved brews, leading some to call it Buffalo’s favorite sour throughout the years. And when you boil it down, a lot of it has to do with timing.
“I think Minkey Boodle has garnered its popularity for several reasons,” Frank explains. “Minkey Boodle came out during the peak of the craft beer boom, a time when consumers were willing and able to get their hands on the newest innovations from breweries near and far. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard bar patrons as “what is that?” when seeing it in a glass — that alone has led to countless conversions.”
You can vote for your favorites via the link in the bio on Thin Man’s social media channels.
Once thought of as just another version of a line of Thin Man fruited sours, it was clear early on that Minkey Boodle was far more special than that.
At its core, craft beer is meant to be fun and Minkey is certainly evidence of that. You don’t have to look much further than the beer name itself – taken from an old Space Ghost skit you’ve probably seen before. And if you don’t remember it – ‘I’ve got a doodle in my noodle, and it’s name is Minkey Boodle, Minkey Boodle! Minkey Boodle! I got my mojo risin,’ there’s a poodle in my strudel. Minkey Boodle! Minkey Boodle!’
“Few people are aware that Minkey Boodle is actually a reference to the old cartoon show, “Space Ghost.” The name is quirky, fun to say, and memorable by virtue of being unique,” Frank says.
I have one last thought – if we can vote on a new member of the Minkey family, can we bring back Minkey Day?
Brian Campbell is co-founder and Brand Manager of the Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at brian@buffalobeerleague.com, on X (@buffbeerleague), Instagram, Threads and Untappd (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).
