Drippin’ Review: Drastic Measures Brewing’s Blue Raspberry Fruited Sour

Small-town Minnesota breweries do not usually build a cult beer that sells out within a day of drop, but Drastic Measures Brewing in Wadena has done exactly that with Drippin’. This is a fruited sour built around blue raspberry, tangerine and marshmallow fluff, the kind of ingredient list that sounds more like a candy aisle than a beer list, and it drinks that way too: bright, sweet-tart and impossible to mistake for anything else on the shelf. I have had my share of fruited sours over the years, from raspberry-forward kettle sours to salt-and-tart gose riffs, and Drippin’ still stands out for how unapologetically candy-flavored it is while still landing as a real, drinkable beer rather than a novelty shot.

At a Glance

Who makes Drippin’, and where

Drastic Measures Brewing opened in March 2019 in downtown Wadena, Minnesota, a small town about halfway between Brainerd and Detroit Lakes on U.S. Highway 10. Founder Brett Doebbeling, previously the head brewer and co-founder of Disgruntled Brewing in nearby Perham, took over a 4,800 square foot former hardware store with his wife Ashley and built a 10-barrel brewhouse in the basement, visible from the taproom floor above. The name is a bit of an inside joke: Doebbeling has said it took him years to land on “Disgruntled” for his first project, and “Drastic Measures” is what he and Ashley joked they had taken to get the new brewery off the ground. The brewery expanded its fermentation capacity within its first year of operation and has built a loyal following across central Minnesota for fruited sours, hazy IPAs and pastry-leaning specialty releases, distributing mainly through liquor stores in and around Wadena, Brainerd and the Twin Cities.

ABV, IBU and what actually goes into it

Drippin’ comes in at 6% ABV with an IBU of 5, which tells you everything about what this beer is trying to be: bitterness is basically not part of the plan. This is a kettle sour base, soured before fermentation for a clean, direct tartness rather than the funkier, barrel-aged sourness you get from a wild ale, then loaded with blue raspberry and tangerine puree or extract plus a marshmallow fluff addition for body and sweetness. The base grain bill on a kettle sour like this is typically a simple pale malt and wheat combination, built to get out of the way of the fruit rather than compete with it, which lines up with how thin and juice-like Drippin’ drinks. Drastic Measures has not published a detailed hop bill for this one, and given the 5 IBU rating there is essentially none doing flavor work here, likely just enough for kettle balance.

Drippin’ at the taproom: how it tastes

The pour is the first thing anyone notices: Drippin’ comes out an electric, almost neon green, closer to a sports drink than anything most people picture when they hear “sour beer.” The nose is blue raspberry candy first, tart and a little floral, with the tangerine sitting underneath as a citrus counterpoint rather than the headline note. First sip confirms what the aroma promises: this is candy-forward, sweet-tart in the way a blue raspberry sour candy is sweet-tart, and the marshmallow fluff addition rounds out the texture so it never turns thin or seltzer-like the way some lighter fruited sours do. The tartness is present and real, this is still a kettle sour, but it is dialed back compared to a straight Berliner Weisse or gose; if you have had a genuinely puckering sour, Drippin’ will read as approachable rather than aggressive. It finishes light, slightly sweet, and dangerously easy to keep drinking, which is part of why it is Drastic Measures’ best-selling release.

This is a similar lane to what Drastic Measures does with other fruited beers in the Upper Midwest, leaning into big, obvious fruit flavor over subtlety. If you want a point of comparison from the brewery’s own lineup, Sugar High (pineapple, cotton candy and marshmallow) chases a similar dessert-sour idea, just with a different fruit pairing.

What is a kettle sour, and why does it matter here

If you are newer to the style, a kettle sour is soured quickly in the brew kettle using lactic acid bacteria before the wort is boiled and fermented, rather than left to sour slowly in a barrel over months the way a traditional lambic or wild ale would be. That is why fruited kettle sours like Drippin’ can hit shelves so fast and taste so clean and bright rather than funky or barnyard-like. For more on how tartness and bitterness interact across styles, my guide to gose covers the salted, wheat-forward cousin of this style, and my IBU explainer breaks down why a 5 IBU beer like this one tastes nothing like a hoppy IPA even though both are measured on the same scale.

Food pairing: what actually works with Drippin’

Fruited sours this sweet and bright want food that can stand up to the acidity without fighting the candy flavor. Grilled shrimp or fish tacos with a squeeze of lime work well, the char plays against the tartness the same way it does in my beer and BBQ pairing guide. Soft, mild cheeses (fresh chevre, a young brie) are a good match too, since the fat cuts the sourness. Where I would not reach for Drippin’ is anything already sweet, a dessert course fights it rather than complementing it, and anything very spicy tends to get lost against the candy-forward fruit. Simple, salty bar food (pretzels, popcorn, a basic burger) is the safest, most crowd-pleasing lane for a beer this loud in flavor.

Pros and cons

More from Drastic Measures Brewing

Drippin’ is the brewery’s best-known release, but it is far from the only thing worth trying if you make it to Wadena. Richard Cranium, an extra special bitter, shows a completely different, more traditional side of the brewhouse, while Jo Mama’s Nutz, an oatmeal stout, and Krispy, a German lager, round out a lineup that ranges well beyond fruited sours and hazy IPAs.

Where to find Drippin’, and what to try if you cannot

Drastic Measures does not currently distribute Drippin’ through any of the major national beer delivery platforms, which is normal for a brewery this size releasing a rotating, limited can. If you cannot get to central Minnesota, here are five real, currently available fruited sours and fruit-forward beers that land in a similar lane, from a light, salty session sour to a straight-up raspberry fruit beer.

FAQs

What is Drastic Measures Drippin’ made with?

Drippin’ is a kettle sour brewed with blue raspberry, tangerine and marshmallow fluff, giving it a candy-forward flavor and a bright green color rather than the color you would expect from raspberry alone.

What is the ABV of Drippin’?

Drippin’ is 6% ABV, a moderate strength for a fruited sour, light enough to have a couple of cans without it turning into a heavy session.

Does Drippin’ have a high IBU?

No. Drastic Measures lists it at 5 IBU, meaning there is essentially no hop bitterness in this beer, all of the flavor comes from the sour base and the fruit and marshmallow additions.

Where can I buy Drastic Measures Drippin’?

Drippin’ is distributed mainly around Wadena, Brainerd and parts of the Twin Cities metro in Minnesota. It is a rotating release rather than a year-round can, so check the brewery’s own tap list and local retailer postings before making a trip.

Is Drippin’ very sour?

It is tart but on the gentler end of the sour spectrum. The marshmallow fluff addition rounds out the acidity, so it reads as sweet-tart rather than the sharp, puckering sourness of a straight Berliner Weisse or wild ale.

What does Drastic Measures Brewing make besides Drippin’?

The Wadena, Minnesota brewery has a wide lineup beyond fruited sours, including hazy IPAs like Gun Smoke and Stupid Good, an oatmeal stout called Jo Mama’s Nutz, a German lager called Krispy, a Mexican lager called Dirty Berto, and an extra special bitter called Richard Cranium.