Oberon Day and Ripple Effect Brewing

The Tulip and Schooner for Friday, April 11, 2025

The Tulip and Schooner is edited and primarily written by Louis Livingston-Garcia.

I rediscovered my love for beer in Kalamazoo last month. Of course it was Bell’s Brewery who took my hand and said: “We are much more than Two Hearted, and beer is much more than ‘whalez’ and barrel-aged this and that.” 

And so right you were, Bell’s. Bell’s and New Glarus are the two big craft breweries I buy beer from consistently. I’m lucky enough to have a gas station a five-minute walk away that constantly has the freshest six-packs of Two Hearted. It, like Moon Man, remains some of the freshest, cheapest, and best hoppy beer available. 

Louis Livingston-Garcia / Heavy Table

I was in Kalamazoo as a press invite for Oberon Day, which celebrates the release of, you guessed it, Oberon. It’s a wheat beer. Nothing sexy. But the event, detailed below, is insanely joyous and fun. Variants of Oberon – my favorite was the smoothie-beer-like strawberries and cream – are fun to try. Oberon brats and giant Turkey legs befitting the hallowed halls of Valhalla provided sustenance. 

And the Midwesterners DID NOT care that it was snowing, raining – sometimes both – on a windy, cold day. 

I’ve often written in this space how beer used to be so much more exciting in a lot of ways. Once you really learn about a hobby, sometimes it can become less so. Or perhaps it became more of a job. 

I have a friend from New York who would always tell me in her slight New York accent now fusing into a Minnesotan one that Oberon for her was “the mah-rk of spring and summa,” and a yearly beer she always bought. 

Louis Livingston-Garcia / Heavy Table

And within the confines of my coat, a gloveless hand on an Oberon paid for by someone in line who said he had to get a hotel last year after getting drunk and smartly took a party bus this time, it certainly didn’t feel like spring outside. But on the inside, the warmth of the event and the smiling Oberon sun logo flipped a switch in my soul. 

This is our spring. And something as simple as a wheat beer can be exciting. And that beer and event can steel anyone against the elements. 

If you’ve never gone to Oberon Day, please do. If I haven’t convinced you, I have more words below on the event from a number of Oberon day diehards. Yes, it was a media event where I paid for little. But I would rather be beaten by an AP Style Guide than lie – I loved this event. 

SPLASHY EXTERIOR
Strong branding and a cute space buoys Ripple Effect Brewing, but the beer needs a bit more work.
By Loren Green

Loren Green / Heavy Table

Ripple Effect Brewing Company in Rogers, Minn. has transformed the location of a former national fast food chain restaurant into something remarkably local. The staff on our visit were welcoming, knowledgeable, and clearly knew their regulars well, and we immediately felt comfortable as we settled in to explore the menu.

The Splash

After an evening taste testing the full draft lineup at Ripple Effect, my biggest highlight was that the space used to be a Hardee’s. And, like Hardee’s, it felt, well, second rate. It’ll do in a pinch and it has some quirky charm, but the brewery lacked a signature item that beckons me to come back.

The Crest

Loren Green / Heavy Table

Kölsch-style ales are hit and miss in Minnesota, but Toes In The Water hit all the right spots. A light-hued, light-bodied German-style ale, Toes In The Water balances grassy grain notes with fruity esters: crisp, refreshing, and leaning a little bit sweet.

RBF Sour was another reliable beer with a pleasing balance of big, jammy blackberry and raspberry that nicely put the blackberry first, leaning on natural fruit flavors over sour or tartness.