NEW ULM — Schell’s Brewery added a number of new beer selections plus new high-technology brewery equipment over the past year.

After it was sold for several years on tap at the Minnesota State Fair, Schell’s put Grain Belt BLU, a refreshing twist on a classic, with a generous portion of blueberries, to create a light, balanced, sweet beer.

In addition, Schell’s Sangria, which started as beer available exclusively at the Minnesota State Fair, available with or without a frozen slushie on top, is now offered in cans throughout Schell’s distribution area. Sangria, a red citrus lager, is a refreshingly sweet beer, full of juicy, citrous flavor.

Another new addition was Grain Belt Southwest Cervesa, a Mexican-style lager that is a crips, copper lager, dry and refreshing with a subtle lime flavor.

For the first time in Schell’s history, it launched an IPA, an India pale ale that is hop-forward and bursting with tropical, fruity aromas with low hop bitterness.

Anniversary Series beer is coming out in 16 ounce cans this year. Shift Happens No. 1, a double, dry-hopped lager with Simcoe, Centennial, Chinook and Amarillo hops. It is advertised as well-balanced with a fresh aroma of floral, citrus, and pine. A new version of Shift Happens, No. 2, 3, and 4 will be introduced each quarter of this year.

The Noble Star collection of Berlin-style wheat beers or Berliner Weisse, aged in rare, cypress fermentation tanks, gets a refresh with six new beers in 375 ml bottles instead of 750 ml bottles.

A new Minneapolis advertising agency will give Schell’s products a new look.

Grain Belt Premium, Grain Belt Light and Nordeast, which turns 10 years old this year, will also get a new, updated look.

A new Grain Belt Seltzer series includes a couple of different flavors in 2020. In addition, a low-calorie from Grain Belt is Grain Belt Elite with 95 calories is another new offering.

“We’re looking at new brewery events this year. Nothing is confirmed yet,” said Schell’s Operations Vice President Kyle Marti.

“Last year, we added a Friday night Oktoberfest event. We’ll do that again this year,” Kyle said. “Bockfest is the first weekend in March again this year. Oktoberfest at the brewery will be Friday and Saturday events the second weekend of October.”

Kyle said holding another Funk Junction event is being considered. It’s a sour beer event with 25 breweries from as far away as Texas and Oregon, at the Starkeller with a DJ and 70s disco event.

Kyle said Starkeller is slated to release at least four new beers this year.

“We’ll have a big presence at the Minnesota State Fair again this year with two specialty beers at the Schell’s booth.

“There are a lot of different sponsorships in the area,” Kyle said. “We’re bringing back Firebrick For Firefighters, a charity event. We donate to local and area fire departments for every keg of Firebrick we sell.”

In addition, Schell’s switched all craft beers from bottles to cans to meet market needs.

“It’s due to the evolution of the craft beer market,” said Kyle Marti.

Schell’s launched a new marketing state, going back into Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska due to calls for it on social media,” Kyle said.

New brewery machinery included a new can and bottle labeler, a new dry hop apparatus, a new dry hop machine for IPAs, Pils and other specialty beers.

Two malt silos holding 80,000 and 50,000 pounds of barley and centrifuges were added.

“If we don’t pasteurize beer, we run it through a centrifuge that spins out the yeast and some of the proteins,” said Schell’s President and Brewmaster Ted Marti.

Schell’s bought a pilot plant from a German brew house in Sweden that is about to go online for test brews and other small batches of beer.

Beer garden hours were increased to improve tourism. The garden patio is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and was rebuilt last year. A new gardening greenhouse was also added last year.

“Adding new beers each year is the nature of the beast,” Ted Marti said.