Not since MPR Racoon has a Minnesota critter gripped local media like the laser loon.
Though the unsettling black bird with its piercing laser eyes may have been (wrongfully) cast off by the (unimaginative) committee responsible for selecting our new state flag, the beady-eyed bird has cemented its place in the hearts and minds of Twin Citians. Its influence reached a fever pitch earlier this month, when the St. Paul Public Library put the laser-eyed loon on limited-edition library cards, which were snapped up so fast that the library has since announced a second run is in the works.
But this is not the first laser loon to land in MN—oh no. At Minneapolis’s Inbound BrewCo, they’ve been canning Laser Loon since 2018; it’s one of their flagship beers.
“When we originally named the beer, we wanted to have something that kind of reflected Minnesota summers and lakes and stuff,” Inbound founder and president Eric Biermann (what an aptronym!) says of Laser Loon. “But as a brewery, we can’t take ourselves too seriously, so, why not a loon with lasers?”
The artwork, like that on many of Inbound’s cans, was done by local artist and printmaker Michael Byzewski (aka Aesthetic Apparatus), who really captured the loon’s regal-but-haunting nature and possible laser-shooting capabilities.
Plus, “It just rolls off the tongue: Laser Loon,” Biermann adds.
Laser Loon launched as an easy-drinking Kölsch, but Biermann says it was reimagined as a pilsner about a year ago. (“Kölsch is kind of a misunderstood style of beer—if you’re a craft beer drinker you know what it is, but if you’re not a craft beer drinker you might call it a Klosch.”) Despite switching up the yeast and tweaking the recipe, Laser Loon remains a flagship for Inbound, available in cans and in the taproom year-round.
The pilsner is Inbound’s lightest offering and one of its most popular beers—“Twins fans come down and just crush it,” Biermann says—with a clean, crisp taste that makes it perfect for a ballgame or an afternoon on the lake.
And, thanks to the recent re-establishment of laser loons in the public consciousness, the beer is even getting another refresh: A Laser Loon varietal with sea salt and lime will hit taplines and liquor stores next month, with more flavors on the way later in the year.
And while the loon design may not have been selected as our new state flag by the cowardly Emblems Redesign Commission, there will be a flag with a Laser Loon on it—Inbound has ordered a flag of their own, which will soon hang in their North Loop taproom.
Now if only they could convince Minnesota United FC, with their loon mascot PK, to make Laser Loon the official beer of the team… “That hasn’t worked out yet,” Biermann chuckles.
