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It was a beautiful late summer evening when I arrived at Ursa Minor to meet an old pal I hadn’t seen in more than a decade, who was in town from Neenah, Wisconsin.

Ed hadn’t arrived when I got there, so I went inside and looked at the chalkboard above the serving area to choose a beverage.

I knew Ursa Minor had just recently released its 2025 Oktoberfest, and that was tempting, but my eyes were attracted to two words – Latitude Adjustment, an imperial (9.7%) sour made with mango, passionfruit and pineapple. Yes, please!

After placing the order with the cheery server, she said, “We also have that in a slushie.”

YES, PLEASE!

Oh, man, yes, this drink is a definite latitude adjustment. The tropical fruits in the sour are transportive. With the first sip my brain had me suddenly sitting on a lanai, watching the sun recede in a Maui sky.

And since this was my first experience with a beer slushie, all I could think was Where have you been all my life, beer slushie? It’s a fantastic way to enjoy sours. I now want to buy a slushie machine so I can make my own raspberry lambic slushies and other exotic varieties.

The drink came with an eco-friendly paper straw that had trouble standing up to the slushie – I had to keep clearing it of slushie ice – but that just slowed me down and helped me savor this delicious drink.

Tempted to have another slushie, instead for my final beverage I ordered the Oktoberfest. Again I found I had made an excellent choice. It’s a beautiful malty lager. It turned out to be a magical evening at Ursa Minor.