On Wednesday, January 1st, the battle begins! Join in to crown the winner of the 12th annual DTSF Burger Battle, featuring the largest lineup yet! We know time and budgets are limited, so we’ve worked hard to create something you’ll truly enjoy!

HOW IT WORKS

Cast your vote using the DTSF Digital Passport app after you’ve tried a burger in the competition. This year, you’ll rate each burger on a 10-point scale across five categories:

• Flavor

• Patty

• Toppings

• Bun

• Presentation

Our CHampion

The challenger from Wagoo Burger this year is the Tatortot Hotdish Cheeseburger or the TTHDCB for short (ish). This towering entrant features a smash patty, roasted veggies, smoked cheddar cheese, tater tot patty, locally grown mushrooms, and cream of mushroom sauce, all accompanied by kettle chips. The TTHDCB is after the heart of every Midwesterner. This burger touches on the nostalgia of the classic midwest dish, whether you call it a casserole or hotdish.

In a dramatic sense, the first bite of this burger made me feel like the fictional food critic Anton Ego from the animated film Ratatouille. It transported me back in time to my family sitting around the dinner table to enjoy some tatortot hotdish together. Good food has that type of power. It invites you to remember a time or place you haven’t thought about in a while. The best part? The people you share it with. That’s why everyone at Fernson & Wagoo loves this burger, we made it together, ate it together, and most importantly we get to share it with you together!

BEER PAIRINGS

A burger with hearty and complex flavors needs a beer companion that has enough backbone to withstand all the incoming flavors, while adding something different in the mix.

Snow Eater Stout and Seed Series #192 Stout are my top picks for the perfect beer to pair with the TTHDCB. Stouts are known for their complex flavor profile, creamy texture, and subtle chocolate-like sweetness, making them a great complement to any meal. If you can’t decide, Snow Eater is a bit more understated than #192, with the latter boasting a higher ABV of 7.8% compared to Snow Eater’s 5.5%.

To my surprise, the fruited beer turned out to be an equally strong counterpart. Seed Series #191 Fruited Sour and Curio Sour Ale proved to be dynamic beers to have while you enjoy the TTHDCB. The fruity and slightly tart flavors offered a lovely contrast to the heartiness of the meat and veggies. It reminded me of Thanksgiving leftovers piled in a fresh bun and topped with cranberry sauce. I’m not quite sure how it all works together but sometimes you just gotta enjoy what’s in front of you!

If you're looking for a solid beer that lets the burger flavor take center stage, then a lager like Lions Paw or #194 White Lager will be your pick! These will enhance the meat flavors you get while still being strong enough to not fall flat like a light beer would.

On New Year’s Eve we will be releasing Seed Series #195 Hazy IPA. I suspect this will be another great complement to the burger, though I haven’t tried them together yet. We don’t lie to you here on the Fernson Blog but invite you to try them together, the same as us! With all of these great options, a flight is the way to go if you are still undecided!

Cheers to Burger Battle 2025

While the burger battle only wages for a month, the age-old debate of casserole vs. hotdish continues. Depending on who you talk to, there are passionate people on both sides of the debate. A burger this good commands a temporary truce, if only for a month! Be sure to cast your vote in the DTSF Digital Passport app and help crown the winner of the 12th annual DTSF Burger Battle! Here’s to a month of burgers, beers, and great company!

Words By: Cole Casper