The next stop on our trip was the Castle Danger Brewery. We made our approach after a quick turn off the highway. Just like Voyageur this taproom faces Lake Superior and provides some excellent scenery.
Despite the name this brewery is located in Two Harbors. They began brewing in the town of Castle Danger in 2011 and by the end of 2013 they had expanded into their current location. This allowed them a much larger reach and a canning line that now supplies my local liquor store with their beer! Their new location also gives them the ability to have a large taproom and patio for the busy summer months.
The taproom is attached to their brewery and is larger than I had expected. The interior has a lot of windows with great views of the lake and even some deer! Tin, wood, and concrete combined with warm lighting created a cozy intimate setting with a mix of both individual and community seating. Over the bar is a very impressive slab of wood with their slogan “dangerously good ales” burnt into it. They also have a patio that wraps around the side of the building that faces the lake. They get extra points for their great bottle and can designs and their absolutely fantastic logo. It’s an illustrative style and their logo especially looks like it could be a giant patch.
There was no cooked food available, and we decided to forego ordering in and bought a bag of chips and salsa from them. This was quickly devoured by the group while we settled into our flights. Flights were made up of our choice of any four beers. Each one was excellent.
The George Hunter Stout was available on nitro, and at 8.0% ABV it was fairly boozy. It tasted almost like a liquid chocolate cake. The Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA was excellent. It was a golden brown color with a fruity, pineapple, mango aroma. The taste was super crisp and dry with a bitter hop finish. After this were my favorite two beers. First was the Danger Ale. It’s listed as an American Strong Ale but it reminded me of an Extra Special Bitter as far as the flavor goes. It was well balanced and a perfect mix between malty and sweet. Last but not least was the Castle Cream Ale. A good cream ale is one of my favorite styles and this one hit the mark. Light in appearance but not flavor, the smooth texture and creamy sweetness perfectly complement each other. I need to grab a six pack of this when summer rolls around.
We didn’t spend a lot of time at Castle Danger Brewery, but their location near Duluth means that we’ll visit again. I was unable to try all of their beers so I have something to look forward to next time. I enjoyed everything that I tasted, and I even drank a Danger Ale while writing this review. I don’t see how we could visit the north shore again without stopping for at least a pint at Castle Danger!
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