Castle Danger Brewery | Two Harbors, MN
Beer Trip: Castle Danger Brewery in Two Harbors, Minnesota
Being one of the largest breweries in Minnesota, we were familiar with some of the beers at Castle Danger Brewery coming into our visit. What we didn’t know was how great their facility is, and everything else that they have to offer… so we’re glad we got to experience it for ourselves!
The Brewery
The Rain Garden was a neat outdoor feature we hadn’t seen before!
For a town of only 3,500 people, it’s quite amazing that a brewery of this caliber exists in Two Harbors. This place is clearly a tourist destination and hotspot for surrounding areas, as they can probably occupy 100 people indoors and at least that many outdoors. The inside space has a cabin-like feel to it, with a wood plank ceiling, a rough sawn bar and accent wall, and miscellaneous bits of corrugated metal found about. The walls feature artwork made by locals, with each piece available for purchase. No matter where you choose to sit, everyone comes to the bar to order. We encountered very friendly staff members here who were happy to answer questions and talk beer.
The outdoor space is the place to be if weather allows. You go out the back door from the brewery onto a deck with a handful of tables, and then walk down some steps to the ground level where you’ll find picnic tables spread throughout. Each one has its own adjustable umbrella and sits within its own rock pit. This lets the grass grow in less trafficked areas, while the rocks keep your feet from getting muddy on wet ground. They have planters sprawled about, several fire pits, and a couple of cornhole sets near the back. This space is very well thought out, and gives you a backyard feel that was perfect for our kids and dog who tagged along with us.
Corn hole was a hit during our visit
Warren enjoyed the outdoor games
The Beer
You’ll find a nice selection of 13 different beers on tap, with about half of them being flagships. They distribute nearly every recipe throughout the state, but did have 2 brewery-exclusive beers as well. Their tap list consisted of multiple IPAs, cream ales, and lagers, along with a stout and an Italian pilsner. Upon ordering our first “pint,” we discovered that they do things a bit bigger than most and actually serve many of their beers in 18-oz glasses… You get a real bang for your buck! Like most area breweries, they brew with fresh water from Lake Superior, which is just a short walk down the road.
The Castle Cream Ale is by far their most popular beer, readily found throughout the state. Our favorite of their offerings was the spinoff, the Strawberry Rhubarb Cream Ale. This has a rich strawberry taste and is smooth and creamy, but you do get a true hint of rhubarb right at the end of your sip. A couple of their summer seasonals also rose to the top in our books, with the Summer Crush and Sea Salt & Lime Lager being favorites. The latter is a basic lime lager, but it was still delicious on a warm, sunny afternoon. The Summer Crush is a pale ale featuring a lemony taste and a faint sweetness. This one is light, and at only 4% ABV, you could truly drink it all day.
Food, Merch, & More
While Castle Danger doesn’t have a food menu, they offer light snacks from local vendors such as meat sticks, pretzels, and popcorn. On most days, they also partner with a food truck and even have a dedicated parking spot for it within their outdoor space.
Chicken strips and fries: the classic toddler dinner (IYKYK)
We enjoyed the food truck during our visit!
We went a little bit wild in their merchandise section and brought home some pretty cool shirts with us, as well as a tap handle. You’ll find all kinds of other gear here like hats, baby onesies, glassware, towels, signs, and dog collars. Their selection was pretty impressive. It’s hard to knock them points for this, but it was disappointing that we couldn’t purchase 6-packs of their beer onsite due to Minnesota distribution laws.
The merch section of our dreams!
Chris walked away with an awesome new polo
