StoRy

We have been brewing dangerously good ales on the North Shore of Lake Superior since 2011. After out-growing our 3-bbl brewhouse in Castle Danger, we opened a new location in downtown Two Harbors in 2014 with a 30-bbl brewing system, canning line, and year-round taproom overlooking Lake Superior. This allowed us to grow from 13 local tap lines to state wide distribution. Three years later, we built a packaging hall that houses all cold-side production, including canning, kegging and an expanded cooler. We also updated our taproom by increasing our tap lines from 10 to 22. Our beer is available throughout Minnesota where you find it at bars and restaurants or at your local liquor store.

Castle Danger beers are all designed with a flavor profile in mind. We may start with a base style, but expand upon it to create something unique. There are hundreds of great beers that are true-to-style available in the beer market. We prefer to use traditional brewing practices to produce unique, flavorful beers. In our minds, this is the only way to approach brewing.

OUR MISSION: crafting a North Shore ExpeRience.

The North Shore of Lake Superior is a special place. It’s the crash of the waves on the rocky shores, an outdoor adventure in the woods, seeing the stars, sitting by a campfire, being at the cabin, casting a line, a scenic drive with the family, or visiting your favorite taproom overlooking Lake Superior. The nostalgia runs deep and the origins are endless. The experience is unique to you, yet for all to enjoy.

Our beers are clean, balanced and approachable. They are brewed with Lake Superior water by hearty souls who embody the North Shore. Wherever or whenever you enjoy a Castle Danger beer, you can taste a little bit of the North Shore in every sip.

2006–2010

Clint, founder, brewing beer in a kitchen in 2006.
A group of men in a construction site.
Clint and Jamie (founders) sitting outside of the original brewery, their garage.

HumbLe BeGinNingS

  • Clint began homebrewing in 2006 and started developing his own recipes
2011 – 2014

Original brewery - tanks.
Two men holding a stringer of growlers a paddle, and a shovel in front of Lake Superior.
A stack of kegs in a brewery.

StaRtinG SMalL

  • Castle Danger Brewery opened in March 2011 in Castle Danger, MN
  • Self-distributing began, facilitating 13 local bars and restaurants
  • Sold growlers three nights a week out of the 700 square foot brewery
2013 – 2014

Initial groundbreaking for brewery and taproom in Two Harbors.
Construction of a building frame.
Initial construction of the taproom.

CoNstructioN in two HarboRs

  • Began the expansion and build-out into downtown Two Harbors during one of the coldest winters on record
  • Constructed a 10,000 square foot production facility with taproom
  • Installed a 30-barrel brewing system and canning line, a big upgrade from our original 3-barrel system
AUGuST 2014

View of patio outside brewery.
Brew deck, brewing vessels.
Stack of orange cans.

tapRooM GraNd OPeninG

  • The grand opening of our taproom in downtown Two Harbors took place in August of 2014
2015 – 2017

Small delivery truck with beer cans on the outside.
Crane lifting a new tank into place in a brewery.
Tap handles.

CoNtinued GrowtH

  • Continued to expand our distribution to cover all of Minnesota, and a few border towns of Fargo, ND and Superior, WI
  • Increased annual production from 1,500 barrels in 2014 to 14,800 barrels in 2017
  • Remodeled our taproom to include a 40-person private rental room, a patio with a deck, and increased our tap lines from 10 to 22 lines
2018

Construction/groundbreaking of new packaging hall.
Framing of new packaging hall.
View of the patio at the taproom.

PacKaGing HalL EXpansioN

  • Completed construction of our packaging hall; this included moving all canning and kegging operations from the original brewery to the packaging hall, adding a much larger cooler, more brite tanks and fermenters, and a nitro tank
2019-2021

Crowd of people at the taproom waiting to get growlers.
Stack of Variety Packs.
Two brewers looking into a small brewing vessel.

Hit 20,000 BarreLs oF BeeR

  • Lost the ability to sell off-sale (growlers and crowlers) from our Taproom on October 1, 2019. (The 1st picture was taken on the last day we could sell growlers (September 30, 2019). We sold 475 growlers on that day, thanks to our amazing customers.)
  • Updated our can packaging to cardboard cartons, allowing us to come out with a Variety Pack and other 12-packs.
  • Invested in a pilot system! This gives us the ability to brew small, 3-barrel, experimental batches of beer.
2022

Person holding a growler and a crowler on a table.
Growlers and crowlers in a cooler.
Person with a growler and a crowler on a table.

Got Growlers Back!

  • We worked hard with the Alliance of Minnesota Craft Brewers to Free the Growler. We were finally able to sell them again in June 2022!
  • We also started filling and selling crowlers. (Prior, we had only offered 64fl glass growlers and 750ml glass “mini growlers”.