North Shore stories: an end to the Duluth brew trip

We’re back with part two of our North Shore beer extravaganza! We hope you’ve been waiting for this edition, because it’s a good one. More beer, more cider and our unanimous number one stop of the trip, Castle Danger Brewery.

We’ve got a lot of variety coming, so buckle down and, if you’re over the age of 21, crack open a brew with us. You can find plenty of the featured beers in liquor stores and follow along.

Duluth Cider, Duluth, MN – 8.0/10

Duluth Cider occupies the building where a 100-year-old tap room once sat, restoring it into a cider brewery. Sourcing its apples from Great Lakes apples, Duluth Cider strives to make a product that Northern Minnesotans can take pride in.

Napoleon (12.8%)

Napoleon is a cider aged in French cognac barrels, and that came across in the flavor. It was very dry and tart on the back and reminded us of a barley wine. It is a good, complex cider for the craft beverage enjoyer.

Las Lajas (5.1%)

The Las Lajas cider is coffee infused and came across very earthy on the nose. The coffee was strong on the nose, and it came across on the palate with some fruity and creamy notes. We said it tasted like vanilla apple creamer in a coffee.

Trailside (6.5%)

Trailside had a lot of strawberry and basil notes on the nose, like a strawberry lemonade with a basil garnish. The strawberry flavor was strong all the way through, with the basil coming out in the middle.

Fireside (6.0%)

While Fireside had mostly apple on the nose, a vanilla flavor came across strongly on the palate. It also had a cinnamon aftertaste and was a bit reminiscent of the apple pie cider at Wild State.

Cranberry Cinnamon (6.3%)

The final cider of the trip, Cranberry Cinnamon was a great way to end this chapter. It was light on the nose with some cinnamon and wine notes. The apple was strong on the front end of the palate, with the cranberry taking over on the back end.

Bent Paddle Brewing Company, Duluth, MN – 8.8/10

One of the most well-known on this list is Bent Paddle Brewing Company. Its décor was inspired by the outfitters of the Boundary waters, with maps, camping gear and, of course, paddles all over. Occasionally, Bent Paddle partners with street food vendors, and we were lucky enough to enjoy homemade chili while we tried our beers.

Christmas Cookie Cream Ale – Cream Ale (5.0%)

Just because Christmas had passed when we tried it, didn’t mean it was too late to have a Christmas cookie beer.

It was like most cream ales, but there was more nutmeg on the nose. On the taste, it transitioned into more of the creamy notes we were familiar with, but notes of almond crept in.

Bent Hop – IPA (6.2%)

Another solid IPA! There were subtle hops on the nose, but we found that this IPA was very palatable and paired well with other beers on tap. Thankfully, the hops weren’t too overpowering.

Black Ale – Porter/Stout (6.0%)

No surprise here, another great dark beer! Coffee and chocolate notes were present on the smell. It was a smooth beer all around, but the bitterness on the back along with the coffee ground taste complemented the complexity of the beer.

Very Berry Sour – Sour Ale (4.8%)

Here’s another beer for our sour drinkers! A good sour that had a watermelon candy nose. Out of all the sours we drank, this one was sour! If you enjoy Sour Patch Kids or sours that have a kick, the Very Berry Sour is for you.

Light Lager – American Lager (4.1%)

In sticking with the name, it was light on the nose and didn’t have much of a smell. The Light Lager had slight notes of cream on the back, but we all agreed that this was a good lager.

Cappuccin-Ale – Cream Ale with Cold Press Coffee (5.0%)

This ale surprised us because we hadn’t seen a coffee cream ale before. It smelled more like a cream ale, but you could definitely tell there was some coffee in there. We guessed what it might taste like, and we were right. There was cream on the front, but there was crisp refreshing coffee all the way through the taste.

14 Degree – Amber Ale (5.6%)

14 Degree was the perfect amber for a 14-degree day outside. It had the classic warm, bready smell on the nose. It ended up being a crisp and refreshing amber that warmed us up and left us with woody notes on the aftertaste.

Cold Press Black – Coffee Ale (6.0%)

Bent Paddle found the right way to make a coffee ale stand out. The Cold Press Black uses Duluth Coffee Company coffee in the brewing process. This was one of the beers from Bent Paddle we were most excited to try, and we left satisfied. There is a case to be made that this is the best coffee beer that can be found in Duluth.

Hoops Brewing Company, Duluth, MN – 8.9/10

After watching a tough loss in a shootout between the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and the Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks at AMSOIL arena, we made a short walk over to Hoops Brewing Company located in the Canal Park District.

With a variety of beers to try, we enjoyed our flights in a German Beer Hall-inspired space.

No. 1225 Cherry Ale 2024 – Fruit Beer (5.7%)

The 2024 edition of the Cherry Ale from Hoops did not disappoint. It was a fresh and light drink that came across as sweet. We thought it would have a heavy taste of cherry, but we were wrong. The nose and taste didn’t have strong notes of cherry.

No. 88 Stout – American/Irish Stout (6.3%)

Another great stout! Like many of the stouts we tried, there was strong dark chocolate and coffee on the nose. The taste was interesting to us. It was lighter on the front and the bitterness of the coffee came through on the back. If you want a friendly coffee stout, without being overpowered by the taste coffee grounds, go with No. 88.

No. 22 Amber – Amber Ale (5.8%)

Unlike most ambers, we felt that this amber deviated from having a warm, crisp smell on the nose and ended up being almost fruity. There was a strong earthy first taste that became more tart on the palate for the aftertaste. Overall, we felt that it was a grainy and hoppy amber that stood out from most amber ales.

No. 91 English Porter – English Porter (5.0%)

No. 91 was your standard porter that had subtle hops and had a grainy and burnt aftertaste. No surprises here, just a solid porter to enjoy for our porter drinkers.

No. 889 Cream Ale – Cream Ale (5.2%)

Hoops gave us a cream ale that we definitely considered to be unique. It had a common nose of a cream ale, but the taste started out with grainy wheat and transitioned into an apple aftertaste. Like No. 22, it stood out from most cream ales.

No. 5050 Hefeweizen – German Wheat Beer (5.4%)

As mentioned before, we had to try the hefeweizen. We found that the hefeweizen had the traditional wheat smell and had a consistent bready taste. We all agreed that this hefeweizen went down easily.

No. 10 Extra Pale Ale – Pale Ale (5.0%)

No. 10 was a solid pale ale, and we felt it was standard. We noticed that it was pretty filling and had a slightly grainy taste throughout the entire drink.

Castle Danger Brewery, Two Harbors, MN – 9.5/10

For our last destination of our beer journey, we stopped at the revered Castle Danger Brewery, located in Two Harbors. A place where locals and beer enthusiasts alike gather to enjoy an excellent pint. This was by far our favorite stop.

Castle Cream Ale – Cream Ale (5.5%)

An iconic and incredible example of a cream ale, the Castle Cream Ale is a staple at Castle Danger. It was bready on the nose and palate and finished with a nice vanilla note. It was smooth and refreshing, and easy to enjoy all year round.

Coffee Cream Ale – Coffee-Infused Cream Ale (5.5%)

A spin on the Castle Cream Ale, the Coffee Cream Ale infuses the cream with coffee. It had a strong coffee note on the nose, and a distinct dark, roasted flavor. There was a good amount of bitterness that was balanced out by the smooth, sweet cream. This is a great choice for anyone who enjoys coffee.

Aurora Haze – New England IPA (6.9%)

The Aurora Haze is a great example of a fruity IPA, and a good option for anyone who wants to dip their toes in the hoppy waters. The beer was very fruity on the nose, with subtle fruity and hoppy notes coming out when we tried it. There was a distinct pineapple flavor that, when combined with a thicker consistency compared to other IPAs, gave this beer a vibe reminiscent of a kettle sour.

West Coast IPA – West Coast IPA (7.0%)

West Coast was a more hoppy IPA that showed how refreshing a West Coast IPA can be. The scent was hoppy and bitter, but very subtle. It was bitter, citrusy and hoppy on the palate. In terms of the West Coast style of IPAs, Castle Danger’s is fairly tame and it is a great introduction to the variety.

Lager Royale – Premium Lager (4.5%)

Mixing in a traditional lager was a great break from the more flavorful craft beer styles. The Lager Royale was a traditional, bready lager, with the refinement that a craft brewery like Castle Danger can put on their beers.

Cranberry Lager – Fruit Lager (4.5%)

The Cranberry Lager is a seasonal twist on Lager Royale. There were strong cranberry notes on the nose and the palate that blended well with the bready lager. The beer was just sour enough to emphasize the cranberry flavor without turning it into a true sour beer. A great choice for those who don’t enjoy a lager but still want something light and refreshing.

Pale Ale – American Pale Ale (5.2%)

Castle Danger’s Pale Ale was a bit of a surprising beer for us. It had a strong grapefruit note on the nose, despite grapefruit sometimes being hard to detect. The citrusy grapefruit flavor came in on the back end of the beer and made it a great light, refreshing option that followed the Cranberry Lager perfectly.

Hazy Sunday – Hazy American Pale Ale (5.8%)

Hazy Sunday was a great place to go from the Pale Ale, the haziness made it a strong ale, but it still carried some great flavor. It was very tropical on the nose with a lot of mango. The flavor was bitter, hoppy and juicy, which gave the beer a great blend of hops and refreshing fruit. This is a good way to transition from lighter pale ales to stronger IPAs.

*Correction* George Hunter Stout –Stout (8.0%)

Unfortunately, we will be ending this review by admitting a mistake we made last semester. In the Nov. 7 edition.

We previously reviewed the George Hunter Stout and found it to be a relatively unfriendly beer with too many competing flavors.

Well, we decided to run it back in the taproom and we all thoroughly enjoyed the George Hunter on tap. It had a subtle coffee note with some sweetness, and we noted that it was even better on nitro.

We now believe that the can of George Hunter that we tried may have been bad in some way, and we wanted to make sure we published this correction.