Located in downtown Two Harbors, Castle Danger Brewery sits in a pretty cool spot. With windows facing the historic harbor—home to both an operating Taconite Dock as well as the historic ‘Dock No.6’—Castle Danger is a brewery that, in the spirit of the North Shore, brings together the modern and the traditional through the timeless process of brewing beer.
Before making the trek down from Grand Marais, I had done my research and knew exactly what two beers I wanted to try. The first, the Loch Sloy Scottish ale, is a traditional Scottish Ale brewed untraditionally with spruce tips and cranberry. The second, the Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA, is an IPA where the hops were added fresh instead of in pellet form (a rare style since fresh hops need to be added immediately after being picked to maintain flavor).
Both beers were fantastic, but only one can be the true ‘Beer of the Month’ (such a prestigious title, I know). Thus, the Loch Sloy Scottish Ale wins for the month of March, because of the unique North Shore spin it puts on a classic style and because of its unusual malty-tart flavor.
The tartness from the cranberry, spice from the spruce and carmelly-malt flavor from the grain add a layer of complexity that, quite frankly, I’m having a hard time capturing in words. My advice: try it yourself.
