North Shore breweries, in driving order

Between Two Harbors and Grand Marais, the North Shore has two production breweries with taprooms: Castle Danger Brewery in downtown Two Harbors and Voyageur Brewing Company on Highway 61 in Grand Marais, about 80 miles apart according to North Shore Visitor's mile-by-mile log. Visit Cook County also lists Gun Flint Tavern in Grand Marais as a brew pub. Neither taproom lists a winter closure. As of November 2026, Castle Danger opens at noon every day and Voyageur at 11:30 a.m., and only Voyageur runs a kitchen.

This guide is for anyone driving Highway 61 who wants to plan a stop around a taproom: where each one is, when it is open in each season, whether you can eat there, and what to check before you go. It runs in driving order from the south. Hours change with the season on the North Shore, so every hour below is stamped "as of November 2026" and comes from the business's own website unless noted.

If you are starting in Duluth, its taprooms have their own guide: breweries in Duluth.

The North Shore taprooms, side by side

Spacing: a regional mile-by-mile log of Highway 61 puts Two Harbors at about mile 26 from Duluth's Canal Park, Lutsen Mountains at about mile 90 and the Grand Marais area at about mile 109. Treat those as rough spacing, not exact driving distances.

1. Castle Danger Brewery, Two Harbors

Castle Danger is the first brewery on the drive north, in downtown Two Harbors. The Lake County Chamber listing says it "has been brewing dangerously good ales on the North Shore of Lake Superior since 2011." It is also the only brewery in that chamber's food and drink directory, which covers Two Harbors, Knife River, Beaver Bay, Silver Bay and Finland.

What the taproom offers, in its own words: the taproom page describes a taproom "overlooking Lake Superior" with "our current beer offerings, along with rotating taproom releases," pints and flights, and a patio "during the summer months." The brewery says its beers are "brewed with Lake Superior water." The tap list on its site in November 2026 included Castle Cream Ale, Tettegouche IPA, Split Rock Apple Ale and Scenic 61 Espresso Stout, among others. The site menu also links to a THC product line, Trailblazer.

Hours (as of November 2026): Sunday noon to 7 p.m., Monday to Thursday noon to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday noon to 10 p.m.

Food: "We do not serve food," the taproom page says. It sells popcorn and pretzels, and invites you to "bring in your own food or order take-out from our local restaurants." It also posts a food truck schedule.

Groups: the brewery takes reservation requests for its Large Lake Table or Side Deck. Requests must be submitted at least 30 days ahead, and reservations are not available on Saturdays.

For more to do in town, see things to do in Two Harbors.

2. Lutsen: wine and cider, not beer

Between Two Harbors and Grand Marais, the Lake County Chamber directory and Visit Cook County's brewery page list no other brewery taproom. (Borealis Fermentery, a brewery near Knife River, is left out because its own site could not be checked for current hours as of November 2026.) The next drink stop most people find is in Lutsen, on Ski Hill Road: North Shore Winery, which Visit Cook County lists together with Sawtooth Mountain Cidery. Visit Cook County says the winery "brings in hand selected grapes and apples to make their wines and ciders on location."

Hours from the winery's site, as of November 2026: Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 12:30 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday 2:30 to 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Wednesday. The site lists live music on several of those days. If you are stopping in Lutsen anyway, see the Lutsen gondola guide.

3. Voyageur Brewing Company, Grand Marais

Voyageur sits on Highway 61 in Grand Marais, at the address the brewery gives as 233 West Highway 61. (A regional visitor directory also lists a Voyageur retail shop, selling crowlers and cans, at 211 West Highway 61; the taproom address here is the one on the brewery's own site.)

What it offers, in its own words: the brewery's homepage invites visitors to "enjoy the view of the Grand Marais Harbor from our taproom or in the summer from our rooftop patio or deck," and says its beer is "brewed with water from Lake Superior." Its beer page says seasonal beers are "only available in our tap room," alongside its flagship beers. Visit Cook County says Voyageur "offers tours with tastings of their four flagship beers."

Hours (as of November 2026): the taproom page gives winter hours from November 1 through Memorial Day weekend:

• Sunday to Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Thursday to Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (the homepage adds that the kitchen closes at 9 p.m.)

Summer hours run Sunday to Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Food: "We have sliders, tacos, flatbread, cheese curds and more," per the homepage.

Beer to go: growlers and crowlers. The brewery sells 64-ounce growlers and fills personal 64-ounce growlers, and describes its crowlers as cans of "1 pint and 9 ounces."

4. Gun Flint Tavern, Grand Marais

Gun Flint Tavern is at 111 Wisconsin Street in downtown Grand Marais. Visit Cook County's brewery page lists it as a brew pub "brewing six selections on site in their 5 barrel system." The tavern's own website describes it as "Fine Food - Craft Brews - Wine - Cocktails" and says Jeff and Susan Gecas opened it on May 22, 1998, in the old Grand Marais State Bank building. The website does not itself say how many beers it brews, so ask at the bar if a house beer is the reason you are stopping.

Hours (as of November 2026): the tavern's site lists Monday to Sunday 4 to 8 p.m. The Raven, its timber-framed pub across the hall, and the Raven's Nest rooftop bar are both listed as closed for the season; the site says the Nest is open May to October. Visit Cook County's November 2026 hours sheet adds a lunch menu Wednesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and lists the Raven as open Saturdays 5 to 10 p.m., which the tavern's own site does not show. Call 218-387-1563 to check.

For the rest of the town's food, see the Grand Marais restaurants guide and things to do in Grand Marais.

Seasons: what changes in winter

• Castle Danger lists a single set of hours on its site, with no separate winter schedule; its patio is a summer-months feature.
• Voyageur shortens weeknight hours from November 1 through Memorial Day weekend, and the rooftop patio and deck are a summer feature.
• Gun Flint Tavern's rooftop bar runs May to October only.
• Visit Cook County keeps a local business hours page with a downloadable restaurant hours sheet, which is the quickest way to see who is open in Cook County in a given week.

For what else is open in the cold months, see the North Shore in winter.

Check before you go

1. Confirm hours on the brewery's own site or by phone the day you go. Castle Danger: (218) 834-5800. Voyageur: 218-387-3163.
2. Plan food for Castle Danger: there is no kitchen, so bring something, order take-out or check its food truck schedule.
3. Build the drive around a sober driver. North Shore Visitor's mile log puts the two breweries roughly 80 miles apart.
4. For a group of more than a few people at Castle Danger, send the reservation request at least 30 days ahead, and not for a Saturday.
5. Bring a cooler if you plan to take growlers or crowlers home.

Related guides: All North Shore guides · Minnesota food and drink guides · Duluth to Grand Marais, stop by stop · Breweries in Duluth

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Sources

• Castle Danger Brewery, Home and Taproom pages: https://castledangerbrewery.com/ and https://castledangerbrewery.com/taproom/
• Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Food and Drink directory: https://business.lakecounty-chamber.com/list/category/food-and-drink-239
• Voyageur Brewing Company, Home page: https://www.voyageurbrewing.com/
• Voyageur Brewing Company, Taproom page: https://www.voyageurbrewing.com/taproom/
• Voyageur Brewing Company, Beer page: https://www.voyageurbrewing.com/beer/
• Gun Flint Tavern, Home page: https://www.gunflinttavern.com/
• North Shore Winery, Home page (hours): https://northshorewinery.us/
• Visit Cook County, Breweries and Wineries in Cook County: https://www.visitcookcounty.com/things-to-do/restaurants/breweries-wineries/
• Visit Cook County, Local Business Hours (restaurant hours sheet, November 2026): https://www.visitcookcounty.com/resources/local-business-hours/
• North Shore Visitor, Mile by Mile (secondary, for spacing): https://www.northshorevisitor.com/attractions/mile-by-mile/
• North Shore Visitor, Voyageur Brewing Company shop listing (secondary, address discrepancy): https://northshorevisitor.com/business/voyageur-brewing-company-shop/