Castle Danger 17-7 Pale Ale Review

Name: Castle Danger 17-7 Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5.8%

Since the last time I took a look at anything from Castle Danger Brewing, they have opened up their new brewery and taproom overlooking Lake Superior in Two Harbors, MN; Check it out if you have not done so yet. They have also started canning their beer for distribution and at the time of writing, they're available here in Duluth and along the North Shore as well as a few locations down in the Twin Cities.

To commemorate this joyous occasion of having their beer not being just growler or draft only, I've taken it upon myself to get a couple of cans for review. The first one I'll be looking at is their 17-7 Pale Ale, named after the address in which the brewery is located at.

17-7 pours a clear dark orange color with some moderate carbonation. The head is nice and foamy with some abundant lacing.

The nose starts off with a fairly strong floral hoppiness upfront with some potent yeastiness. There is a solid caramel malt backbone in here too and some mild citra hops tucked away in the back.

Flavor-wise, it is pretty floral hop forward which is backed up by some yeasts and caramel maltiness. On the back end of the palate is where I'm picking up on some mild grapefruit/citrus hop notes and light toffee sweetness with a lingering bitter hop aftertaste.

Confession time, APAs are my favorite recreational beer to drink when I'm in the mood for just kicking back and relaxing. With that said, 17-7 would be one of my first choices when doing just that. Plus there's a lot more going on in the flavor than the nose leads you to believe. I have to say that Castle Danger has made a fine product that will no doubt have beer drinkers coming back for more.

Castle Danger 17-7 Pale Ale - 9.5/10

Castle Danger Double Crossing IPA Review

Name: Castle Danger Double Crossing IPA
Style: Imperial IPA
ABV: 9.1%

Last weekend, I made the drive up the shore to Castle Danger Brewing to grab myself a growler of beer. Since it was a nice, sunny spring day as opposed to a snowstorm that I've come to expect, I decided to drive with the windows rolled down while taking in the breeze. Along the way, I stopped by the site of the new brewery and I have to say it's come quite a way considering that it was an empty parking lot not even 8 months ago. Since it'll be opening in the very near future, I can't wait to see the end results!

While I was at the brewery, I noticed a new offering called Double Crossing, which just so happened to be an Imperial IPA. I feel like its been awhile since I've had a good Imperial IPA (and a local one at that) I decided to give this one a go. Plus I was quite pleased with the last IPA offering I had from them. So with my growler buckled in, I made the drive back to my place of residence and picked up some Do North Pizza for dinner.

Double Crossing pours a hazy orange color with a thin filmy head. The lacing left behind on the sides of the glass is moderate and the visible carbonation is fairly mild.

The nose is best described as a blast of citrus hops, tangerines, mangoes, apricots, and a solid caramel maltiness. Overall, it's a very fruity aroma.

The flavor retains most of what was found in the nose. It starts out with a mix of citrus hops, mango, apricot, caramel and a strong malty backbone which provides a solid foundation for the flavors. The aftertaste is fairly malty with a mild hint of apricot. The body is on the heavier side and the carbonation intensity is pretty mild, giving it a fairly creamy feel.

Once again, it's another great beer from Castle Danger. It's got just enough flavor to give hop-heads the fix they are looking for, yet at the same time, I can see this beer being an excellent segway to introduce people to the Imperial IPA style. I know I've said this before, but pick up a growler and see for yourself!

Castle Danger Double Crossing IPA - 9.25/10

Castle Danger Local Fresh Hop IPA Review

Name: Castle Danger Local Fresh Hop IPA
Style: India Pale Ale
ABV: 7%

Earlier this year when I was visiting Duluth, I did a review of Castle Danger Brewing's George Hunter Stout and found it to be quite good. Well now that I'm living in Duluth, I think I'll be going back there more, just like I did last weekend! It was a cold windy and rainy afternoon that was reminiscent of a Nor'Easter we had just a few weeks ago. We were north of Two Harbors when it started picking up and we could feel the wind push on the car. But lo and behold we had made it.

While I was at the brewery (you can find the pictures in my George Hunter Review), I had the chance to talk with Clint MacFarlane and his plans for the new brewery that's scheduled to be open for business in Spring 2014. During this time, we talked about the Fresh Hop IPA he had made with Cascade Hops and Brewer's Gold hops made locally from Brule, WI. Since I've been craving a good Wet Hop IPA, and a local one nonetheless, I decided to make it my growler of choice for the visit.

Local Fresh Hop IPA pours a nice clear orange color with a soapy filmy head, sparse lacing and high amount of visible carbonation.

The aroma gives off a fairly pungent caramel malt and citrus hop scent with some grapefruit and grassy notes. While not particularly complex, each component is vibrant in it's own way.

Citrus hops, caramel malts and grapefruits are fairly prominent in the flavor with a bittersweet resiny aftertaste. Much like the aroma, it's not what I'd call complex but still very vibrant for what it is. On top of that, it actually has that wet hop taste that has been eluding me for a while!

The body itself is pretty lightweight but contrary to my earlier observations, the carbonation is actually quite mild. On top of that, it's got a very smooth & creamy texture, giving it extra points in terms of drinkability.

Local Fresh Hop IPA is an incredibly smooth & well-balanced wet hop IPA. At the same time, it isn't overwhelming either like others in the same category. I would consider this to be a very approachable wet hop IPA and I could definitely see this being a regular visitor in my fridge. Make the trip up to the brewery, grab a growler and see for yourself.

Castle Danger Local Fresh Hop IPA - 9/10