Duluth breweries are clustered in a few pockets, making it easy to plan tastings. Between the city and its neighbor across the bridge, you’ll find more than a dozen producers pouring their own beer and cider. Most sit in three areas: Canal Park on the lake, downtown along Superior Street, and the Lincoln Park Craft District in the West End. The closest one, Canal Park Brewing, is about a 15-minute walk from our front door.
Our guide to Duluth breweries will help you decide where to go, what to order, and where to grab a bite. After your last tasting, return to a home base at the only lakefront Bed and Breakfast. Book your stay today!
The Best Duluth Breweries at a Glance
If you only have one afternoon, start at Canal Park Brewing for the lake view, then take a ten-minute rideshare to the Lincoln Park Craft District. There you can visit the lively taproom at Bent Paddle Brewing Co., listen to live music at Ursa Minor Brewing while sipping their Galactic Face Slap, and grab dinner at Clyde Iron Works with a Stiff Leg IPA. There are also two cider producers in Lincoln Park: Duluth Cider and Wild State Cider.
How Duluth Became a Craft Brewery Town
The short answer: Lake Superior.
Brewers have long prized the lake’s cold, soft water. The first brewery was established in Duluth in 1857, just one block from what’s now known as the Fitger’s complex, making beer one of the town’s oldest industries.
The modern era began in 1994, when Lake Superior Brewing opened. After its sudden closure in 2019, Duluthians Sarah and Seth Maxim bought it and reopened it in 2020 in the Lakeside-Lester Park neighborhood, where they grew up.
In between, the scene grew quickly. Bent Paddle opened in 2013, and the West End’s old warehouses filled with taprooms and cideries. The result: the Lincoln Park Craft District.
Duluth Breweries by Neighborhood
Canal Park: Breweries You Can Walk To
Canal Park Brewing (300 Canal Park Drive) is the obvious first stop, and not just because it’s closest to us. The patio faces the lake along the Lakewalk, so you can watch the freighters and Aerial Lift Bridge with a pint in hand. The family behind the brewery traces its brewing back to an ancestor who worked at Fitger’s in the 1940s. Try their award-winning Hank & Dabs Pale Ale or the Nit Hatchet Brown Ale. The full kitchen offers great food, perfect for a sunset dinner with a stunning view.
For more to do between pints, see our guide on things to do in Canal Park.
Downtown and the Fitger’s Complex
Downtown is a 20-minute walk up from Canal Park, or a slightly longer if you take the prettier stroll along the Lakewalk. Four Duluth breweries sit within a mile of each other along Superior Street.
Dubh Linn Irish Brew Pub (109 W. Superior St.) is a lively spot open Monday through Saturday. They are a nano brewery with a three-barrel system, located in a historic building. Try the Maple Amber or Harmon’s Killer Brew. If beer isn’t your thing, Dubh Linn is one of the top 40 restaurants for whiskey in the nation and has the best selection of Whiskey in the state.
Blacklist Brewing Co. (206 E. Superior St.) started in 2012 with Belgian-leaning ales and has since broadened into lagers and hard seltzer. The lively taproom features pinball machines, darts, and dedicated axe-throwing lanes.
Carmody Irish Pub & Brewing (308 E. Superior St.) produces Irish-style craft beer in a restored 19th-century horse stable, now a welcoming neighborhood pub.
Fitger’s Brewhouse (600 E. Superior St.) is located inside the historic Fitger’s complex, right on the Lakewalk. The Brewhouse Grille is a great spot to grab dinner, and the walk back along the lake is a great way to stretch your legs before retiring for the evening.
The Lincoln Park Craft District
The Lincoln Park Craft District is the West End stretch of West Superior Street and West Michigan Street, where old industrial buildings now house breweries, cideries, restaurants, and makers. It’s about a 10-minute drive from Canal Park. Duluth Cider, Ursa Minor, and Wild State Cider sit within about three blocks of each other.
Bent Paddle Brewing Co. (taproom at 1832 W. Michigan St.) is the name most people know, and its beer is sold across Minnesota. It opened in 2013, and the big, bright taproom is the place to try the 14° Amber Ale, Venture Pils, or Cold Press Black. There’s no kitchen. Bring food in or have it delivered, and in summer, food trucks park outside. We cover it in more depth in our Bent Paddle Brewing guide.
Ursa Minor Brewing (2415 W. Superior St.) releases more than 100 new beers a year, with a strong lean toward IPAs; the Galactic Face Slap Hazy IPA is a regular. The wood-fired pizza makes it one of the easiest breweries to settle into for an evening, and there’s live music on weekends. Read our full Ursa Minor Brewing guide.
Clyde Iron Works (2920 W. Michigan St.) runs its brewery inside a restaurant set in a historic industrial building. Order the Stiff Leg IPA or the Steam Skidder Stout with dinner.
Duluth Cider (2307 W. Superior St.) and Wild State Cider (2515 W. Superior St.) give non-beer drinkers a real reason to come along. Duluth Cider’s flights run from sweet to dry
Lakeside-Lester Park
Lake Superior Brewing (5324 E. Superior St.) is the comeback story. The city’s first modern craft brewery now has a full kitchen and a taproom in the neighborhood where its owners grew up. The Kayak Kolsch, one of the brewery’s original recipes, is back on tap alongside the Sir Duluth Oatmeal Stout. It sits right where the city gives way to the North Shore scenic drive, so it makes a natural lunch stop on the way up the shore.
Going farther? Castle Danger Brewery in Two Harbors is a worthwhile stop on a North Shore day trip, about 40 minutes from the inn.
Across the Bridge in Superior, WI
Superior is about 15 minutes away over the Blatnik Bridge, so plan this one as a drive or a rideshare rather than part of a walking crawl.
Earth Rider Brewery is an independently owned brewery focused on sustainability. Its Cedar Lounge taproom (1715 N. 3rd St.) regularly hosts live music.
Thirsty Pagan Brewing (1615 Winter St.) opened in 2006 and moved into Superior’s historic Soo Line Depot in 2019, built in 1908. It’s known for hearty pizza and live music most nights. The lineup includes the North Coast Amber, Derailed Ale, and a growing list of sours.
Breweries in Duluth with Food
Full kitchens: Canal Park Brewing, Fitger’s Brewhouse, Clyde Iron Works, Lake Superior Brewing, Dubh Linn, and Carmody all offer dinner.
Pizza-focused brewpubs: Ursa Minor has great wood-fired pizza, and Thirsty Pagan.
Bring your own or order in: Bent Paddle welcomes outside food and delivery and offers food trucks in the warmer months.
If you prefer a sit-down meal before or after your tastings at Duluth breweries, see our guides to where to eat in Duluth and our list of favorite Canal Park restaurants.
Beyond Beer: Duluth’s Cideries and Distilleries
Duluth pours more than a pint of craft beer. For cider, Duluth Cider and Wild State Cider both sit in the Lincoln Park Craft District, a few blocks from each other.
For spirits, Vikre Distillery is in Canal Park, a short walk from Solglimt. Its cocktail room is a great choice for date night.
Stay at a Bed & Breakfast After Visiting Duluth Breweries
The best part of a brewery weekend is not having to think about the drive home. Solglimt is Duluth’s only lakefront Bed and Breakfast, with 120 feet of private sandy beach, one block from the Aerial Lift Bridge, and a short walk from Canal Park Brewing.
End the night by the fireplace, or up on the rooftop deck watching the harbor lights. Then wake up to a three-course breakfast made with local ingredients before heading out for round two in Lincoln Park.
Book your stay and let us point you to our favorite pint.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best breweries in Duluth, Minnesota?
Canal Park Brewing has the best lake view, Bent Paddle is the city’s best-known brewery, and Ursa Minor pairs creative IPAs with wood-fired pizza. For history and atmosphere, Fitger’s Brewhouse sits in the historic Fitger’s complex on the Lakewalk. Together, they cover the three main brewery neighborhoods.
Which Duluth breweries can you walk to from Canal Park?
Canal Park Brewing is right on the Lakewalk in Canal Park. From there, it’s about a 30-minute walk along the Lakewalk to Fitger’s Brewhouse. Downtown’s Dubh Linn, Blacklist, and Carmody are each roughly a 20-minute walk up Lake Avenue and Superior Street.
Are there Duluth breweries with food?
Yes. Canal Park Brewing, Fitger’s Brewhouse, Clyde Iron Works, Lake Superior Brewing, Dubh Linn, and Carmody all have kitchens. Ursa Minor serves wood-fired pizza. Bent Paddle has no kitchen, but it welcomes outside food and hosts food trucks in summer.
What distilleries and cideries are in Duluth, MN?
Vikre Distillery makes its own spirits and runs a cocktail room in Canal Park. For cider, Duluth Cider and Wild State Cider both have taprooms on West Superior Street in the Lincoln Park Craft District, a few blocks apart.
What is the Lincoln Park Craft District?
It’s a West End neighborhood where former industrial buildings along West Superior and West Michigan streets now house breweries, cideries, and restaurants. It’s about a 10-minute drive or rideshare from Canal Park, and several of its taprooms are close enough to walk between.
What’s the best Duluth brewery for a date night?
Canal Park Brewing at sunset is hard to beat: a lake-view patio, a full dinner menu, and a short walk back to your room. For a cozier evening, Dubh Linn’s historic setting and whiskey list make it a quieter downtown pick.