Owner Dave Hoops hosts final pour as Duluth Canal Park brewery closes

Owner and founder Dave Hoops hosted a final pour at his Canal Park taproom on Feb 24, 2026, and the brewery closed its doors that evening after nearly a decade in business. The event marked the end of one of Duluth’s long-running Canal Park breweries.

The farewell gathering drew longtime customers, staff, and neighborhood regulars to the taproom for the final service. Organizers described the crowd as well-attended, with people who have patronized the brewery over the years coming to the Canal Park space to say goodbye.

Hoops founded the brewery nearly a decade ago and operated the Canal Park location through seasonal tourism cycles and steady local patronage. The closure removes a fixture that had been part of the waterfront mix in Duluth’s Canal Park area, where restaurants, hotels, and attractions draw both residents and visitors.

Employees were on hand for the final pour, joining Hoops and regulars in the taproom as the last rounds were served on Feb 24. Staff presence at the farewell underscored that the decision affected people who worked behind the bar and in the taproom operations over the years.

With the final pour completed and the doors closed, the Canal Park taproom that Dave Hoops opened will no longer operate as a brewery. The Feb 24 closing brings a nearly ten-year chapter in Canal Park’s飲food and drink scene to an end, after the well-attended goodbye hosted by the founder.