10 Best Breweries and Beer Places in Hamilton

"Aside from being a brewery, Merit Brewing is also a bottle shop and a kitchen that offers good food. They work hard to represent the art and character of Hamilton in each food, each beer as well as every experience they share with people. Their culinary and brewing techniques are inspired by the tradition that pushes aromas and flavors to speak on why they brew."

"When it comes to the perfect location in Hamilton for a craft brewery, MERIT nailed it. Another newcomer within the past year, this brewery is located right at James and Wilson across from the August 8 plaza. This one’s for the real craft beer nerds as they are constantly experimenting with their brews and do little to appeal to the casual beer fan."

"Merit Brewing first opened in May, 2017 and was founded by Tej Sandhu, Aaron Spinney, and Jesse Vallins. Tej and Aaron met in Hamilton while attending school. After their careers had them living apart the duo decided the time was right to create the brewery they dreamed of years ago."

"Fairweather has only been open since May of 2017 but they have already established themselves as one of the top breweries in the city. They have ten taps with a constantly rotating selection of beers ranging from IPAs to sours, saisons to porters. If you find yourself in the McMaster area, this and Grain & Grit (only a two minute walk away) are musts for grabbing your craft beer fix."

"This newer arrival to the west end is committed to both creativity and tradition. Visitors have a tough choice choosing between favourites like American Oat Porter and High Grade American IPA in a warehouse-based taproom. After sampling, take home some souvenir bottles, howlers (32 oz.) or growlers (64 oz.)."

"This brewery features a bottle shop and taproom, including a patio with 60 seats as well as 10,000 sq. ft. brewing facility. They offer different types of beer like oak-aged and fruited beers, classic continental lagers, IPAs, silky stouts and porters, and more."

"Craft beer fans in Dundas love the lagershed line of craft beers at Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. on 65 Hatt St. Shawn Till and Ed Madronich restored this historic Dundas brick building for their brewery. The building was 150 years old and badly needed work. The masthead out front shows 65 Hatt Street was originally built as a curling and skating rink."

"A successful Kickstarter campaign helped kick off brewing operations in this old ice rink in downtown Dundas. The result is a spacious tasting room with gorgeous soaring ceilings and large tables for gathering and sipping. Of note is their award-winning Barrelshed series – beers aged in wine barrels to give them a unique character."

"Clifford has been providing delicious beer to nearly a hundred licensed establishments since 2015. However, in a way they are the newest brewery on this list as they just moved into a permanent location on Nash Road only a few months ago. It will be open to the public later this January and I’m excited to see what new beers they come up with."

"Brad Clifford first launched Clifford Brewing Company in Hamilton in January, 2015. The new brewery opened in the Fall of 2017, while its taproom and retail store welcomed guests in 2018. The space was formerly a mattress factory and when purchased was just an open industrial space."

"The Hearty Hooligan does locally-sourced, from-scratch vegan cooking in their Ottawa Street cafe and bakery, and a tagline on their website says it all very simply: “keeping vegan trashy.”. That tagline is pretty fitting: one glance at their menu makes it clear that this ain’t your grandma’s vegan food. If you never thought you’d see fresh, thick & delicious pizza bagels or mac ‘n cheese burritos among a vegan restaurant’s offerings, then grab one of their signature cocktails or local craft beer selections and get ready to have your mind blown by The Hearty Hooligan."

"Known for carrying all vegan products, this Ottawa Street North store serves up some seriously good vegan ice cream. All of their ice cream is coconut milk based and made locally by Rudy’s. The flavours available at The Hearty Hooligan are always changing; the ice cream they serve depends on which ingredients are in season."

"Get ready to have your mind blown: Rise Above Pizzeria is serving up seriously stellar vegan alternatives to your favourite Friday night indulgences. A spin-off of the immensely popular St. Catharines eatery of the same name, Rise Above Pizzeria is already exceeding pizza lovers’ expectations, and doing so with not a shred of cheese or scrap of meat in sight. The tangy, smokey, and oh-so-satisfying Buffalo Wing Pizza is a stand-out on Rise Above’s current menu of pies, but in some ways, the main attraction here are the incredible seitan wings, slathered in flavourful house-made sauces."

"Rise Above Pizzeria, an offshoot of a restaurant and cafe in St. Catharines, is pure pizza and wings heaven. The intensely flavourful food options are unfailingly filling, the portions are huge, and the ingredients and toppings are fresh as can be. Did I mention that the entire menu is also 100% vegan?"

"Cozy and delicious, you already know that a tasteful place like Work Progress Kitchen is located along James Street North. A dim-lit eatery that offers a small yet unique menu of glob cuisine, this spot is more proof as to why Hamilton’s James Street North is the absolute best strip for food and beverages."