Just Travellin’ Brew
with a craft beer tour of Niagara Region
We love craft beer! One of our favourite activities to do on the weekend is to take day trips to check out local craft breweries. In the past few years, small-batch breweries have started popping up all over the Niagara Region. Making it an excellent place for a fun brew-themed day trip. To help you plan your own craft beer tour in the Niagara region, here are some of our favourite places to go for a pint:
Brimstone Brewing Co.
Brimstone Brewing co. is located in a historic old converted church in the quaint town of Ridgeway. Taking their cues from the building, they use religious iconography, symbolism, and phrasing as the basis for their concept. When you order a flight of their beer, it is served to you on a wooden cross, and you can sample a variety of 5 of their brews – including IPAs, ales, and stouts. Don’t forget to try some of their one-offs and seasonal brews for a special treat. Brimstone Brewing also offers an excellent selection of foods you can enjoy with your pint, either inside the brewhouse or out on the patio. Their taproom kitchen contains a fantastic selection of sandwiches, tacos, charcuterie, and shareable items focusing on fresh and local ingredients.
Stop by and enjoy a good brew and get a growler of your favourite to take home.
Taps on Queen
Downtown Niagara Falls is where you will find Taps on Queen, a brewpub offering a selection of typical pub classics such as burgers, sandwiches, wings, fish & chips, and stir-fries. All items are done with a bit of a twist. You can enjoy your meal with one of their craft beers that are brewed right on site, including an ale, lager, IPA, and wit. While their in-house brews are not vast, what they have is well-crafted and can be enjoyed while you listen to live music, which they frequently have inside or on the patio. Taps brewhouse and grill is a great place to enjoy a nice meal of locally inspired foods and a refreshing cold brew. I recommend purchasing a growler of your favourite beer to take home for later.
Niagara Brewing Company
Visitors to Niagara Falls, Ontario, will eventually find themselves on Clifton Hill at some point in their trip. Here you will find Niagara Brewing Co., a massive brewery near the base of the hill. They also have an outdoor patio, often with singers/performers entertaining the patrons. Their regular beer offerings include a lager, IPA, amber, stout, peach raddler, and more. They often have other seasonal options to try at different times of the year, including a fantastic pumpkin spice ale. While they focus on beer, they also offer a small menu of food items to enjoy while there. This brewery is in the heart of the Niagara Falls tourism district. It can be bustling as it is a popular destination for many visitors and locals. Parking can also be a real challenge.
Silversmith Brewing
Breweries located in historic churches are a match made in heaven. In the picturesque town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Silversmith is one such place and is a beautiful place to enjoy a craft brew. Their regular beer selection includes a black lager, golden ale, breakfast wheat, English Pale ale, and a seasonal Saison, which is often in limited release, giving you an excuse to return often. Mason is a restaurant located in the brewery, and they offer up a small selection of gourmet dishes that are light, fresh, and delicious. Enjoy a pint of one of Silversmith’s brews with one of the delightful globally-inspired meals that Mason is serving up.
Come often to try the different seasonal brews, the fantastic service, and the relaxed environment at Silversmith in Niagara On the Lake.
Niagara Oast House Brewers
While in Niagara-on-the-Lake, look for the big red barn, and you will find Oast House Brewery. This brewhouse has a huge selection of craft beer on tap and in bottles. Their selections of beers include:
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- The Farmhouse collection of ales
- Rural route series are brews made with very local farm-fresh ingredients from the area
- series of semi-rotational options.
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With such a large selection available, it will be hard to choose your favourite. So take some bottles, cans, or a growler home to try them all. When you visit, enjoy a meal from the Brush Fire Smoke BBQ for some fantastic food. The food at Brushfire is an excellent authentic BBQ, smoked meats, and sides made on-site. Visit Oast House’s website regularly for announcements on upcoming events, including shin digs, live music, and much more.
The Exchange Brewery
Located in the heart of the picturesque village of Niagara-on-the-lake, you will find The Exchange Brewery in a historic building. This brewhouse has upward of 15 options of suds on tap and in bottles. Options include ales, porters, witbier, sours, Saison, and stouts. I recommend ordering a flight of 6 of their beer to try a variety to find your favourites. They also have a small menu of items such as a cheese board, shareable sandwiches, charcuterie, and other things to nibble on while you are there.
Bench Brewing Company
In the heart of Niagara wine country is one of the newest breweries on the block. Bench Brewing Company is a considerable brewhouse in Beamsville. They have many beers on tap and many more available in their retail store. You can enjoy a cold brew with your friends inside the pub or on the patio. The Kitchen at Bench has an excellent menu of unique meal options for you to enjoy with your pint. The food is made from seasonal items focused on local ingredients.
In a 3-acre field behind the brewery, Bench grows their own hops on-site to create their beer.
Other breweries worth adding to your craft beer tour of the Niagara Peninsula are:
BreakWall Brewing Co in Port Colborne, Lock Street Brewing Company in St Catharines, and Kame & Kettle in Fonthill, all of which we have never been to. However, we have enjoyed their beer at craft beer festivals, such as Brew at the Zoo at Safari Niagara, & Albino Rhino beer festival. You can find them at other craft beer festivals around Ontario.
You can plan a day of visiting the craft breweries in Niagara on your own (just have a designated driver) or take a planned tour with Bootleggers beer, wine, and distillery tours.
