No wait times as we walked into the restaurant which was nice. We had our dog with us so we went to the patio in the back. Food and drink orders were taken inside, once our order is replaced they brought out our food. We had to bring out our own flights though. They filled up our dogs water dish on the super hot day! Some different varieties of beers offered. Some of them were really tasty and different! Food was really good. I wish they had table service. A cute brewery to try out when you're in Hamilton! read more

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Beer was excellent. We had 2 flights and couldn't find a favorite, they were all that good. Service was very fun and friendly read more

Merit Brewing - Beer - Breweries Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

I spent a pleasant two hours here, the limit of the time on the meter that I had to feed around the corner. In that time, I enjoyed two beers, a bucket of house-made pickles and write up a bunch of Yelp reviews. Merit is a casual vibe but urban with "community" tables throughout. Order at the counter and take your beer with you. And they will bring your food to the table. Lots of food options and they all look delicious but I managed to stuff myself with pickles. Oops. [Review 1466 of 2024 - 143 in Ontario - 22489 overall] read more

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Great local brewery within walking distance of the Sheraton. I had their Ultra Summer which is a witbier very much a Hefeweizen. Was very refreshing on this hot day. Great relaxed atmosphere with good as well. Give them a try. read more

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A Light Bulb just goes on in my head (a moment of sudden inspiration, revelation, or recognition) when I was sampling beers at Merit Brewing. Love their logo! And I do love to be inspired! The interior is spacious and bright. A lot of natural lighting from the large windows at the storefront and of course all these industrial light bulbs gives the place a nice warm glow. You have a choice to do a flight or order individual sampling for what they have on tap. We opt for the later as quite a few of the beers has a high ABV Content but all quite easy drinking. Great place to chill and have a drink or some snacks. The location is great if you are staying or visiting Downtown Hamilton. read more

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This place is incredibly serious about their covid procedures and so I'm confident in being here. That's good because their beer is amazing! I've gone here twice and managed to sample a lot. Their Earl Gray Tripel and the Salted Tequila Lime Gose are both out of this world and great brews to sit back and enjoy. Also, they should open up a Merit Sausage company or something. Extremely flavourful juicy sausages like the butter chicken and sticky rib with the perfect accompaniments. Their beef tallow fries are to die for as well. I'm making it a tradition to come here whenever I'm in Hamilton. Easy parking across the street too. read more

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Terrible service, rude bartenders and my card got cloned when I paid debit. Avoid this place if you have any other option.

Friendly and informed staff. Nice atmosphere & good beer. Well done establishment. Go check it out, these people appreciate the business. read more

This brewery is very modern and has a great outdoor patio. I tried one of their "girly" beers and we had some snacks. It's a nice place to go with nice service in downtown Hamilton. read more

Came by on a Saturday night and pretty much stayed till closing. Really great place to hangout for drinks and food! We got the nacho fries with the lime crema on the side and 2 beers! The stout (unwritten) was so good!! Fashionably Late had an odd aftertaste. The fries are were delicious and I'd like to try out their plant based sausages next time. The vibe is fun and the space is pretty cool too. I'd come back here again if I'm ever back in Hamilton! read more

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Merit was nice! Large open space and clean. Solid beer selection even though i wasnt a huge fan of the one i had.. still a nice place! Food too! read more

Seat yourself and order at the bar when you're ready! Like every other place, server's level of friendliness depends on the server. Only 1 chick seemed to have an attitude problem, making eye contact with me several times, but not serving me, otherwise the rest of the ladies were quite friendly! It didn't seem that busy to me, but it took quite some time for me to get my flight of beers after I ordered. It seemed like a good 10-15min wait. Dunno what's the hold up of just looking at the order sheet and pulling down on a few levers. Just ok in my books. Crowd is young and it seemed like quite a happening place. Tap room is loud though, so don't expect to have a conversation here. read more

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Hamilton keeps getting better, what a change over the past decade. The restaurants, breweries. Shopping is still lacking. This brewery is a great downtown location! And really good options, also the food looked very good. read more

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GO HERE. Preferably at night. But GO HERE. Great beer, nice patio, food is great. Honestly is a real nice spot in the Hammer. read more

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Cool place! Very hipster local favorite. Craft beer and hand made sausages. Doesn't sound like much but hit all the right points. Good beer selection, plenty of choices of different sausages, including vegetarian. Fries were great. Staff were friendly and excellent service! read more

Merit Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

This brewery is great! My boyfriend and I stopped by for a flight on a Sunday afternoon. They have a good range of beers (IPAs, gose, sours, etc) and we really enjoyed the ones we tried. My favourites were the Chanan (a "french table beer") and Between Us (a light gose). We didn't try the food but it looked good, too. You go up to order at the bar and depending what you order you bring it back with you or it will be delivered to your table. The space is really beautiful - large footprint, huge tall ceilings and windows, dark woods, edison bulbs. There's a little bottle shop behind the bar (to your left when entering through the front doors) that sells large-format bottles, growlers, and some clothing. Staff was friendly and polite. Would love to go back if I'm in Hamilton again! read more

Merit Brewing - Beer flight at Merit - Breweries Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

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Love the atmosphere - big high ceilings inside and a great patio in the back. We sat outside and had a flight. Food menu also looked great, the sausages smelled amazing. My friends had some and lived them. Would definitely come back. read more

My friend and I were trying to find a fun spot to have a drink and thank good ness we found this place. Although this is a brewery we went with the cab and it was great for the only red option. Sad we weren't hungry because the food menu actually looked delicious. My friend is new to the area and we struggled to find a place to just chill and have a drink until Merit. Will definitely be back. Can someone please tell me where more places like this in Hamilton are? read more

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I loved the vibe of this place. The design is very industrial with contrasting black and white pieces and some gorgeous wooden accents. I did a flight of 4 beers: small world, young rival, repeat after me, and nowhere. I loved the small world and it was my favourite. The young rival had a strange smell but it was still yummy. Repeat after me was a bit bland for me but I liked the dryness. Nowhere was amazing; I am not usually a stout person but it was light bodied and had a lot of vanilla come through and the fact that it was 9.6% blew me away. I am giving this place 4 stars because they were very slow to serve me and the bartender seemed unhappy to be working but he was still very helpful once he decided to help. If you're ever in Hamilton give this place a go. read more

Merit Brewing - First brewery stop - Breweries Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

Fine beers. Enjoyed the Cali Milkshake IPA. Could have done without the chocolate drizzle looking etching on the glasses and all the moms pushing strollers. read more

The flight selection was great. Beers are brewed well and the aesthetic was appealing. Open late which is nice as well. Their stout was very smooth and their lagers were tasty as well. The options for wheat beers were a little limited but it is a good spot. Finger foods were served well too! read more

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Went for a date night with Boyfriend that just happened to coincide with February 14th. The aim was to enjoy a few brews (especially their chai stout, Unwritten) and do a writing activity. After reading the reviews, I was leery about the amount of noise that might flop and bounce around the room, and had actually pushed a bit to go elsewhere for writing. Boyfriend wanted beer. So. To Merit we went. And, actually, it really wasn't that loud. It was about half full, and people were definitely talking and having a good time, but the noise was definitely manageable. And, even if it had been horridly loud, the deliciousness of the beer would have compensated. My personal favourites included Unwritten, No Where, and SVP. Next time, definitely intend to try the food. read more

Very cute brewery in downtown Hamilton. Had about 10 beers to choose from as well as cider and wine. They had two wine flavored beers which were pretty good. Thry also have a good menu. We had the garlic pickles, pickled veggies, and nacho fries. All were good. Staff was friendly. Worth a visit read more

Fun spot to enjoy a few pints with friends. They have a few large tables which makes it very accommodating. If you come alone or as a couple you will most likely have to join another party but it encourages mingling and is very welcoming. They have an impressive beer menu, the young rival ipa and evermore pilsner were my favourites. That being said they have a good mixture of beer for a variety of palettes. Unfortunately we didn't have any food but we will be back. Very cool decor with an awesome story behind the name and logo. The staff were friendly and super knowledgeable. The bottle shop girl was very welcoming and told us our options for taking some beer home. They kindly fill any regular size growler, which is nice so that we didn't have to purchase another one. Merit brewery is often pack when I walk by, I now know why. read more

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Brilliant beer...the Ipa's are among the best I've ever had. The food is out of this world. You gotta go if you call yourself a beer fan!!!!!!! read more

Food: Good. Beers: Good. Bathrooms: Well thought out. Staff: Good The issue with this space is that the interior decorators made a fatal mistake: They built a glass and concrete room and did not install any sound dampening whatsoever. Concrete and glass do not absorb sound, so if the space has a bunch of people in it it is crushingly loud. One time I tried to go there with a friend, we were going to pop in for a beer on a weekend afternoon. The place was about half full and brutal to our ears, so we simply left instantly. read more

new, spacious, high-ceiling brewpub on one of hamilton's coolest streets. the decor is dark and sleek, giving the venue somewhat of a classy feel. love the bench seating. they don't have the most expansive tap list, but there are plenty of options for both the novice and seasoned beer drinkers. i tried: - yardarm lime ipa: delicious ipa with extra citrusy kick from the lime, a great summer brew - chanan saison: the coriander came through really strongly in this one, and while it may not be a beer for a lot of people, i enjoyed it - here & there pale ale: a really light and easy-going pale with just enough hop presence - real real sour saison: great stuff, the tartness gets balanced out by strong honey flavours and a raspberry-like finish - tomorrows tripel: brewed with earl grey, this experimental belgian-style beer had spicy, floral, and vanilla flavours, plus excellent body didn't have any food during my visit, but the menu is VERY intriguing. would love to come back to try more new beers and probably some of their sausages read more

I like grabbing a beer on the way home from this place. They usually have a good selection of beers in the fridge, unfortunately most of them are sour beers and not nearly enough stouts or some of their more wild flavours. When they have them available the sausages or their spicy mustard is a great addition to cooking at home and they are just delicious. My problem is the main seating area is horrendously loud, even when there is only a few people in there the place is way too loud and it makes it hard to sit down and have a beer with friends and hear anything. read more

It was cute. We just stopped in for a beer - Nowhere it was called - a porter I believe. Very tasty beer. The beers are all served in wine glasses which none of the dudes seemed to mind and I quite liked. The seating is like a beer hall, super casual. We had our drink at the bar. Service was very friendly. read more

First time. We will absolutely be back. Great lunchtime experience. I am a gnarly, cynical food customer and cannot abide mediocrity. Today I was really impressed with the whole concept and delivery - environment, servers, space, food and yes, the beer. The place was jammed and the friendly, limited staff carried out service faultlessly. The limited menu focusing on delicious sausages (meat and beyond) is unique, well thought out and the ordering and service works. The beer is to come back for. A bright, happy, noisy place where they make you feel that you want to be a regular. read more

Went with my girlfriend for a tour/tasting and was very impressed. The food was delicious and the beer was just as impressive. We each had a flight of beers and ended up leaving with a few bottles. We were also very impressed with everyone we dealt with from the wait staff to the owner. Everyone was very courteous and knowledgeable amd that made the experience that much better. Will definitely be going back and recommending to everyone. read more

This review and rating is based on my first time experience at Merit Brewery. As a relatively new establishment in Hamilton, I wanted to check out Merit Brewery's unique brews. When I read of beer offerings on their website, suggestive of taking in the aroma of chai tea, or a creamsicle, as someone who likes to try out these kinds of craft brews as a sensory experience, I was willing to make it a mission out of Toronto to try some of these brews out. It is advised to check their instagram page for their latest beer and take-home sausage offerings before going to Merit. As I came from out of the city, I was *really* looking forward to purchasing some sausages to take home, but was told by an employee that it's best to check the brewery's instagram page for any new products coming out. As well, sausage offerings are typically done on long weekends. Alas, I was a weekend too early (next weekend is Family Day weekend) and the cheddar smokies were already sold out in the bottle shop. If you're a fairly equal-opportunity sausage eater, the sausage offerings upon glance of the menu would make you indecisive at first! I ended up ordering the butter chicken sausage and a flight of four 4oz beers from their current rotation. Of the beers in my flight order, Merit's flagship IPA, "Young Rival", is as citrusy as it is hoppy, and makes for an excellent pairing with the butter chicken sausage! I'm not crazy for IPAs, but from this dining experience, I would be open to having IPAs if it enhances the flavour of what I'm eating between sips. In addition, as a fairly regular tea-drinker, I gravitated towards the "Unwritten" chai milk stout (read: I ended up sniffing my drink more than taking sips because the vanilla chai aroma was spot on and made for a nice relaxant). I particularly love being in environments that encourage a down-to-earth nature. I believe Merit offers such an environment. Tunes playing at the establishment made for a nice backdrop for great conversation (although as typical of a place like Merit, I had to raise my voice a bit for the person within earshot to hear me over others talking and the music), and fit the look of the place (think dark walnut coloured painted benches, the lone palm plant sitting by the bar, and industrial style suspended lighting). The bench seating served to encourage conversation among other patrons. A buddy and I ended up talking with some women at our bench who were also from Toronto, wanting to try a food and drink establishment such as the one we were at (there was a long queue at the place they originally wanted to go to). Even the rules of how to navigate your experience at Merit are painted on one of the walls, with one of the rules suggesting that you "make a friend, share a table"; however, as you will read on, display of these "rules" may be ineffective for a first-time patron. I wish I could give this place a better rating on food and drink alone, but there were two things that justified the 3-star rating: 1. The experience of walking in as a first-time patron: a) Upon walking in, I was confused as to how my time at Merit should start. There was no employee waiting on patrons coming in. My buddy and I ended up walking towards an empty bench. I had deduced that there were probably no wait staff on hand as I looked for a menu. The menu I grabbed from a frame indeed listed their food and drink offerings, but it took us a bit to figure out we had to order at the bar first (the menu mentioned to order at the bar). b) On the wall that does not face patrons coming into the establishment, lists the "instructions" of navigating the place, which asks you to order beer and food at the bar, and then to seat yourself. These instructions could have been placed on a more conspicuous wall for first-time patrons coming in. Funnily enough, as a first-time patron entering the threshold leading to the dining area, the instructions on this wall were listed meters above my head. I don't know about the lot of you, but I don't usually go out of my way to crane my neck upward to notice things minutes upon sitting in a dining area. It only took me about half an hour into my time at Merit to really notice the instructions on that wall. b) Food prep staff dropped the ball on the side order of pickles I ordered! The pickles include seasonal vegetables and quail eggs. My order did not include the quail eggs. The patrons who were beside us that came in after more than half my time there had quail eggs in their pickles order. Even though I hadn't noticed the lack of eggs in my order until I saw the patrons beside me with theirs, I mentioned this mishap in passing to an employee cleaning the bench upon leaving, to not much of a response that I had construed as a lack of care. Not even a courteous apology was given! I hope this review was helpful to anyone wanting to try this place out for the first time and may you benefit from an experience at Merit Brewing having read of my experience. read more

amazing ！！double ipa！！yammy！take away to my hotel,share with my friends!what a beautiful night ! read more

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Delicious food and even better beer! I had three different beers a farmhouse, IPA and a stout. They were all perfect. The sausage I got was also great. Would totally recommend this place to anyone! Prices were perfectly fair. read more

Delicious, creative sausages (my favorites were the Butter Chicken and the Nashville Hot Chicken), crispy fries, zesty pickles, and fresh beer. What more could you ask for? I liked all three of the IPAs they were pouring (including two milkshake IPAs). Even their green salad was delicious. I highly recommend their food and beer. read more

When my partner and I went to Merit it was very crowded. There were a lot of people standing in front of the bar waiting for seats to become available. Because of this, we had to push through people to get to the bar just to place our order. It was also so loud that we could not have a conversation at our table. Also, the food was quite overpriced. They were out of the falafel sausage so I ordered a salad which was $8 or $9 for just some iceberg lettuce with a few pieces of pickle and a couple of chickpeas on top. My partner said the sausage he ordered was okay. Overall, it would be great if it was simply a bar, but trying to order food at the bar seems uncomfortable. It would benefit greatly from waiters taking food orders. read more

All the quality, none of the pretentiousness. Fantastic, unique new brews to try and a deliciously simple menu, all wrapped up in a fun atmosphere. Great staff, great building, great new hotspot. read more