Barrel Heart Brewing — Restaurant in Hamilton

We were interested in the Barrel heart brewing for a while. So my granddaughter and I went to scope it out for friends and family. We went on the Taco Tuesday. Since reservations seemed important, I called ahead and made a reservation for 4:15. Parking was easy, walking up to the brewery also nice. The smell of the BBQ, sunshine, Mexican music playing. We got there at 4:15 the place was empty except for 2 tables. I stated that we had a reservation. We were led to the far dark corner to a table with perfect view of the dishwasher, right next to kitchen. I asked if there was another table. No, but don’t worry its not too loud next to kitchen. Whoa, I did not know I reserved the worst table in the restaurant. Ok, we are there to eat and try the beer and mocktails and cocktails ignore dishwasher. For some reason the owner came back and said you know what, you can have the table over by the coat rack, that table is not reserved until 2 hours from now. Well, it doesn’t take us 2 hours to eat. So now, at least we have some windows around us, we can handle sitting under the coat hangers. We then ordered a cocktail and asked for one of the special fruit drinks. I got a nice cocktail that Andres from Casa Pinata made. My daughter got a can of cider. Although good, we thought she would get a mocktail of the special offering. Food was meh, served on thin paper plates, the shrimp and steak were good and I appreciate they are using corn tacos. But the salsa was from grocery shelf in a lil plastic thing. Atmosphere was off. Owner did not engage with his customers. We were going to bring beer home for the men, but since owner was not interested talking about his beer, we stopped by somewhere else. With a 15% tip we spent 88 dollars for 2 servings of Taco, 1 cocktail, 1 small glass of beer and 1 can of cider. And unfortunately, it was an awkward outing. When we left at 5:15 there were only 3 tables occupied. The take home from that experience is…..dont make reservations, its for the worst table in an empty restaurant, don’t get your hopes up for a nice atmosphere in a cozy brewery - it is not. If you are interested in buying beer in bottles to take home, its not the place, he does not talk...

UPDATE: Barrel Heart has a great new(er) taproom in downtown Dundas! It's still the same great beer and service, but much more space and a dog-friendly patio! As a creature of habit, I had Cherries aged like grace again - I'll try to branch out the next time.

Thanks, Mark!

August 31, 2024 C & J

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Fantastic experience at Barrel Heart! Met and chatted with the proprietor, Mark, who, with his wife, run the brewery. His passion for and knowledge of brewing is very clear. Indeed, he is part of Niagara College's brewing program faculty. Of course, the hughlight is the beer. Even with the wide proliferation of small craft breweries, the oak barrel aged brews are a rarity. The aging process is more akin to wine making. The back "wall" of the taproom is an imposing stack of oak barrels. Even the bar is fashioned from barrel staves. Between us, we had the raspberry ("The Raspberry Pact") twice, cherry ("Cherries aged like Grace"), and the Oubliette. The Raspberry Pact is amazing, and some came home with us. To be fair, they were all great, especially the Oubliette. I'm already looking forward to a return visit! Thanks, Mark, for the...

Barrel Heart Brewing & Blending, located in Ancaster, Ontario, delivers an extraordinary experience for fans of craft beer and Belgian-inspired saisons. Led by Mark Horsley, this boutique brewery specializes in barrel-aged brews that draw from traditional techniques and local flavors. Each beer is aged in oak barrels, some sourced from nearby Niagara wineries, where they’re enriched with the microflora of the wood and often re-fermented on fresh fruits like cherries and raspberries.

Barrel Heart’s beers reflect Horsley’s attention to detail, with each bottle featuring a poetic label that describes its unique character. Designed for savoring, these beers are served in wine glasses or tumblers, underscoring the winery-like approach to crafting them. The taproom provides a welcoming space where knowledgeable staff share the story behind each creation, making it a must-visit for those seeking a memorable, artful...