Collective Arts Brewing & Taproom — Restaurant in Hamilton

This is a disappointing review to write because I've been a loyal customer of Collective Arts for many years now. I've done the brewery tour, spent a birthday there, visited the brewery several times to sit on the patio, and purchased directly from them multiple times over the past year during the Covid lockdowns. I consistently pick up Collective Arts beer at the LCBO, I regularly order it at restaurants, and I've recommended it to countless people in the past - this is and has been my go-to brewery.

On June 18th I went to the brewery with my girlfriend around 1:30PM - we drove through traffic for an hour to get there. It was raining but they have a covered patio directly outside the retail space and they have covered seating at the back, so we hoped to enjoy a beer on either patio. I asked if we could have a beer to drink on the patio directly in front of the retail store (probably 20 ft from the retail counter, visible through a large window). I was told that wasn't possible because:

They had no one to serve us the beer on the patio

We couldn't drink the beer we purchased at the retail shop on the patio - apparently opening a can and pouring it into a glass is impossible only at Collective Arts. Any other bar, restaurant, or brewery is capable of doing this

The employee was nice enough and I'm sure was just following company policy, but honestly it's this type of rigidity in clinging to arbitrary, illogical rules, regardless of circumstances, that drives me crazy. I understand they didn't staff a server on the front patio, likely because it was raining, and that's fine. But that decision shouldn't negatively impact the customer. This is where basic critical thinking and problem solving needs to kick in. The employee could have:

Poured us a beer from a tap - they have working taps

Opened a can we purchased and poured into into a glass. They do this at every brewery and restaurant.

Walked the beer 20 ft to one of the tables outside. It would have taken him 10 seconds to do this.

This was simply a matter of choosing arbitrary policy over customer needs - he didn't know how far we came and didn't really care. Rules must be followed! Never mind how illogical they are. After the amount I have supported them over the years it sucked to be treated so dismissively on such a simple request.

So we left, went to Merit Brewing downtown, spent $40 on food and beer and then another $110 on beer to take home. We were allowed to sit on the patio there even though there was no server (the bartender came out to check on us a couple of times - what a concept!), we were able to open bottles inside and drink them on the patio, and we were allowed to walk our beer out to the patio. If this all sounds basic and logical it's because it is...

Now Collective Arts is big and probably doesn't care if 1 client is upset, which I understand. That said I will never purchase another product from them and I'll ensure I let friends and family know about this experience. When you treat customers dismissively in the name of arbitrary rules, you don't deserve...

Collective Arts is like that one friend who lives a completely different life than everyone else.

Way on the North end, next to the steel mills and the water it’s kinda of a walk from Hollywood. It’s a big facility, looks like an ice rink, but apparently I was the old Lakeport Brewing sight. A collab between Nickel Brook and Collective Arts to create Arts & Science Ltd.

Coming in the winter is completely different than the summer. It’s cold, dark, exposed, but in the summer that entire back parking area is a sort of make shift open air patio for concerts and events. Since the inside is kinda of small they have to bring in portapoties when they make use of the outside area. The inside bathroom is small and in the back, right next to some tables, so be wary.

Outward facing railed high top with a few bar seats, minimal coat hooks which is weird. The menu reads like they do quite a bit of their business to go, cans, bottles, growler fills (very open policy). I love the weekly growler fill special for like $13 or less which is like a steal. Small back room is lined with the hundreds of collabs they done with bands, local artists for the labels. I’m not sure how collaborative they are with the beer, but don’t try and collect them all, it’s already too many to catch up. Prices are par for the course. I wished for some nitro’s.

Staff is amazing, knowledgably, friendly, helpful, even bringing and taking your beers. Basically table service, that’s a first. We sampled the lot, bought a few pints and took a few growlers to go. They have board games, but lack seating. We didn’t get to see the warehouse or really even what the back looks like. The beers were somewhat true to style, but interpreted on the bold side. The Blonde is on the mild side as with the session beers. IPA is also sessionable. I loved the west coast pale ale, they really get what we are doing back home. The ciders have been here from the beginning and are here to stay, well liked by a local friend who has been drinking ciders for 10+ years.

It’s not just about tangible art, and music, they delve into support of visual, film, anything creative. It’s really a sight to see the spread of creativity. They keep things local while expanding...

Visited this place some time ago and have been meaning to leave a review.

First, the good: the artwork on their products is fantastic. They have a bunch of coasters with unique designs, really well done.

Now, the not-so-good:

Pricing. As mentioned in other reviews, the prices displayed on the board behind the bar do not match what you actually pay if you are drinking in-house. In reality, drinks cost about two to three times what is listed. For example, a margarita advertised at $6 actually ends up being $12 to $18 if consumed there. The reasoning, taken from a response to another review, is that in-house beverages are priced to match restaurant rates, while to-go orders align with LCBO pricing. While that explanation makes sense on paper, the execution feels off. Using the margarita as an example, at a restaurant you would expect a bartender to mix the drink, garnish it, and salt the rim. Here, it was simply a can opened and poured into a glass. To be fair, this is probably more of an issue with the cocktails than the other drinks. Also, I do not frequent breweries often, so perhaps this is standard practice.

Food experience. We ordered an Italian Trio hoagie from Mel’s Deli to share. The sandwich itself was fine, but it was supposed to come with a side of kettle chips. When it arrived, the chips were missing. After asking, we were told they had run out. That should have been mentioned at the time of ordering, and ideally, a small discount or substitution should have been offered, but neither was.

Overall, not a place I’d return to, but your mileage may vary, it could still be worth checking out...