Niagara Falls, Ontario, and nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake have quietly become a craft beer hot spot, with around 19 great craft breweries to choose from .
In this guide, we focus on the Canadian side of Niagara, from the urban taprooms of Niagara Falls to the rustic barns of Niagara-on-the-Lake. You’ll get the scoop on their standout brews and what makes each spot unique. If you are looking for a longer stay, check out the region’s full beer landscape on Niagara Ale Trail.
Here’s a quick overview of some must-visit breweries on the Ontario side of Niagara:
- Counterpart Brewing (Niagara Falls) – An industrial-chic brewery and kitchen. Top notch beer. Top notch Food. Popular for hop-forward beers: think crisp Citra lagers, punchy hazy pale ales, and creative stouts.
- Silversmith Brewing Company – Just north of Counterpart Brewing, Silversmith is housed in a beautifully restored 1870s church. You like beer? These guys worship it! Silversmith pairs great beer with hearty pub fare in a charming, historic setting.
- Niagara Oast House Brewers – A big red barn and taproom just outside Niagara-on-the-Lake. Specializes in farmhouse and Belgian-style ales. Expect saisons, witbiers, and blond ales, plus seasonal surprises.
- The Exchange Brewery – A modern taproom in a refurbished telephone exchange building. Quirkily, the beers are numbered instead of named as a nod to its history.
- Bench Brewing – Housed in a converted 20th-century school, this brewery leans into its fiery name with bold, flavour-packed beers. Think malty red ales, roasty porters, and a rotating cast of seasonal brews. The beer garden and gastropub menu make it a must-stop south of the Falls.
A fan favorite itinerary, if you are only here for a few days, is to visit Counterpart, Silversmith and Oast House. And if you have time for one last experimental stop, why not hop at the Niagara College and try their 101 lineup which routinely win awards?
Counterpart Brewing
Easily the best craft brewery in town, with a great kitchen and a stellar selection of sour beer.
Set at the northern edge of Niagara Falls, Counterpart Brewing occupies a former factory space – an industrial-chic taproom that fits its no-nonsense craft approach. The owners describe it as a place to build community through great beer, and it does just that. Inside, you’ll find long communal tables and colorful murals, and a menu that highlights bold, hop-driven beers alongside tasty bar bites.
Their tap list rotates often, but staples include crisp pilsners (some brewed with local hops) and juicier New England-style pales. Hazy fruity ales and blackcurrant stouts have also popped up on taps. The vibe here is laid-back and slightly edgy – think punk rock playlist meets local comfort food. It’s the kind of spot where a craft beer newbie or a hophead can feel at home. According to some craft beer enthusiasts, they have solid sour beer, but IPAs are where the craft brewery really shines.
We recommend: Roller Oatmeal Stout line and Sound of Silence Imperial Stout
📍 Address: 3659 Stanley Ave, Niagara Falls, ON
📞 Phone: (289) 271-0091
🌐 Website: counterpartbrewing.com
- 🍻 Style Picks: Crisp pilsners, hazy NEIPAs, fruit stouts
- 🛋️ Vibe: Industrial-chic, communal tables, punk-rock playlist
- 🍽️ Food: Creative bar bites designed for beer pairing
Silversmith Brewing Company
Silversmith Brewing is easy to spot – it’s housed in a stone chapel surrounded by vineyards. Stepping in feels like entering a tranquil pub with vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows. Silversmith specializes in approachable ales. Their flagship Black Lager (5.0% Schwarzbier) is a dark, creamy brew loaded with roasted malt, chocolate, and coffee flavors – and it’s one of Canada’s most awarded dark lagers.
If that’s too heavy for you, their crisp Pale Ale (citrusy and balanced) or light Helles Lager (floral and smooth) hit the spot on a sunny afternoon. Beyond beer, the menu serves hearty comfort food – burgers with local cheddar, poutine with stout gravy, that kind of thing – perfectly matched to the beer. Silversmith’s historic vibe is hard to beat: imagine sipping a malty brew under a 100-year-old church roof. It’s especially nice during off-seasons when the crowds thin out and the staff becomes like old friends telling beer stories.
We recommend: Nut Brown and Black Lager. Just fantastic.
📍 Address: 1523 Niagara Stone Rd, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
📞 Phone: (905) 468-8447
🌐 Website: silversmithbrewing.com
- 🍻 Style Picks: Black Lager, Helles Lager, Pale Ale
- 🛋️ Vibe: Tranquil, set in a chapel with stained-glass charm
- 🍽️ Food: Elevated pub fare — burgers, poutine, local ingredients
Niagara Oast House Brewers
A short drive from the falls, Niagara Oast House Brewers sits in a huge red barn surrounded by farmland. This spot leans into its country charm. Inside, you’ll find long wooden tables under high ceilings, a central wood-fired oven, and an upstairs “hayloft” dining room. The beer program here is all about farmhouse and Belgian-inspired styles. For example, their Saison and Biere de Garde (pale farmhouse ales) are brewed with local grains for a rustic spice and grain character.
Then there are the playful one-offs: the Dark’Ass Ale (Yes, that’s the actual name) is a tongue-in-cheek Belgian-style dark ale. It pours a silky brown-black and balances roast with a mild sweetness – smooth enough to keep drinking. Oast House also offers a fruit-forward Strawberry Blonde and several rotating ciders (the Rural Route fruit ciders are popular).
Food is a highlight too – with the live-fire pizza oven and BBQ, you can enjoy charred pizza, ribs or chicken with your beer. It’s a relaxed, sit-a-while kind of place, with families and friends chatting over cheese plates and pints, and a view of the old hop drying kilns (the “oast houses”) outside.
We recommend: Crop Duster Belgian IPA. A Belgian and an IPA? Give me two!
📍 Address: 2017 Niagara Stone Rd, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
📞 Phone: (289) 868-9627
🌐 Website: oasthousebrewers.com
- 🍻 Style Picks: Saison, Biere de Garde, Strawberry Blonde
- 🛋️ Vibe: Rustic red barn with countryside charm
- 🍽️ Food: Wood-fired pizza, BBQ, and casual eats
The Exchange Brewery
The Exchange Brewery sits on Queen Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake, in a bright, modern space that was once the town’s telephone exchange. True to that theme, the brewery numbers its beers instead of naming them. (It’s a nod to Belgian abbeys that do the same.) The tap list typically includes a little bit of everything: a fizzy Kolsch, an easy-drinking amber ale, a German-style Pilsner, a fluffy New England IPA, and a few rich, dark brews.
One standout is their Foreign Exchange Stout – a roasty chocolate-forward stout that has earned awards. As you’d expect from the motto “a beer for everybody,” there are also a few approachable wheats or fruit beers on tap. The Exchange has a very friendly vibe: communal high-tops, board games, and often events like trivia or live music. They even offer snacks and a small menu (bratwurst, pretzels, chili, etc.) so you can line your stomach as you sample. It’s a popular gathering place – you might find locals sipping a pint after work or wine tourists poking in for a casual beer.
📍 Address: 7 Queen St, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
📞 Phone: (905) 468-9888
🌐 Website: exchangebrewery.com
- 🍻 Style Picks: Foreign Exchange Stout, Kolsch, New England IPA
- 🛋️ Vibe: Modern, bright space with community feel and board games
🕒 Hours: Great stop year-round; hosts trivia nights and live music
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Bench Brewing Company
If your idea of paradise involves a Belgian weissbier in hand and vineyard views as far as the eye can see, you’re exactly where you need to be. Opened in 2018, this Belgian-inspired craft brewery brings a farm-to-glass philosophy to life in a stunningly restored heritage building that once served as a schoolhouse. Tucked into the scenic heart of Twenty Valley, the location is beautifully surrounded by vineyards and rolling hills, all of which you can see from the delightful beer garden.
Bench is known for its clean, Belgian-inspired ales and crisp lagers, brewed with water sourced from the local escarpment and ingredients grown on-site. Saisons, dry-hopped lagers, and tart fruit-forward sours are among their standout offerings. The brewery also features a beer garden and a full kitchen serving elevated comfort food. It’s a place where wine country meets craft beer sophistication—perfect for both beer geeks and curious tourists.
We recommend: any specialty bottled beer. They are just phenomenal. For a more classic take : Lincoln Helles Lager, all the way!
📍 Address: 3991 King St, Beamsville, ON
📞 Phone: (905) 562-3991
🌐 Website: benchbrewing.com
- 🍻 Style Picks: Belgian-style saisons, dry-hopped lagers, fruited sours. For wine drinkers, there is also an ample selection of wines you can sip while overlooking the vinyards.
- 🛋️ Vibe: Rural-modern, scenic, wine-country charm. Did I mention beer garden ?
- 🍽️ Food: Farm-inspired kitchen with dishes built to complement their beer lineup
Local Micro Breweries in Niagara Falls for Craft Beer Purists:
- Blackburn, located on the southern edge of Niagara Falls, offers some highly crushible brews.
- Newark Brewing is known its for extraordinary German-style ales
- Clifford Brewing in Hamilton specializes in English-style ales
In the end, whether you’re chasing waterfalls or hops, Niagara’s Canadian side has you covered. From industrial taprooms to old-world barns, each brewery here has a unique personality and a lineup of flavorful beers. Combine your brewery visits with easy snacks and the lively ambiance of Clifton Hill or the quiet charm of wine country.
Pierre-Olivier Bussières : Editor-in-Chief or Le Temps d’une Bière and producer of Hoppy History. Pierre has previously written for The Diplomat, Global Risk Insights and the NATO Association of Canada. For the past two years, Pierre has been writing on the history of alcohol from antiquity to modern times.
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