Present day Burlington St. is a reflection of 20th century industrial expansion in Hamilton. Originally, this area was a marshy oasis lined with inlets and abundant wildlife. As development progressed, land was re-claimed and inlets filled in with industrial waste. Almost all the land you see to the right of Burlington St. along the Harbour is man-made.

It was 1947 when Andrew Peller erected the Peller Brewing Company just west of an inlet extending south to Barton. His employees were not allowed to take home free beer, but they were entitled to six free beers per day that had to be consumed at work!

The parts of the original Peller factory are hidden beneath the metal siding of today’s factory façade. Over the next few decades, the building witnessed several change of hands including Brading Breweries, 1954, Henninger-Brau brewing, 1973, Amstel Breweries, 1981 – producer of the memorable brew “Steeler” – and finally, Lakeport Brewing Corporation, 1992.

In 2010, Labatt shutdown the factory and moved production to London, Ontario. In 2014, it was announced that brewing would return to the site with the establishment of the Arts and Science brewing company.

Photo Credit: Hamilton Public Library Archives
Source: Hamilton Industrial Trail