5 Cool Breweries in Guelph, Ontario

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Searching For Breweries In Guelph? Here Are Some Great Ones To Visit!

Are you in Guelph and looking to quench your thirst? Lucky you – Guelph has several great breweries that you can visit.

The breweries in Guelph generally have a creative flair and a connection to the Guelph identity – by focusing on using local ingredients and naming their beer to reflect aspects of the community.

We’ve only been to one brewery but our local Guelph connection, Cam, has visited most of them (and enjoyed all their beer around town) so we’ve once again tapped into his knowledge.

When it comes to visiting, one brewery is located right downtown while the others require transit or a car to get to. However, you can also usually find their beer on tap at many local bars and restaurants! For now, here is a little more about visiting these main breweries in Guelph!

You can safely brewery hop (without driving) with the successful initiative called “Guelph.Beer” and their “Guelph.Beer Bus”. It’s a shuttle that takes you around in the warmer months (April 2024)!

Brothers Brewing Company

Navigation Address: 15 Wyndham St N Unit A, Guelph, ON N1H 4E5, Canada

black awning on storefront in downtown area with street in front.
Brothers Brewing makes it easy to visit.

If you want to visit a brewery in downtown Guelph, you have one option: Brothers Brewing Company. It’s a great bar to visit in the evenings and they do all their own beers onsite.

There’s also enough variety so that they have something for everyone. They do some great variations of a sour Berliner Weisse – agave sour, blueberry sour, lemon, and more!

When you visit the space, they usually have Bob Ross (the painting show) on a TV behind the bar at all hours of the day which is hilarious.

A cool part is that they have a board on the wall where you can buy someone a drink. They’ll write the name on the board and it can be claimed at a later time.

As with many breweries, they also sell beer onsite with a bottle shop in the front. It’s basically the only place downtown where you can buy beer after the LCBO closes! Overall, great atmosphere, great beer, great location.

Royal City Brewing Company

Navigation Address: 199 Victoria Rd S, Guelph, ON N1E 3J3, Canada

outside storefront large logo with front glass windows.
Can’t miss Royal City!

Bearing the iconic nickname of the city of Guelph, Royal City Brewing Company is another great brewery to visit.

Located a short drive from the city centre (very close to the Grotto Climbing Gym), Royal City has a great space to enjoy.

wooden benches and beer on menu on wall inside brewery in guelph.
Royal City has a nice atmosphere.

Inside, they have a full taproom where you can sample beer right then and there. You can even do a guided brewery tour and a tasting for a fee.

They also have fridges for beer sales onsite (this is what we did because we were driving). We grabbed an Exhibition IPA and a Hibiscus Saison and both were excellent!

Royal City doesn’t have food onsite but they sometimes have food trucks stop by. You can also bring your own food or even order from a local place nearby.

Overall, great space, great beers, great community brewery because they host events, too.

Fixed Gear Brewing Co.

Navigation Address: 20 Alma St S, Guelph, ON N1H 5W5, Canada

colourful beer cans on table from fixed gear brewing company.
Great beer – nice beer cans, too!

Next up is Fixed Gear Brewing. As the name suggests, they have a connection to bikes and are actually tied in with the Guelph cycling scene by sponsoring the local club!

Located a bit farther from the downtown core, the brewery is in this super nice building kind of tucked away in a suburban neighbourhood.

All their beers have fun bicycle-themed names and there is a bike shop next door so if you get really inspired you can buy a bike to go with the beer.

Overall, they have a good craft variety with various levels of weirdness and uniqueness. The brewery is also dog-friendly in case you bring the pooch along!

Wellington Brewery

Navigation Address: 950 Woodlawn Rd W, Guelph, ON N1K 1G2, Canada

If you’re looking for a bit of history to go with your beer, then why not head to Wellington Brewery.

They take the title as Canada’s oldest independently owned microbrewery! Focusing on brewing in small batches and specializing in bringing a traditional English-style cask ale to Ontario, they are known for having the classic Wellington Boot – or Welly – as their logo.

Located pretty far from the centre in the northwest corner of the city, you can visit them onsite for a pint on tap or buy beer at their storefront. If it’s too far for you to check out, hop on the Beer Bus (mentioned above) or try their beer when you go out in the city.

You can usually find their beer on local menus – their Wellington SPA (Special Pale Ale) is a staple!

Sleeman Brewery

Navigation Address: 551 Clair Rd W, Guelph, ON N1L 1E9, Canada

Last, but certainly not least, you have Sleeman Brewery. This staple name in the Canadian beer scene has had a long history from the 1800s with both a turbulent past and a more recent re-opening decades ago.

Today, the brewery is located outside the city to the southeast (more towards Highway 401). It’s in a very industrial area which isn’t as nice to look at but beer is beer!

They do have a bottle shop, tasting room, and tours onsite if you are interested in checking it out. You should definitely go if you are a fan of Sleeman’s!

Related Articles

If you’re thinking about exploring Guelph (or looking for other great things to do in Ontario), be sure to check our other posts as well:

And there you have it – a rundown of the breweries in Guelph, Ontario. Keep in mind, there are always breweries opening up across Ontario so we’ll be sure to update this post as they do! Have fun exploring the Guelph beer scene, continue to support local, and enjoy responsibly!

As always, Keep Exploring, eh?
– E&L

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Author
Eric Wychopen is a Canadian content writer who loves to share his passion for Ontario. Originally from a small town in Simcoe County, he has almost 50 countries under his belt - but Ontario will always be home. Having travelled thousands of kilometres across the province for work and play, Eric has a wealth of knowledge about the province and is always looking for new experiences in Ontario.