December 12, 2009
Great place. Old pub feel to the place. Lots of stuffed monkeys which is always a good thing. Brew equipment is right there where it can be seen, although i’ve never seen it used while i’ve been in there. Some beer vats down by the kitchen too. Service is always friendly and honest. Great selection. They got a bunch of different styles of thier own, plus they’ve got a bunch of guest taps so you’ll always find something you like... unless you like coors light or some crap like that. Food is good for pub food, I find it odd to put lettuce on nachos though. Overall, It’s a great pub, probably the best in the region.

November 27, 2009
Stopped in here for a couple of beers and a bit to eat on the way from Niagara Falls to Toronto. Excellent atmosphere and a beautiful space though the stuffed monkeys above the bar need some dusting I’d imagine that late into the night with a band blaring I’d be miserable, but for an early lunch it was great. No samplers offered, but they were happy to pour tastes and half pints. Food was reasonably priced and tasty. Some nice seasonals and a seemingly out of place IPA (it was quite good). Handful of other locals on tap, which is always nice to see.

March 23, 2009
Visited on a Saturday night last July, it’s a big open wooden bar with a Western feel and tanks in the corner, overlooking the highway and parking lot from four or five stories up. Live lively music and friendly waitstaff greeted us throughout the evening. The 9 brews on tap are all fairly average, good to try. Food was good, a tasty club and caesar salad. Nice place.

March 22, 2009
This is a small cozy pub in St. Catharines. On my visit it had five or six house beers on draught and about as many guest taps of local Ontario microbrews. The Anniversary ale and IPA were the highlights. Staff was friendly. We enjoyed our food.

July 28, 2008
2008-07/19. I swear I rated this before. Earlyish on a Saturday night. Service is friendly, waitress suggests I try the McAuslan Apricot when I say I liked the Strawberry Blonde, which would have been helpful if I wasn’t being too polite to say that the Strawberry was just the least offensive so far. Luckily, the Old Time and IPA were much better than the rest of their house offerings. The IPA actually being rather good. Food was ho-hum at first but the club sandwich grew on me. Burgers have been decent in the past. Simple but tasty pub food. Generous portions. Atmosphere is pub meets sports bar and lodge, but it works for the most part. You’re here to tick off ratings, or because theres few other quality joints in town. IPA is the best thing worth having a full pint of imho. The highlights are nice, making the stop worthwhile. A short drive up the 406 from the only movie theater town if you are staying in the area.

September 19, 2007
To start, the neighboorhood in which this brewpub is located is rather dead, at least for a Saturday. The pub itself is quite nice, with the fermentation tanks located in the dinning area. The menu is pub styled. The Messy platter of hummus, onion confit, and curry mayonnaise was great, but the pizza was a greasy mess. The beer was rather light weight. Overall, was dissapointed with this place. Visited July 28.

June 27, 2007 [ Updated April 19, 2009 ]
I’m a regular, so biased. John is an excellent brewer, and the only complaint (I’m sure he’d make it too) is that they lack the physical capacity to make more and keep everything on. When they began John was experimenting a lot, with a ginger ale, a pumpkin ale, etc. But they became seasonal staples, to the point that he rarely has the capacity to experiment. That notwithstanding, their house brews are excellent, and they carry no macros, on bottle or tap. No bottles at all (except some coolers). The staff are great; knowledgeable, personable, a little edgy. Music is a great addition to the pub, but at times a little too loud. But it brings in the kids, which means more converts to the microbrewery side of the force. The food could use a revision. I’m very bored with the menu (and even my non-vegetarian friends concur). But definitely worth a visit--call ahead to see what’s on right now, because they are often out of half of their house brews. the IPA, Drunken Mon

July 31, 2006
I always enjoy a stop at the Ale House when I’m in the area. The place is small which tends to make it noisy when a live band is playing. The place needs a/c for those hot, humid Niagara summers. Haven’t sampled the food in years. The beer selection is decent but it only rotates one or two features; usually the menu is the same year after year. The Drunken Monkey Oatmeal Stout is fabulous. I find the staff tend to leave you be once you’ve received your order. Polite and friendly but sometimes there’s a wait for refills.

August 22, 2005
The Merchant Ale House is a decent brewpub. None of their beers are outstanding, but they have a fairly good selection and quite a few guest taps. The service is friendly and efficient, but the waitstaff is not overly beer-knowledgeable. The food is typical roadhouse/pub fare--edible & none offensive. The atmosphere is quite nice--somewhat rustic and very much a beer hall.

August 15, 2005
NIce, somewhat older and gritty feel. Service was adequate, if not incredibly knowledgable. The house beer sampler came with quite large samples, about 4-5 oz. per beer. Food was pretty good, they like to use onions, thats for sure. The beer was decent and they have a handful of guest taps and one cask available as well. Not far from the border at all. I’ll be back.