October 10, 2011
Great little place and is seldom as busy as the neighboiuring bars. No where else close where you can sample many of the brews that they often have on tap here. Not a huge selection on the menu for food but what they have is good.

August 5, 2011 [ Updated August 8, 2011 ]
What an unusual place! Looks like a typical English pub except this is Hamilton. They have 20 craft micros on tap and a chalkboard listing all the bmc stuff they don’t have. I saw a guy order a Carlsberg and the barkeeper made fun of him. My kind of place. The taps don’t seem to be of the highest quality and they could desperately use a beer list but the people that work here are entertaining as hell so there’s that.

June 19, 2011
good Ontario micros on tap, nice old building. the service was terrible though, there was only one other person in the bar so you’d think they’d be happier to have some customers. likely wont be back because of the service.

June 12, 2011
Definitely an old house turned bar. the bar is at the back, there you see a nice line of taps. No tap list, so you have to refer to the tap handles for whats on tap. Makes it a bit difficult. For that reason alone I would likely avoid this bar on busy nights. although on busy nights they have a wider selection, cuz they dont use all taps every night. Overall this is a decent bar and an alright place to drink.

February 25, 2011
Visited after Chester’s. No service at the table, but bartender was nice. About 15 taps running, all micros. Impressive. Terrific cozy atmosphere with board games and comfortable seats. Very pleasant visit all-around. Will most likely be back.

February 17, 2011 [ Updated February 18, 2011 ]
Second stop on a recent trip to Cambridge, Hamilton, and Niagara Falls with mrmanning. As soon as you walk inside you can tell that this place is a beer geek’s beer bar. Micro brew memorabilia lines most of the walls downstairs and various craft bottles hover over the bar area. At the time of our visit there were 20 taps, including Taps Baltic Shipwreck Imperial Stout and Chuck Norris Roundhouse IPA, Kawartha Lakes Pale Ale, Nickelbrook Pumpkin Ale, Mill Street ESB, Flying Monkeys Smash Bomb Atomic IPA, Grand River Plowman’s Ale, and Beau’s Lug Tread. I tried all of these beers and was glad to find four brews that I hadn’t sampled before. Len and I weren’t too concerned that the cask wasn’t flowing when we came because the large draught selection more than made up for it. Service was friendly enough as Mary (co-owner) and Winger (bartender) were happy to chat with us, though for much of the time we had to go to the bar to order our beers. So table service was basically non-existent, except for when Mary brought us some complimentary chips (thanks again!). Having said that, the owner had no problem mailing my license to me when I left it at the bar on our second session here, so the service gets a "4" in my books. Didn’t try the food but I hear their wings are solid, and we noticed the regulars making their own snacks in the kitchen to enjoy with the Super Bowl game upstairs. Clearly they appreciate their faithful customers. Overall, this was the best spot that we came across on our trip. The Judge is quite obviously dedicated to supporting local and regional craft beer and its huge micro tap lineup and real ale engine reflect that commitment. One of the top 5 beer bars in the province, if you ask me.

July 30, 2010 [ Updated October 14, 2011 ]
Popped in a few times over the last few months and although the selection is still pretty good, there is a sort of grouchy ambivalence about providing service that seems to have popped up. The owner can be either funny or a complete ass depending on his mood. The uncertainly lends a certain tension to a visit that I just don’t need when I’m trying to have a quiet pint. It’s still a good beer bar, but it’s a case of buyer beware. Stopped in here to take in a soccer game and drink some cask ale - and they delivered on both fronts. A very authentic British pub. A TV in the upstairs section, but thankfully none on the main level. Tight quartered and fairly lived in, but that only adds to the authenticity. Lots of great beers on tap and they are quite fresh. The barman knows his stuff too - spent a good 20-30 minutes chatting about the Ontario brewing scene. There’s not a whole lot to complain about here.

April 7, 2009
This place has a great small pub feel to it in an era of big characterless bars. The tap line-up is always solid for both local and the occasional UK/Blegium offerings. The only place in Hamilton I know of offering cask ale. The beer fests are must attend events but the owner and some of the regulars can at times be intimidating if you don’t know how to "give it back".

September 30, 2008
What a gorgeous pub! Too bad they don’t use proper glassware. Everything comes in a pint sleeve. Whatever, this is the kind of place to spend hours in. The food is actually pretty good too, especially the fully-loaded perogies and I didn’t even try to Ethiopian stew. In a town where every pub is called Cat/Dog/Horse and Fiddle or The (insert name here) Arms or the - and Firkin this seems to be the only genuine beer bar among them. And what’s not to like about having your boyfriend’s name on an honorary plaque on the wall? -)

May 12, 2008
There are at most 12 active lines here, a good selection for anywhere in the province. Just off downown, parking available, but food is 30 minutes delay. A decent selection with Ontario being well-represened. Bill the owner holds court and the place is full at night, not so much mid-day. Reasonable enough environment. If you are in hamilton, this is the place to spend any time for beer.