Love this pub. Ambiance is great in that "this place is about the beer". It is a place that hasn’t been made over for many years. A great place to have a drink with friends. Food is below average. Again... it’s about the beer.

I like the Judge, it’s my go-to place while I live in Hamilton. The tap list is pretty good and I generally like the set-up. The service is a bit hit and miss. One time I went there and asked what was on tap (it’s hard to see the handles when it’s busy) and I was told that I had "probably never heard of any of them." I don’t care what your regular crowd is like, but don’t assume you know who your customer is and what they do and do not know about beer. Otherwise this has place has been good for a few fun nights.

Some people seemed to love this place. I am guessing is love or hate kind of spot. For me it did not do much. Service was cold and did not care much for me. Beer selection was decent with good value.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. The Ship is right next door, also has a good selection and is as friendly as friendly can be. 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.