Hamilton breweries collaborate in support of James Street North shelters

Two Hamilton breweries are teaming up to support shelters on James Street North.

Starting Saturday, Collective Arts Brewing and MERIT Brewing will be carrying two versions of a beer dubbed ‘All Together Now’ – with 100 per cent of the profits going toward Living Rock Ministries, Good Shepherd’s Notre Dame House, and Mission Services Men’s Shelter.

Collective Arts co-founder and CEO Matt Johnston says the name reflects the support that Hamilton has given them and how they want to support the community in kind.

“The James Street corridor is sort of the bloodline of our businesses, and it’s where a lot of the creativity and the craft community is thriving from,” said Johnston. “So it makes sense to continue giving back to the city that we’re in.”

Collective Arts sits on Burlington Street at the base of Pier 10, while MERIT is located toward the south end of James Street North, and the three shelters that will benefit from the proceeds raised by the beer sales are dotted along the route between the two breweries.

Although the proceeds from the beer sales will benefit those shelters, Johnston said he also wants to raise awareness of the work those organizations do on a regular basis.

“This is, in a lot of ways, a drop in the bucket for all the support that they’re providing for the community, but also all the support that they need to keep thriving and surviving themselves. So hopefully we raise their profile and encourage others to put their support behind them.”

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Both distinct versions of ‘All Together Now’ are purposely launching a week ahead of Supercrawl and will be available at the breweries, as well as bars and restaurants on James Street North, throughout the weekend festival.