Ed Madronich: Introduction to Micro-Brewing in Dundas

Ed Madronich, Hamilton native and owner of Flatrock Cellars winery in Jordan shared the pains and pleasures of opening the Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. on Hatt street in the heart of Dundas. 

Ed has a background as a manager at Inniskillin vinyards in Niagara on the Lake and the experience gained there led him to open Flatrock Cellars which has had a successful history since opening in 1999. Ed loves what he does at Flatrock however this didn’t stop him from pursuing another passion to open a micro-brewery with his friend Shawn. The two came up with the idea 5 years ago. After a plan was in place, the next step was to find a location for the brewery. This came to light when Ed and his wife drove by the Crockford building on Hat Street and thought “what a great place for a brewery.” All Ed had to do was sell his idea to Bob Crockford which he did and the building of Shawn & Ed Brewing Company had begun. Rob Creighton was hired as the brewmaster and the best equipment was purchased to begin the brewing of some of the areas best beer.

 

The Shawn & Ed focus is within the Dundas community and Ed says the community support has been tremendous…not to mention a hottest summer on record that has created a great thirst! One of the greatest challenges to the opening of Shaun & Ed Brewing Co. was the city of Hamilton, which likes to make most things difficult. J

 

If you are a wine drinker, don’t expect to find Flatrock Cellars wines being served at the Shawn & Ed location. The LCBO has a monopoly on alcohol sales and unfortunately controls all aspects of wine sales.  Therefore, wine cannot be served without a special events license.