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Plans for the resurrection of brewing at the former Lakeport brewing site is on ice, as the Hamilton embraces the craft beer craze with the first of at least three beer festivals hitting the area this weekend.

Hundreds of people were in Pier 4 Park, sampling new beers from a number of different craft brewers, including Nickel Brook and Collective Arts Brewery.

The two announced in May that they would be taking over the former Lakeport brewing site, but those plans are being delayed.

”A lot of stuff happened to that building that we are now paying the price for,” Phil Craig, Sales and Marketing at Nickel Brook said. “We’ve got to go back and fix some of the things, like the state of the floors and there’s wiring hanging from the ceiling.”

Nickel Brook was to receive the keys to the former Lakeport brewing site on July 1st, but say they are still waiting.

As a result, the project has been delayed, but they plan on being open by next summer.

For now, they’re are hitting the festivals and talking-up the industry.

“We use 100 per cent natural barley, yeast, hops and water,” Craig said. “In some cases, bigger guys aren’t using those four ingredients, they are using things like corn syrup, rice and rice syrup and that’s the difference.”

That’s just one of the reasons craft beer aficionados are flocking to beer festivals.

“A lot of the brewers will come down with one off products,” one beer drinker said. ” It’s an opportunity to try stuff like that.”

“I work at the beer store,” another beer drinker said. “We’re excited to come try a lot of the beers we sell there.”

While some are sold at the beer store, many are not. Organizers say it’s an untapped market.

“There’s some amazing beers that Ontario’s craft brewers are putting out there,” an organizer said. “We really wanted to bring them to Hamilton.”