For the love of doughnuts and craft beer
Hamilton is a city with a rich history in doughnut making and beer brewing. Now, two local companies have brought the industries together. Donut Monster and Collective Arts Brewing teamed up on a limited-release, doughnut-inspired beer — a raspberry milkshake IPA with habanero peppers — which launched last weekend.
“The beer was a bit of a takeoff a doughnut that Reuben had done at Donut Monster,” said brewmaster Ryan Morrow. “We just kind of put a spin on it.”
While this partnership is Collective Arts’ first outside the brewing industry, it wasn’t the start of the relationship between the two Hamiltonbased businesses.
Donut Monster founder Reuben Vanderkwaak said he has used other Collective Arts beers to create some of his unique doughnut flavours, and the brewery has invited them out to their events.
“They had an idea to actually make a beer out of a doughnut instead of me just making doughnuts out of their beer,” he said. “I was on board right away.”
The one-off creation — the brewery’s first milkshake IPA — made its debut at the Burlington Street East retail store Saturday, where Vanderkwaak was on hand to give away 100 raspberry habanero doughnuts to anyone purchasing a four-pack.
The timing of the launch coincided with Donut Monster opening its first retail outlet on Locke Street South Sunday, where free doughnuts were also handed out.
The idea for a permanent shop has been in the works for about a yearand-a-half after customers told Vanderkwaak they wanted a location that would reliably have product on hand.
Since it launched two-and-a-half years ago, Donut Monster has supplied select retailers with its small-batch doughnuts Thursday through Saturday. Vanderkwaak said he plans to continue this side of the business.
The shop, which Vanderkwaak secured in April, will be open every day, selling from-scratch doughnuts, hot drinks — and eventually, milkshakes.
With the expansion, Vanderkwaak has added staff. There are now close to 20 full-time workers, all of whom are paid a living wage. Previously he employed five, who were mostly part-time.
“I want my staff to be happy, and I want to pay them what they’re worth,” he said. “I think people are really important and they’re what makes a business.”