The taps are open and the beer is flowing at Shawn & Ed Brewing Company in Dundas, Ontario, the city's latest addition to the bubbling local craft brewers market.

A decades old 'silly' idea is now reality for partners Ed Madronich and Shawn Till who held a grand opening of the craft brewery, located in the former Dundas Valley Curling and Skating rink Thursday.

I always say, what Canadian wouldn't want to open a brewery in a skating rink, the two things that Canadians love. - Ed Madronich , President & Co-owner, Shawn & Ed Brewing Co.

"I always say, what Canadian wouldn't want to open a brewery in a skating rink, the two things that Canadians love," Madronich said.

The brewery includes a small bar and the partners have created a space that marries state-of-the-art equipment with the historic ambience and character of the 160 year-old building.

"The most important thing was doing it as well as possible, we didn't want to cut any corners, that's just the way Shawn and I live our lives," said Madronich.

Born and raised in Hamilton, Madronich says he and Till were friends throughout university, often sharing a laugh and conversations over pints of craft beer and talking about their dream.

The beer is flowing at Hamilton's newest craft brewery in Dundas, Ontario. (Ben Dyment/CBC)

Currently, they have four selections are on tap.

Three are from their LagerShed line (Shed is a combination of Shawn and Ed's name) and one from the BarrelShed line. They'll fill your 12oz glass for $5. If you prefer to take your beer home, they sell fully insulated, stainless-steel bottles called growlers for $5. They have two sizes you can fill; a 32oz one for $7.50 and a 64oz one for $13.50.

Over time, they plan to develop specialty beers; coffee stouts and pumpkin ale were are a few ideas Till mentioned to CBC Hamilton.

The company is among several to pop-up locally; The Hamilton Brewery, Nickel Brook - Collective Arts, Clifford Brewing, Garden Brewers are a few others to open in the city, hoping to offer 'something different' compared to the traditional mass market of brewers.

Old curling rink restored

Several millions of dollars were spent – personal sources of money and bank financing – to purchase the old Dundas Valley Curling and Skating Rink, meet the city's requirements, restore the building and establish the brewery.

Like any renovation, the project was met with delays.

Shawn & Ed Brewing Company in Dundas, Ontario opens its doors Thursday with four craft beers on tap (Ben Dyment/CBC)

'It was the right place'

The building was constructed in the 1860s by Richard Todd Wilson. Originally a foundry, it was converted into the skating rink.

For Till, the building had a strong family connection which made it feel 'it was the right place'. "It turned out the owner, Bob Crockford, was a life-long friend of my father's. They played tennis together and he also bought my wife's parents first house in Hamilton."

It's got wonderful character and history…we're all about celebrating all the good things in Hamilton and Dundas . - Shawn Till, Vice President & Co-owner, Shawn & Ed Brewing Co.

The co-owners agreed to preserve as much original material as possible to keep with the historic value of the space.

"It's got wonderful character and history…we're all about celebrating all the good things in Hamilton and Dundas," Till said.

"All the wood was used to build the bar, the tables and many other things in order to preserve the building," said Madronich. "It was also a bus maintenance depot. We found rolls of destinations shoved in a corner and hung one of them up."

A view of the state of the art equipment set inside the historical ambience of the 160-year-old building. (Ben Dyment/CBC)

The tour

The interior has been beautifully restored allowing natural light to shine through. Spectator stands have been replaced with a serving bar and tables, mainly crafted from old flooring.

In the centre where the rink was, there now stands three large vessels known as 'the brew house' where beer is made. It's all computerized and fully automated, allowing the team to have the greatest control over their recipes.

Brewing takes about six hours, then the liquid is transferred to massive fermentation tanks along the back of the building and allowed to age for about two weeks or longer depending on the type of beer they're producing.

The BarrelShed variety is aged 'to give it different character' in large Pinot Noir wine barrels from Madronich's Jordon, Ontario winery, Flat Rock Cellars.

The growing community

"We're extracting some of that wine character into the beer which adds to the complexity and the flavour profile of what we're trying to do," Madronich explained.

With their growlers raised and a thumbs-up from a taste-tester, the question about competition surfaced. The partners both agree they're excited to be part of Hamilton's now flourishing craft beer industry.

"I think it's going to be great," said Till. "We're very excited to be part of the growing community."