Meeting John Romano, the co-founder and president of Nickel Brook Brewing Co., was quite an undertaking. Immediately, I was faced with a man whose tenacity and fiery spirit was quite contagious, to say the least.

As we wandered the 20,000 sq. ft. headquarters of Nickel Brook in Burlington, I could see exactly why he has become a leading pioneer in the Ontario brewing industry. As we sat down, he offered me an Americano. With excitement, he began showing me a shelf lined with the reincarnations of Nickel Brook’s greatest hits—each bottle a visual rebirth, tracing the company’s evolution since its beginnings as Better Bitters in 1992.

Founded by brothers John and Peter Romano, Nickel Brook draws inspiration from their family's Italian heritage and upbringing on a farm where quality craftsmanship was a way of life. Brewing beer wasn't just a hobby—it was a passion that brought people together and created lasting memories.

From nickelbrook.com

John Romano's journey into the craft brewing world is unorthodox and rooted in family and hands-on experience. Born in 1964 to Italian immigrants who came to Canada in the late 1950s, John was raised in Bolton, Ontario. “Southern Italy was war-struck. You lived off the land. My dad was a carpenter and my mom was a seamstress. If you didn’t have land, you starved,” John said.

The name "Nickel Brook" holds special meaning for us, originating from a conversation with a marketing representative who noticed the names of John's children, Nick and Brook. This simple yet profound connection captured the essence of our familial ties and local roots, resonating deeply with the Romano brothers.

From nickelbrook.com

John grew up on a farm where food was more than sustenance—it was culture. "Being Italian, I made beer and wine at home with my dad. We had a farm, so I grew up making wine. As a teenager, I started making beer with my brother," John said.

However, before his beer career, there was his time in the aerospace world. John studied engineering and got his start in the aerospace industry early. “I started working there when I was 15. My dad did carpentry work in the office at the plant,” John said. “The owner saw me and started talking to me. He asked my dad if I'd be interested in doing some landscape work outside.”

Seeing a drawing of an airplane part from Boeing was all John needed to start his budding career in manufacturing aerospace components.  “I was on the manufacturing side of things, we would help Boeing make the plane,” John shared. “I worked on flap actuators, flight control parts, landing gear. I was a project manager.”

John started being recognized for one of his strongest skills: people skills. “My boss started sending me into accounts. One of them was in Oakville. Oakville has the best landing gear company in the world. Used to be called Menasco Aerospace. Now it's called Collins Aerospace,” John said. “It was like a $100,000 account. Within a year, I turned it into a million dollars. The plant fell in love with me and how I did things and was on top of things.”

John didn’t know when to stop taking more work, and it ultimately became the catalyst for his career change, “I was trying to manage my job and my life. I fainted at work one day, and went to my doctor, did some blood work,” John said. “They said I was fine, except that I was getting too much mental exercise and not enough physical exercise.” 

That’s when John leaned into what he loved. “I loved home brewing with my dad. I'm a self-taught brewer. I'm not a brewmaster. It’s just something I did since I was a little boy,” John said. "At 27, I quit and started a home brew store," John said. "Parents thought it was crazy. Friends thought it was crazy."

John opened Better Bitters in Burlington in 1992. “It started off as a brew-on-premise location. My competitors were all focusing only on beer. Because beer is a dude thing,” John said. “I said I'm going to open up one that is focusing on beer, wine, and supplies.”

Founded by brothers John and Peter Romano, Nickel Brook draws inspiration from their family's Italian heritage and upbringing on a farm where quality craftsmanship was a way of life.

He did his research on where to open shop. “I was given a report about local statistics and demographics about Burlington at the time,” John said. “And Burlington is situated in between Dofasco, Stelco and Ford. Solid blue-collar working people. What do blue-collar people do? Drink beer. I decided to make Burlington home.” 

The name came from a book. “One of the books I used to read was called, The Joy of Home Brewing. One of the chapters was called Better Bitters,” John said. “Also in my Burlington research, at the time, 30-40% of the population of Burlington was very British. Brits like their beer. And when a Brit says, can I have a beer? …they say, can I have a bitter?”

John was soon making more beer than he ever imagined, becoming one of the largest brew-on-premise operations in Ontario. But the brewing world was changing. The beer wars of the early 2000’s — sparked by Lakeport Brewing’s “24 for $24” deal — changed everything. “You could buy a case of beer for $24... Beer was like $36-38 and it drops to $24, which was crazy.”

He adapted. “I wanted to make wort, so I built a brewery to make wort,” John said, referring to the liquid base used in brewing. The industry shift meant pivoting to brewing and selling his own beer. Selling off-premise was important now. “I knew all the bar guys, because we're active in the community, golf tournaments, football games and other social events,” John said.

But getting taps in bars was tough. “I would go into Gator Ted's, and Mike at QBs, and Andy at Judge and Jury; and they would look at me like I had three heads,” John said. 

Rejection was constant. 

Eventually, John realized the branding needed to change. “People are going, oh, Better Bitters? Is your beer bitter? I'm like, no. We got rid of the name Better Bitters.”

Nickel Brook was born in 2004, named after his two children. 

The reach of Nickel Brook has since expanded. “We're everywhere. If you walk into any LCBO in Ontario, The Beer Store, the grocery stores… you'll find us,” John said. “The challenging part still is the local bars.”

“We're everywhere. If you walk into any LCBO in Ontario, The Beer Store, the grocery stores… you'll find us,” John said. “The challenging part still is the local bars.”

However, the tide slowly turned with bars this year. “If the tariffs and Trump have done anything, they’ve pushed people to buy more local,” John said. “We are getting more reception in the local bars now. Being in the bars gives brand recognition.”

Their most popular beer? Head Stock, a West Coast IPA. "West Coast IPAs are piney and bitter. East Coast are cloudy and citrusy. Almost like grapefruit," John explained. 

Nickel Brook’s, Wicked Awesome and Naughty Neighbour follow as their second and third best-sellers.

In time, recognition continued to follow. In 2015/16, Nickel Brook won the Elsie Award for Best Ontario Producer—an accolade spanning beer, wine, and cider. "We didn’t even know what the Elsie’s were," John laughed. "Turns out the VP at LCBO nominated us."

Interestingly, John now enjoys a friendship with the President of LCBO, George Soleas, who also calls Burlington home.

John built the brand with family. “I was here at five o'clock in the morning making beer, and then I'd be delivering beer in the afternoon, and then coming back at night and bottling beer,” John shared. “And then my mom, dad and Nick, at the age of seven, would come and they would hand label.”

The family dynamic continues. His brother, Peter, still co-runs the company. John’s son Nick, now a CPA, manages their accounting part-time while working full-time at BMO. His daughter Brooke, became a behavioural therapist but carries John’s energetic presence. "Brooke is me," he says. "You know when she's in the room."

Nickel Brook currently spans two locations—one in Burlington and another in Etobicoke—each about 20,000 sq. ft., and employs 60 people. It was the 20th brewery to open in Ontario — a number that has since grown to about 350. John is now considered a pioneer in the brewing industry in Ontario. 

"I’m inspired by leaving a legacy. I'm inspired by giving back to the community. I'm inspired by inspiring other people,” John said.

John’s goal is to create a family culture with his employees – one where leaders pay close attention to their people and help them find the right fit within the company. That mindset led him to reassign, not fire, an employee who was struggling on the production line and is now their best driver on the delivery team.

“Jason is not just a driver. A driver makes more points of contact than a sales rep. A driver goes into the back of the Judge and Jury every week and talks to the owner sometimes,” John said. “A driver is an extension of your sales team.”

Mentorship is clearly a core value for John. "I’m inspired by leaving a legacy. I'm inspired by giving back to the community. I'm inspired by inspiring other people,” John said. “I learned a long time ago that I'm only as good as the people beside me."

On location, Nickel Brook’s Tap Room also welcomes the community. “The idea of that room, is people can come in to buy beer, and they can hang out and sample our beer,” John said. “We do offer pizza and sandwiches… we have about a dozen items on our menu now.”

John’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? 

“It's hard work. They have to make sure they love what they do, and they also have to make sure that their family's supportive of it,” John said. “I'm fortunate that I'm still married. Because you know, one regret I have in life is that I was working 12-18 hours a day. And I wasn't home when Nick had his first spaghetti and meatballs. Same for Brooke.”

From aerospace to beer, John Romano continues to lead with grit, vision, and an unwavering commitment to doing things the right way. And at Nickel Brook Brewing Co., that spirit continues to pour strong.