Neighbors urge township action after loud concerts at Bent Iron Brewery

Residents of Hamilton’s rural neighborhoods told the Hamilton Township Council on Sept. 16 that loud concerts and frequent live music at Bent Iron Brewery have made backyards and homes unusable on weekend afternoons and evenings. Council members said they would investigate and seek more information from township staff and the brewery.

The neighbors said the noise has been recurring since the brewery opened about a year ago. “I called the police five times,” said David Horrocks, a resident of 3 Heathwood Lane, who told the council the sound penetrates his house even with windows shut and that his son, who is on the autism spectrum, was distressed by the noise. Dan Seeth, who said he works in event production, told the council, “We couldn't talk to each other because it was so loud in our backyard.”

Why it matters: Residents say the brewery’s regular outdoor events, including ticketed concerts, are interfering with the quiet, rural character they expected when they moved to the area and are affecting quality of life. Council members and staff said they have received multiple complaints and that township staff have visited the brewery to measure sound using a decibel meter.

At the meeting, council officials described steps already taken and next steps. Director of Economic Development Fred Dumont said township staff have used a decibel meter and met with the brewery’s owners. He said the township will continue to monitor compliance with the township’s noise standards. “We have to see how that goes,” Dumont said describing the ongoing enforcement visits.

Residents asked whether the brewery's approvals or conditions included limits on amplified or ticketed entertainment. Speakers referenced a Mercer County Agricultural Development Board resolution that recommended an agricultural management practice (site-specific AMP) for the property and noted language in that resolution that described only background or ancillary music at the time of that recommendation. Rick Tamagno provided a copy of that Mercer County resolution to the council during public comment.

Council members suggested mediation as a first step and asked staff to convene a meeting with neighbors and the brewery to seek mitigation measures such as sound barriers, scheduling changes, or other operational changes. “Maybe we start with a mediation session and bring people to the table,” a councilmember said.

Township officials also said state-level rules governing farm-based businesses and recent state legislative changes affecting events on preserved or agricultural land could affect what the township can or cannot require. Council members asked staff and the township attorney to review permits, the county recommendation, the township noise ordinance and any applicable state regulations, and to return with recommended next steps.

Ending: Council members said they would coordinate follow-up visits and ask the attorney and staff to compile the permits and decibel testing records. Residents were invited to provide documented decibel readings and dates to aid the township’s review.