Touring Ohio: Rivertown Brewing Co.

The wine club is branching out! Between the four of us, we have been to pretty much all of the local wineries and were looking for an excursion of sorts. Enter Rivertown Brewing Co.

Located in a warehouse-y, industrial area of Lockland, a suburb of Cincinnati, Rivertown Brewing Co. has been bringing some of the finest brews to your pint glasses since 2008 (I think I have that year right). They have one of my most favorite porters ever, Roebling (my review HERE), and everyone we've shared it with loves it too. In the fall, their pumpkin is easily in my top 5. But, they also offer a number of other varieties year-round that easily hold their own.

On Fridays at 6:00 pm and Saturdays at 3:00 pm, they offer tours of their operation in Unit 6 (you know, in the strip of offices/warehouse). Unit 6 is also one of their beers, an American Hefeweizen, the name a nod to their humble home. For $5.00 you get the tour, a Rivertown pint glass and a pint of beer to drink on the tour. What a deal!! And when's the last time you got to take your drink on a tour? Even wineries don't let you walk around with a glass in most places. Granted, the beer may have made the ladies in our foursome giggle a bit much and not pay attention like the guys were but no harm, no foul.

The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and I learned a lot about the brewing process. We were allowed to taste the various malts they use and smell the hops (smelled like an IPA to me!). They recommend you get there about 30 minutes early and we were glad to have gone even earlier than that. I don't know that they cap the tour but there were easily 30 people on ours in a relatively small area. Arriving early also allowed us to try some beers (at $1.00/taste) before the throngs pushed forth.

In their tap room, they also fill growlers to go at really decent prices. We were all impressed with the tour and set up and of course, the beer. Even the non-beer drinker of the group enjoyed her pints. The newest addition I tried was the Fat Happy Monk, a Belgian style session high on alcohol that could definitely sneak up on you but full of flavor. I also tried McKibben's Dry Irish Stout. We all agreed that it was dry and smoky but good.

This is a definitely a new spot to take visitors of the beer-drinking variety. We are always looking for new things to do with out-of-towners. This one gets added to the list! By the end of summer, we'll have amassed quite the collection of pint glasses. If you're in the area, please check this place out. Great way to spend an afternoon. Oh! And free pizza in the tap room too plus a food truck outside. :)

Also, there was, inexplicably, this giant truck with an airbrushed Shania Twain on it. So.....there's that.