Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House

I am a local and love going to Rivertown. The bartenders are always friendly and willing to answer any questions you have about the beer. The atmosphere is laid back. This is the first place I have ever had a sour beer. I was skeptical at first, but fell in love with the Soulless. I am also a huge fan of porters, the Roebling Porter is one of the best I’ve ever had. Their pumpkin & blueberry are also very good. The BBQ is also delicious! Rivertown is usually my go-​to for a night out, especially because it is so close!

Came with a Groupon from my in-​laws. We had the tour which was interesting and entertaining. The beer is solid. I enjoyed the jeanneke and others in my group drank death and some of their limited seasonals.
We also ordered BBQ. Got a bit of everything chicken wings, brisket and pulled pork. All the meat was juicy, and tasteful. We had beans, Mac and cheese and slaw for sides. Everyone loved the Mac and cheese and slaw. I was the only one who liked the beans. They we not sweet like typical baked beans, but more savory. The original bbq sauce was best, mustard based was just OK.
Prices were reasonable, got some swag with the Groupon too. Also, they have a full arcade with multiple games, pinball pacman etc… All running on free play. Cool perk especially for kids.

We purchased the brewery tour through groupon and we’re excited to try it out. We also purchased them as gifts for our family. We made reservations to go Saturday night. We arrived early to eat at the bbq place. We had a vegetarian in our group and he was excited to see they offer a vegan basket. The vegan basket was supposed to be a field roasted sausage, corn bread, spicy pickles and some type of kraut. We ordered beers and then ordered food. Food came and the vegan basket only had the sausage and cornbread. We stopped the guy handing out food and asked about it. He said they didn’t have any kraut and walked away. We stopped him again and asked if we could have the pickles. So he brought some out. We asked if we could get a side instead and he got pissy and said he had brought extra pickles. Because pickles should have made up for missing half the meal. Finally got some sides. Long story already but cornbread was dry, beer tasted watered down. Brisket was amazing. If it wasn’t for Gabe being an awesome tour guide, we would have left. We won’t be back and don’t recommend this place at all.

I’ve been to rivertown twice now. The first time was for the release of the pumpkin beer and the second we had a groupon for a brewery tour. I will say the first time I was unimpressed. I have always liked rivertown beer but the location didn’t seem worth it to me to come to.
When we came for the tour I was pleasantly surprised. They had a food window serving up barbecue, and the space seemed more inviting. It looks like they have done a lot to the interior and it shows. The tour was great and the guide was entertaining and very informative. We will definitely be back.

Very cool vibe. Great selection of beer, a vegan food option and free video arcade. Had a great time!

Decided to come here after seeing the Groupon, though we did not utilize the Groupon as it did not fit our schedule for the weekend. Were not disappointed!
It was a little tough to find, as it is on a no-​outlet road with many warehouse buildings. However, the selection of folks in and out during our visit tells me that this is a well-​liked gem among all types of clientele.
We ordered two flights and ended up trying 10 of the ¹²⁄₁₃ beers available. We are new to sours and, though my boyfriend likened them to «drinking a Warhead,» we really liked everything we drank! They do have a good variety despite concentrating on their sour production. The atmosphere was very laid-​back and relaxing, and they have a variety of games available, including free arcade games! We visited Saturday evening close to closing time, and the bartender was fantastic!
We definitely plan to return next time we are in town, and also hope to try the barbecue!

I really enjoy coming down here. I am a big fan of sours and they are really doing a great job making some awesome ones and most are only available in the tap room. They are in a bit of a strange location but the new taproom expansion really makes it a more fun place to hang out. I have not yet tried the BBQ restaurant next door but will update my review when I do.

Darn you Cincinnati for giving me a Rivertowne Blueberry Lager. I am from Petaluma, CA., home of Laganitas IPA. I can’t get your beer here. It is so good!

I was happy to finally have the stars align for me to check this place out. A bit off the beaten brewery path, you really have to make an effort to go to (and find) Rivertown, but it’s worth it. Their new branding and beers are solid-​a selection of sours not found much in Cincy and they also have aluminum 12oz growlers.
The space is friendly and comfy and they have a selection of arcade games set up for free play. I could play pinball all day. There was also some local bbq set up in the parking lot that smelled and looked great.
This was a great afternoon stop on the way to dinner at Tela in Wyoming. If you’re looking for an adventure to check out this part of town, this made for a great combo with a little stop at Glenwood Gardens for a walk as well. Looking forward to going back.

If you are a fan of sours, stop by rivertown. I had their kriek on draft in louisville and was told by the owners of the bar to check this place out since i really enjoy sour style beers… I’m glad I did.
It’s off the beaten path a little north of Cincinnati in a quiet industrial park. We got there at noon on Saturday as we had a few more stops on our tour of Cincinnati. I could have stayed here all day, the altbier, lambic, flanders, pumpkin/​yam and imperial stout were all good beers. Not to mention all the arcade games were free! Had to get a few rounds of Contra in before we left! Bar seats about 10 but there is plenty of seating in the main room and a little back room which also had taps setup in it. I heard they are planning on expanding so that’s always good!
I don’t know if the bbq vendor is there only on the weekends but that was another plus. Half rack of ribs with mac’n cheese was delicious!
Needless to say I’ll be back at rivertown when I’m back in Cincinnati. Hopefully that’s next weekend!

Rivertown brewery is one of my favorite breweries to visit. I work at a bar and grill that features all local beers and this one is on my top 5. I know that there may be a few bad reviews from some customers but at the same time those are the people expecting perfection from everybody. As long as you smile, provide good service, and take care of your customers, that’s all you need in a brewery. Rivertown goes above and beyond in this category. I actually know the owners of all the breweries and all of them are great hardworking guys not only at the job but with the community as well so to slander them as far as service and other comments are concerned is just wrong. In conclusion, go drink a beer and enjoy at any Cincinnati brewery, as long as your supporting the fun here, that’s all that matters. Cheers!

Stopped in here on a Thursday around 4:30 on my way from Cleveland to Cincy. I think tap rooms are so much better than brew pubs so this was right up my alley. When you walk in you can see the production facility. No A/​C so I hope you can deal with that. I didn’t have an issue since that is what I was expecting. The bartender was quite knowledgeable and patient. She let me take my time to figure out what beers I wanted in my 4-​beer flight. All in all a very good experience. I will definitely stop back on my next trip to the queen city.

I bought the living social deal of a brewery tour, tshirt, growler and cup. Read the brewery tour review of D.B. below. It was mind numbingly boring. After the tour, I was in the fairly empty taproom when a man came in and went behind the bar. He was talking loudly to someone I surmised as an old buddy. They were discussing the location of the brewery. The man who worked there said it was an «out of the way location which was fine except for all the N words».
I went up to the bartender/​tap master and asked who he was. IT WAS THE OWNER OF RIVERTOWN!
Are you kidding me? I left all the stuff from the tour but now wish that I had saved it to burn. With all the problems racism is causing and has caused, I have to listen to this POS and just supported him and his company?
DO NOT BUY RIVERTOWN BEER! Please boycott this company. There are so many breweries in Cincinnati right now, we don’t need this one.

Rivertown is by far one of the best breweries I’ve visited. The beer is some of the best in the city, especially if you like sours. They had a great cherry porter when I was there last, and are always coming out with new, interesting beers. I haven’t had a chance to try the food that they have on certain days (brunch, ribs on certain weekend nights, etc), but it always smells great.
The brewery itself is really cool, has a great small business feel, but it does get a little cramped when a lot of people get in after work on a Friday night. Which is NOT necessarily a bad thing! Very cool free pinball machines, and arcade games.
TAKEAWAY: 4.5÷5, it’s hard to give a straight perfect rating, but considering everything it was definitely above a 4. Go for the sours, as it’s their specialty, but even if sours aren’t your thing, their Roebling porters are always on tap (and delicious).

It’s a tad out of the way from the normal places we go. But it’s a great brewery with friendly service and a great blueberry beer. They do now have outdoor seating so drink a few craft beers and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. There’s always a good stand in the parking lot but remember to bring cash!

Cincy is exploding with brewery options and they all have great, fresh beer! However, Rivertown recently went through a rebranding and are starting to open our city to a new beer market. If you have never tried a sour beer, come out to Rivertown. This is a great beer for wine lovers (my opinion). They will be glad to school you on what makes a sour beer stand apart from «normal» beers… I’ll give ya a hint… Yeast isn’t included!
So come visit Rivertown to expand your beer pallet.

Over the weekend I finally paid a visit to the Rivertown Brewing Company. With so many breweries opening shop on the eastern side of town, it took me way too long to visit one of the originals. But I can now say that I’ve been there and had a great time too.
Inside the tasting room is a decent size bar, along with a handful of larger tables, plenty of space to spread out. They’ve also recently added some classic arcade games to the space which are available for free for anyone to play.
While visiting the brewery we also took the 45 minute tour of the facility ($ 6 per person). Tours are currently offered Wednesdays at 5, Fridays at 6, and Saturdays at 3 and reservations can be made on their website.
The tour offered both general information on the brewing process and also things that are special to Rivertown including their awesome sour program. I truly hope it doesn’t take me so long to make a return visit to their brewery.

This place has got much better. They’re taking more risks with their beer and not following the trend of just the hoppier the better. Add to it the free to play nostalgic video games and pinball machines and I’m now a fan.

Neat out of the way place. Has a throw back feel with the arcade games and very unassuming furnishings/​décor. Me and my husband are a fan of sour beers and we were excited a local brewery had two sour variations to boast. We were disappointed by both. Not rich flavorful sours like I’ve come to expect. Wouldn’t go back for either of those. Haven’t tried their other beers so can’t comment. We stopped in 30 minutes after they opened on a Friday evening. They were very busy so I’d bet they excel at other beers if not their sours.

I have visited this brewery three times & each time was a negative experience.
The first time it was so hot our beers got warm within minutes which I understand isn’t entirely their fault but when you are tasting a beer for the first time having them stay cool long enough for you to enjoy them and take in the flavor is important.
The second time I visited was for an after work meeting. We ordered our drinks in an empty tap room from a female working the bar who was on her phone she told us she would get our drinks in a minute and proceeded to fool around on her phone several minutes later I had to get up and ask her if we could get our drinks and she begrudgingly gave them to me, getting two drinks correct and the third was wrong.
The third time I was there the same female working the bar ignored us because she was busy talking with some guy sitting at the bar after a few minutes standing at the bar and complaining with other customers upset about the lack of service my friends and I left to go someplace else.
I gave this brewery 1 star because of the poor service and experiences I had and that I personally feel their beer is fair to middling at best, it is not bad but it is not good enough to over shadow poor service. It is the miller lite of Microbrew.

Myself & my meetup group did a tour this weekend. The host was very friendly, animated & likable. The blueberry beer he suggested was nice! As was the cheap food being cooked outside of the facility! I wished there were more places to sit and better décor. Everyone had a good time though.

This was our date day local and it was cool. Bought the package on Groupon and the staff here did not fail to please. Lot’s of good information on the tour. Staff is friendly and laid back.
It’s an out of the way location so gps might be a little wonky.
Overall, great date day!

Rivertown is a great brewery that brews wonderful beer. They offer tours that are about an hour long and have a tap room on site that offers the different beers they brew from a very knowledgeable staff. That being said, I believe that they should lower the size of the groups they take out on the tours.
It is not a large facility and you end up feeling very crammed together. Also, the organization of the line up to the bar is very chaotic. The tour itself is great and I loved our tour guide. I really enjoyed the interactive elements of the tour like tasting the malt and smelling the hops. I felt that I learned a lot about the brewing process and really respect what they are able to accomplish in such a small space. My favorites include Blueberry (in the summer) and pumpkin (in the fall).
I would return to Rivertown and meet friends for a drink. Although, I probably would not tour again unless the space itself or process changes.

Just because it’s a little harder to find doesn’t mean its not awesome!
Off of the Sheppard Lane exit of 75, into an industrial park, you’ll find Rivertown tucked in the middle of a strip. They have a bar inside, some benches and a few tables in the main room. You can see right into the brewery section too if you appreciate that. They offer most of their beers on tap (normally 8 – 10 at least at a given time). Wednesday’s is Happy Hour day where all pints are $ 1 off all day. They’ve recently expanded to add a side room where you could probably have small gatherings. It holds roughly 30 people, has a door, it’s own bar, and a tv. When its not used for a function its open to enjoy the ac unit in it and if a Reds game is on, its normally playing there too.
They have small snacks lying around, and on weekends they may grill out in the parking lot. Say hi to Nugget the cat if you see him prolwing around. He’s super friendly. They also offer tours for $ 5 on Friday and Saturday which includes a pint of beer in a Rivertown pint glass that you get to take home! Totally worth it. The staff is fun and excellent all the way around. They also offer their speciaty beers to try, such as their sour beer, aged beers, and their recent Death (infused with ghost peppers!). It’s a great stop on a brewery tour in town.

With Cincinnati’s brewery resurgence comes comparing to other breweries in the area. Naturally.
The only brewery that has mastered both outstanding beer and an awesome brew-​pub is Rhinegeist. That is the pinnacle of the brewery experience. It is very hard to have both outstanding beer as well as an awesome space from which to serve it. Rivertown is one of those places where the beer is tops (not hyperbole — it’s my favorite locally-​brewed beer in the area), but the «pub» itself is a bit lacking.
The brewery is very industrial and is located in a pretty desolate and industrial sector of Lockland, which is a suburb just north of the city limits (about 10 miles from the city’s core). There are snacks available in the way of pretzels, and they have concession-​like food available to order. The workers are extremely friendly, and the «flights» (samples) of beer are pretty incredible. The Blueberry Beer was my favorite.
It’s not hard to see, though, that Rivertown’s purpose is not to have a trendy space. Instead, they cater to the «tasting room» crowd (see also: minimal seating). They’re here to serve good beer. And that they do. Very, very well. If you want a good meal, not your place. If you want good beer from a place that garners a true brewery feel, you’ve arrived.