One of Cincinnati’s oldest breweries has officially closed its doors, as a sign was on the door of Rivertown Brewing announcing its closure.
Rivertown originally opened in Lockland in 2009, where it opened a taproom once Ohio breweries were allowed to in 2012. After outgrowing that space, they moved to a much larger location in Monroe in 2017, and added a food element.
Rivertown was also a contract brewer as it brewed beer for other companies, including Kroger. But after that part of the business started to struggled and lost multiple customers, Rivertown began to struggle and was part of multiple lawsuits.
The building where Rivertown is located has been listed for sale since 2020, and rumors about a company taking over the building have been swirling since.
Rivertown was one of the original craft beer darlings of Cincinnati, as they were one of the first to release sour beers, try barrel-aging, and expand into distribution. They were also known for their Roebling Vanilla Espresso Imperial Porter, a fan favorite since its introduction.
This is already the second brewery closing of the year in the Cincinnati area this year, as Braxton closed their Braxton Labs location at The Party Source in January.