River Rat Brewery

Columbia, South Carolina's premier Craft Brewery

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RIVER RAT BREWERY PARTNERS WITH COLUMBIA FIREFLIES FOR NEW BREW

Nothing goes better with baseball than a cold beer. At least, that is the idea that River Rat Brewery and the Columbia Fireflies share. This idea led the two Columbia powerhouses to team up for a new beer, the Luminescent Lager, and just in time for the beginning of Baseball season.

The partnership brings you an American Premium Lager, just in time for the Fireflies opening day. Coming in at 4% ABV, this lager beer is a home run for the City of Columbia. This lager boasts a crisp and dry flavor, balanced perfectly with Perle hops for a refreshing, thirst quenching beer that won't fill you up.

 The collaboration came about when the Fireflies called the brewery with an idea to have their own, custom brew to be featured in Spirit Communications Park.  River Rat Brewery was a natural fit.

 “It’s our own brew, made specifically for us,” said the Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage for the Columbia Fireflies. “It’s a science behind it, and those guys (at River Rat) do a great job. They put out great beer.”

 Upon partnering with the Fireflies, Brew Master Drew Walker thought to himself, ‘What beer goes best with baseball?’ This prompted Walker to design a recipe for an American Premium Lager, later to be dubbed, The Luminescent Lager.

“You don’t want something too dark,” explains Walker, “as baseball runs through the summer time. So we were leaning towards something lighter. We brew our own pilsner here in house and I got to thinking, ‘let’s do something classic, something easy drinking and sessionable.’ That’s when the American Premium Lager came about. This brew is impeccably clean, crisp and dry. Perfect beer for watching baseball.”

 “Ahhh…that’s good.”

 The brew was released on tap on opening day at Firefly stadium and was featured in River Rat Brewery’s taproom the following day. The brewery plans to keep the beer on tap in the taproom as homage to their home city’s baseball team and the friendship that has become of the two Columbia establishments.

“It is nice to be a part of such a great relationship among local businesses here in Columbia,” says River Rat owner Mike Tourville. “To be in Fireflies Stadium, cheering on our very own local team as they begin their second season and drinking a local brew, there is no better way to watch a baseball game. I think our Brew Master [Drew Walker] really hit a homerun with this brew.”

 You can find the Luminescent Lager on tap at Spirit Communications Park throughout baseball season, on tap in River Rat Brewery’s tap room and at select establishments throughout Columbia, SC.

For more information, contact River Rat Brewery’s Tap Room at [phone] or email River Rat Brewery at [email protected].

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A Thank You from River Rat Brewery

To our loyal beer nerds, hop heads, brewery nuts, devoted patrons, trustworthy guzzlers and devoted consumers, we thank you!

As we move into our fourth year as Columbia, SC’s premier brewery, we reflect on years past and realize that the true victory is not only ours, but yours as well. Without the support of our dutiful consumers, we would be far from where we have established ourselves today in the Southern beer community.

Together, through drafts and growlers and bottles and cans, South Carolina to North Carolina, from year one to year three, you have graciously supported our brews and helped us grow to the esteemed brewery and tap room we are today.

We are incredibly humbled by the support and advocacy we have received from each and every one of you. From the modest start of 6 craft brews, we have made it our priority to produce something for the tastes of each and every craft beer consumer, now boasting more than 20 different brands to please the palates of craft beer purchasers in our vast patronage.

From River Rat Brewery, we thank you. Thank you for choosing our brand as a go to local brew. Thank you for supporting us in not only in South Carolina, but North Carolina as well. Thank you for showing your pride of River Rat Brewery on our social media outlets. We appreciate your patronage over the past three years and we look forward to our continued friendship henceforth.

Again, we thank you! Here’s to many more years to come!

Cheers!

The Rat Pack at River Rat Brewery

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Craft Brewers Tell Us Which Spring Beers They're Excited for You to Try

As winter changes to spring, you'll see new beers at your favorite bars and breweries. These are the spring beers craft brewers are excited about this year.

Our Pineapple Princess is featured in this Spring Beer article from Craftbeer.com!

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3 New Brands in Cans from River Rat Brewery

Columbia’s premier craft brewery is at it again, releasing three more craft beer brands in cans this spring.

River Rat Brewery is adding Kerry’s Peanut Butter Porter, the Lost Port Porter and the Monck’s Corner Abbey Ale to their already vast selection of canned brands throughout the months of February and March. These three specialty, seasonal brews will put the number of canned brands the brewery offers to 11 (including seasonal offerings).

Kerry’s Peanut Butter Porter, obtainable in the winter and spring seasons, sits at a 6% ABV.  This medium bodied porter has a raw peanut flavor that compliments the natural roasted flavors of the beer. A milder bitterness is reminiscent of eating the entire shell.

 The Lost Port Porter, a vanilla porter flavored with natural Madagascar vanilla beans, also sits at 6% ABV. Available in winter and spring seasons, this porter has become a favorite of customers and employees alike. “It’s a really solid brew,” says Brew Master Drew Walker. “It really adds diversity to our tap line and stands out as an individual brew among our other 16 styles. Since it is a limited release, people can’t get enough of it while it’s around.”

 The fact the brewery boasts not one, but two, porters may seem redundant but the two are vastly different from one another. “They’re two completely different porters,” says Walker. “We have a vanilla porter and a peanut butter porter so people have a choice. We have capability of having two, and they’re both delicious. We couldn’t pick just one, and we wouldn’t want our customers to have to pick just one either. Because as they say, variety is the spice of life!”

 The third brand new to packaging is the Monck’s Corner Abbey Ale, a Belgian dubbel available in the spring season. Taking characteristics from the Belgian family, bubble gum and bananas come at the front end of this beer then morphs beautifully into spices at the back end. This balanced and flavorful dubbel has an ABV of 7.2% and is a popular choice to craft beer-heads and new beer drinkers alike.

 The Carolina’s are seen as recreational states, from mountains and rivers to lakes and beaches. The cans allow craft drinkers the luxury of traveling with their favorite brew outdoors. Not to mention, cans are much more environmentally friendly.

River Rat moved to canning their product in September of 2016. Since then, the brewery has moved completely away from bottles, something that is becoming an industry trend.

 “I love the new cans. It’s a game changer and will really change the ball game with us in the Carolina’s. Cans are becoming more and more popular every year and the change from cans to bottles in the [craft beer] industry has to be exponential,” said Mike Tourville, Owner of River Rat Brewery. “Cans are better for the beer, as no light can reach the product. Our cans look awesome. The kolsch can is groovy and the [three] new cans are, well, badass.”

 Craft beer consumers in the Carolina’s can purchase River Rat Brewery cans at more than 100 craft beer bars, restaurants and establishments in both North and South Carolina. Contact your local beverage shop for purchasing opportunities.  

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River Rat Expansion Provides Beer to the Carolinas

Columbia, South Carolina’s River Rat Brewery now is providing beer to both South and North Carolina thanks to their recent brewery expansion that took place in 2016.

Partnering with Charleston, SC distributor Advintage, River Rat has had their award winning craft brews distributed throughout South Carolina for the past 3 years. With the new expansion, River Rat now has the capacity to branch into North Carolina with strength. The expansion has also allowed the brewery to expand their beer portfolio, providing new styles to compliment the existing flagship brews.

 Branching into North Carolina will provide River Rat the opportunity to provide their product to a new market, a market saturated with different craft brews from North Carolina breweries. River Rat is excited to add diversity to the market, by bringing their South Carolina flare for consumers in the Tar Heel State. 

“In a market where different and eclectic flavors are popping up all over the place, I think consumers in [North Carolina] will appreciate our consistency,” says River Rat Brew Master Drew Walker. “We have the ability to brew quality and consistent beer with every brew. Beer lovers all over the Carolina’s can receive a beer from us, wherever they may be. From Florence, SC to Hickory, NC, it will be the consistent tried and true brew every time.”  

With the new surge into North Carolina, River Rat has experienced great success thus far. Beginning in the Asheville and Charlotte market to start, the brewery saw huge interest in consumers by way of beer festivals. River Rat participated in the Ashville Oktoberfest in 2016 and received a great response. By way of other festivals in North Carolina, Waynesville and the Up Country Beer Festival in Boone, for example, the brewery experienced an excellent response at every festival they participated in and, in the process, were able to meet the North Carolina beer nuts that help shape the craft beer industry in the Carolina’s.

River Rat sent over 300 cases to North Carolina in their first shipment to the state. Their brews are to be featured in 56 different establishments in North Carolina off the bat. From there, the brewery hopes to double their presence by the summer season. “The sky is the limit,” says Walker.

River Rat will be offering the state of North Carolina all brews that are available in their home state of South Carolina. For more information on these available brews, please visit their website, call the taproom at [phone] or visit your local craft beer emporium.

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We sold almost 10 barrels of beer in the taproom last week. Seriously.

Mitchell Phillips, Taproom Manager

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Columbia’s River Rat Brewery Grows to Support Market Demand

Nestled in the heart of Columbia, SC, River Rat Brewery has rapidly become a popular destination in the greater Columbia area for local craft beer.

 Founded in 2013, River Rat has greatly expanded since their opening. Since River Rat’s first brew, the Winter Warmer in January 2014, the brew crew has been producing more beer than ever. With an original starting line up of 5 brews, River Rat has vastly expanded their selection, now boasting over 16 drafts at any time.

With the recent addition of two 60-barrel fermenters, a 60-barrel bright tank and another 30-barrel hot liquor tank in the brew house this past summer, River Rat Brewery now has the capability to brew 7600 barrels of craft beer annually, a number double of the previous barrel production. In addition to the new fermenters, the brewery bolsters up to 20 oak barrels at any time for barrel aging.

 In compliment to the new brew equipment, River Rat added an additional 4,000 square foot building to their campus, a project completed in June. The space provided with new facility creates another 1,000 square feet of additional covered outdoor space for larger parties and houses offices, storage for grain, merchandise and a laboratory for testing and evaluation of product. The building also houses the brand new canning line.

 With the addition of a canning line, River Rat has been canning the many flagship brews as well as specialty seasonals. The 4-head Wild Goose Canning line enables River Rat to produce packaged beer in a faster, more environmentally friendly way. Currently the brewery is packaging 6 mainstay brews and adding 3 more canned brands, a peanut butter and a vanilla porter and a Belgian dubbel, in February.

River Rat Brewery’s tap-room is open Tuesday-Sunday, offering quality beer and food to locals and out-of-towners alike. For more information, like them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, check out their website at www.riverratbrewery.com or call the taproom at [phone]

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We love brewing beer because beer makes people happy.

King Rat Daddy

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Check us out! Our American Kolsch Story can made it into The New Brewer magazine in an ad for Shrink Sleeve Craft Cans! Craft beer love!

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Teaming up with local craft beer emporium, Craft and Draft, for a killer collaboration. A cream ale brewed with peaches for a Cream of the Crop Beer Festival March 25th, 2017 at City Roots in Columbia, SC . This beer will eloquently named, “Know What I Mean, Peaches and Cream”. 

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River Rat Brewery Makes Beer Advocate Magazine

River Rat made Beer Advocate Magazine! Check out the Beer Reviews section of the latest issue #121

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Pull Up A Stool with Mike Tourville and Drew Walker of River Rat Brewery

River Rat Brewery's founder and brewmaster discuss the brewery's past, present and future.

Check out our Owner and Brew Master in this epic All About Beer article!