Rolling Mill Brewing Company

Written by: Neil Rupp (Columbus, OH)

This is my second blog post for Best Gluten Free Beers (read my first one here) and while I’m nowhere near a professional blogger, it’s rather fun to write about delicious beer. I heard rumblings about a new gluten free brewery in my home state (Ohio), but once I found out it was located in Middletown I knew it would be a challenge to visit due to its distance from Columbus.

Rolling Mill Brewing Company opened about 5 months ago and I didn’t have time to make the trip until now. I teamed up with a good (non-gluten-free) buddy and made the almost 2 hour trek from Columbus to Middletown.

Gluten Free Taproom Review

Beer Brewed In Middletown, Ohio

Middletown is aptly named due to its location between Dayton and Cincinnati in the SW corner of Ohio. The brewery is located in downtown and I was surprised to find that while the city is located off I-75, the downtown area is a good 10-15 minute drive off the highway along the Great Miami River. We passed the Canal Museum (Miami and Erie Canal). I hope to make a stop there during my next visit as I’m a big fan of Ohio history.

The Brewery and Taproom

Rolling Mill Brewing Company is gluten-free using mostly rice, millet and buckwheat. I had a quick moment to talk to Josh (Co-Founder and Brew Master) and thank him for having the courage to start a small brewery, crafting some great tasting brews and doing it all in my home state. Josh was actually brewing and the interior of the building was a little warm as a result, but no complaints here! You can see in one of the pictures there’s a little steam coming off a brew kettle.

The building has a lot of character and they have a large space to hang out next to the brewing equipment. The bar is nestled into a corner of the building with a concrete top, rustic feel and surrounded by the building’s old industrial-style windows. They don’t serve food, but there’s a good rotation of local food trucks setting up just outside on Friday and Saturdays. Their Facebook page is regularly updated with the visiting truck’s info.

The Taste Test

Rolling Mill Brews On Draft

We were presented with 4 brews:

• Two Goldens Light Lager: 4.2% / 16 IBU
• Simplicity Porter: 5.6% / 27 IBU
• Threes Chaos IPA: 6.4% / 78 IBU
• Bobbette Lemon Lager: 5% / 22 IBU

Other options on the tap list (not available at the time of my visit):

• 10-09 Pilsner: 4.9% / 38 IBU
• 1798 Session IPA: 4.9% / 58 IBU
• Salvation Vienna Lager: 5.3% / 24 IBU
• Anti-Federalist American Pale Ale: 5.4% / 40 IBU

Two Goldens Light Lager

This light lager really hits the spot and highlights the good attributes of the light beer category. It has a light nose and is 100% easy drinking. I’d call it a summer beer, but that might just be due to the heat we encountered on our trip as a result of a hot summer day and the extra warmth from the brew kettle. My friend (who can have gluten beers) said he likes it more than most lights beers he’s had due to it’s pleasant taste and little to no aftertaste. It has a nice golden color, is clear and has a simple head when poured from the tap.  I brought home a growler and thoroughly enjoyed it while sitting on the patio with my (non-golden) puppy.

Simplicity Porter

It may not be porter season for me, but wow–this porter is anything but simple! It starts with wonderfully light chocolate notes on the nose and a great color that had me intrigued. It explodes with toasty flavors of chocolate and caramel–LOTS of depth with a slight mellow aftertaste that trails away. Come fall/winter, this porter will move up on my list!

Threes Chaos IPA

As I said in my previous blog, I’m kind of a sucker for IPAs. I can easily say this was my favorite of the collection and first pick for a growler fill. Light hops on the nose and strong hop flavor all the way through. Great balance of bitterness and flavor–not overly bitter–and a wonderful smoothness that had me drinking it maybe a little too quickly! As you can see in the pictures, good head retention along with a cloudy light color. This is a very enjoyable full-bodied IPA and I can’t wait to get another growler fill soon!

Bobbette Lemon Lager

Described as a Lemon Lagor, the Bobette is different from the Two Goldens in that it adds a slight citrus flavor and some cloudiness along with a little more body. We tasted a heavier grain profile in this beer and while you’d think citrus would make this perfect for summer, we favored the Two Goldens on this hot summer day which I found surprising.

Coming Soon at Rolling Mill…

As you can see from the list above, Rolling Mill does make a number of other options I wasn’t able to try on my first visit. I checked in with Megan (Co-Founder) and they’re currently working on adding another fermenter to increase the supply of their core brews to keep them consistently available on the tasting list. They’re also planning quite a few “special” brews to fill up the available tap handles. Beer distribution is in the works along with adding a few things to the brewery like an outdoor beer garden, corn hole boards (it’s a midwest thing), and a secret project they’re not allowed to share just yet.

If you end up in Dayton or Cincinnati, make the trip to Rolling Mill Brewing and grab a flight! Bring empty growlers and take some home with you….you’ll be glad you did.

Cheers from Ohio!

-Neil

Thank you for your contribution Neil!

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