This past Saturday, BubOhioBeer and I (MattOhioBeer) took a trip to Lancaster, Ohio, to visit the newly opened tasting room at the Rockmill Brewery. Open from 12pm to 8pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the tasting room is located in a beautiful old farmhouse tucked away on a quiet country road.

We didn’t know what to expect as we walked in the door, but were pleasantly surprised when we walked in to what felt more like a home and less like a place of business, with a small bar and less than five total tables. We took our seats in a large room adorned with gorgeous artwork reminiscent of the Rockmill beer labels.

The view from our table, adjacent to the main bar room.

Neither Bub nor I had ever had any Rockmill beers before, so we both decided to go with the $10 flight of all five of the their beers. The hostess  poured the first three beers in 4-ounce tasting glasses, provided us with some excellent fresh-made bread from “Matt the Baker” (who according to our hostess bakes out of his house in Bexley), and gave us each a glass of the very good Rockmill water; the last two beers were poured for us later. (At the end of this post, you will find more detailed descriptions and reviews of all of the beers.) As we tasted each of the beers, the server came by to give us a short description them.

We slowly sipped on our tasters while listening to a number of great indie rock songs, we snacked on the delicious breads, we pet the Cocker Spaniel who was looking from someone to give him some chunks of bread, we chatted with the brewer’s mother about bars in Colombian and local beer festivals, and most of all we relaxed and had a wonderful time. We felt like guests in their home and not patrons. In fact, when I asked why the tripel appeared cloudy; they explained that the cloudiness was just sediment stirred up from the bottom of the bottle. I mentioned that this was okay with me because it happens from time-to-time with bottle-conditioned beers, but they not only poured us two new tastes out of a freshly opened bottle, they also gave us the rest of the original bottle with the dregs to finish as well.

After our tasting, we grabbed two glasses of beer and John took us on a tour through the brewery, which is located in a small building across from the main house. One of the most surprising things about the brewery is just how impressive it is that they can produce so much great beer, enough to distribute throughout Ohio, with minimal equipment. If you have taken brewery tours at other breweries, you’ve no doubt noticed that even the smaller ones look like little factories; Rockmill’s brewery, however, looks more like what a very-very active home brewery might look like, including a single-bottle handbottling line. Regardless of the size of their operation, they make great beers and manage to be completely organic.

Explaining the Process

The house and brewery sit on a beautiful property with lots of open grass space surrounding a nice little pond. After the tour, we grabbed another glass of beer and took a walk around the property while we sipped on our beers. They will actually let you come and picnic on their property if you want.

Picnic Area

We both left the brewery feeling like we had just left a friend’s house – a friend who has very good taste in beer. Both of us plan on visiting in the future for sure, maybe next time with a picnic basket full of cheese and someone of the fairer sex.

Below are our quick reviews of all of their beers.

Witbeir

This is Belgian white ale brewed with cascade hops. This is a great summer beer, citrusy light and very refreshing – but it also has an earthy taste that balances the sweetness. The way it finished reminded me of a dry white wine. For being a style of beer that neither Bub nor I are huge fans of, this beer was delicious and we felt like we could drink this all day. Ignore the white wine and pick this up to pair with a light salad or white fish.

MattOhioBeer Ranking: 5-pack (out 6)

BubOhioBeer Ranking: 6-pack

Saison

This beer was not the highlight of the flight for us, but there was certainly nothing wrong with it. It just may have been unfortunately placed between the Wit and the Dubbel; this beer is still very good. Light and refreshing with some spice notes on the nose.

MattOhioBeer Ranking: 4-pack

BubOhioBeer Ranking: 5-pack

Dubbel

This beer is excellent. It has a very malty smell with a hint of sour cherry and a great smooth mouthfeel. The beer has a delicious caramel malt taste that finishes like bitter cherry. Even though this beer did not remind us of many of the dubbels we have previously had, it was very good. In fact, Bub called this the best dubbel he had ever had, and I had a hard time trying to argue (I even left the brewery with a bottle). Unlike some dubbels out there, this beer did not taste heavily of raisins or plums which made Bub very happy. It also finished with a bit more hops than most of the dubbels we have had.

MattOhioBeer Ranking: 6-pack

BubOhioBeer Ranking: 6-pack

The Tripels – Left Standard (cloudy), Right Cask

Tripel

This Tripel smelled amazing, like sweet malt with a hint of apricot. As I mentioned before, we got to taste this beer twice – once with a bit of sediment and once without. The beer tasted thick with the extra proteins from the yeast and some of the tastes were a little muddled; but with the top of the bottle it was very crisp and clean and the fruit notes came more to the forefront. If you buy this beer (and you should), be careful to store it standing up and pour it carefully – with as few tips as possible – as the sediment changes the flavor and overall experience of the beer.

MattOhioBeer Ranking: 5-pack (either way)

BubOhioBeer Ranking: 5-pack (4 with the sediment)

Cask-Aged Tripel

This is the same tripel above, but aged in once-used whiskey barrels from the local Columbus distillery Middle West Spirits. The most prevelant smell we both got off the top was whiskey, but even with the strong whiskey smell, this beer stands up well. The flavor doesn’t get pushed aside like in so many whiskey-aged beers. Neither Bub nor I had ever had a tripel aged in whiskey barrels before and were pleasently suprised by the complexity of this beer. It has a smooth mouthfeel that rolls off the tongue. It was very smooth and the whiskey-barrel aging added some very nice vanilla notes to what was already a very good beer. (For another opinion and some more infromation on this beer, See HaleOhioBeer’s review from earlier this year.)

MattOhioBeer Ranking: 6-pack

BubOhioBeer Ranking: 5-pack