All About Rock Bottom

Let’s get the obvious out of the way – Rock Bottom was a chain – it was a brewpub in the 80s and 90s sense of the word, and it might not have had all the “taproom charm” that some other breweries in Cincinnati did, especially towards the end of its life. With all that being said though, they’re not a place that deserves to be skipped over just because of it. They’ve not only had some damn good beer, it was brewed right here in Cincinnati, and they also had some great people that came through their brewery.

The recipes that Rock Bottom would brew were mostly standard ones that you’ll find at every chain across the US, but there were some glimpses into creativity, too. Barrel-Aged beers? Sours? Cask offerings? None of it was off the table when it came to the brewery side of things at Rock Bottom.

What Was Rock Bottom Like?

Rock Bottom was (like I have mentioned before) on the surface your standard 90s era brewpub. It’s had seating that is exactly like a chain restaurant would be. The only thing that clued you in that this place was a little bit more is the glimpses of the brewery equipment tucked away behind glass.

It lost a bit of its sparkle and novelty as craft beer started to explode around the country, and also right here in the United States. The company eventually started to have financial difficulties, merging with another brewpub of the same era, Gordon Biersch – before finally meeting its doom right as the pandemic set in around the country.

Rock Bottom’s Cincinnati Timeline

• 8/5/1996 – Rock Bottom Opens Its Doors In Cincinnati.
• 2012 – The brewery wins a gold medal at the world beer cup for ‘Sarah’s Two-Headed Buffalo’
• 1/2013 – Head Brewer Mitch Dougherty leaves to head to Ei8ht Ball, Gerry OConnell takes over
• 3/3/2020 – The parent chain of the brewpub files for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
• 3/15/2020 – The brewery closes its doors, ”temporarily”.
• 5/2020 – The temporary closure becomes permanent.