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 (803) 724-5712
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