Rochester Mills Beer Co.

Kerrie

Michigan

4.44/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

One of my favorite places to go when I'm in the area. I've always liked the atmosphere of the place; it's very large and very open, and sometimes they have live music. You can see the brew tanks (forgive me if that's not the proper term), too.

The quality has always been top-notch. I've never had a bad beer or meal here. The service is also great considering how large it is. My glass never stayed empty for long.

The selection is quite large. Lots of food options (all of which I've tried have been great) and a lot of beer options. They usually have a rotating stout, their Water Street Wheat (amazing after a bike ride, you're the type to bike the trails nearby and then stop in for a pint) an IPA, a red, and a few more that I've yet to have the opportunity to try at this point.

The food is always delicious and the portions are huge. I love the garlic bread that comes with the pasta dishes- it's the size of half the plate.

Overall, very good and well worth the price. I can't wait to bike the trails again this summer and stop in again.

05-09-2013 18:56:46 | More by Kerrie

RobWilson

Indiana

4.58/5  rDev +11.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

I spent a few weeks working near Troy and this was by far my favorite place to eat. It helps that they have good beer and friendly bartenders!

They do samples and you get to pick your beers from the menu. They did not provide any sort of reminder of what I ordered. All of the beers I have had there were done to style and very tasty.

The food is good and the menu suggests beer pairings. The bar is full of locals who are very friendly with each other.

You can buy some swag at the bar, I could not find a specific shop. I managed to get a pint glass and that was my goal.

10-24-2012 02:43:02 | More by RobWilson

LilBeerDoctor

New York

4/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Reviewed on 6/20/2010.

An interesting little brewpub based in a historical old mill. I came here on a Sunday afternoon and got to sit outside, which was very pleasant. The service was great. There were ~10 beers on tap and the ones I tried were quite tasty. The food was ok (the descriptions make the food sound better than it is...I got the Shepherd's pie which was actually pretty good but my boyfriend got the sesame chicken which was not good at all...so it is hit or miss). A low key, chill kind of atmosphere and good beer to boot. I had a great time here!

12-23-2010 21:29:54 | More by LilBeerDoctor

beerguru15

Michigan

4.45/5  rDev +8.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I've gone to Rochester Mills a few times while in the area, most recently past weekend. The overall atmosphere is enjoyable, with quite a few tv's, a nice view of the brewing equipment and a perfect place to go and have a beer while visiting with friends, coworkers or others at the bar.

I've had quite a few types of beer from Rochester Mills including a Cream ale, their wit, porter, milkshake stout and Oktoberfest. All were enjoyable and recommended.

Each time I've been there, I've had good service, the waitresses have all been attentive, had knowledge of the beer they were serving and always helpful. You can't go wrong there.

Rochester Mills has a nice selection of different styles of beers, and it seems like each time I've gone there are always something new. They have a few quest tap and do well with seasonals also, making just about beer drinker happy.

The food is also quite good. This past saturday we had their pepperoni pizza, and I've had their goulash plus various sandwiches before. Always enjoyed eating there.

Overall, a great place to go and is one of the sure stops my friends and I make when in the area.

09-18-2010 03:40:54 | More by beerguru15

gotweid

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Located in downtown Rochester. This place is converted from an old warehouse. It has brick walls and wood floors, a high ceiling and is very large. They have a wide variety of good food, great service, pool tables located down some steps in the middle of the establishment. The tables surround the pool table area and they have a very long bar. The best part is the beer. They have a huge selection of many makers and varieties. I always order the breer the Rochester Mills brews and have enjoyed and recommend them all. The only drawback is when the place gets full it holds a lot of people so it can get loud. Recommend it and enjoy taking the family or meeting friends there.

01-12-2008 23:01:22 | More by gotweid

berserker256

Michigan

4/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

This joint is owned and operated by the same people who own Royal Oak Brewery. And as soon as I walked in the place with my wife I could see a lot of similarities. It looks and feels very much like the Royal Oak Brewery but it's up in Rochester.

There's a warehouse-converted-to-a-brewery-bar type of feel to it. I like that. It spacious. Great atmosphere and location. Feels upscale but is actually quite reasonable. As far as I can tell, the menu is exactly the same as the Royal Oak brewery. Large variety at reasonable prices. Very friendly and good-looking waitresses.
The beer menu was similar to ROB's as well. So I asked the waitress if the beers had the same recipes with different names. She asked the brewmaster and he said NO.

I thought the Paint Creek Porter tasted like the Pappy's Porter at ROB and that's why I asked. But then I had the I.P.A. and it was WAY different from the Pleasure's I.P.A. at the ROB. The wheats are different as well.

I like Rochester Mills but there's not much reason for me to go there seeing that the very similar Royal Oak Brewery is about a mile and a half from my house.

11-06-2007 18:35:06 | More by berserker256

DackAchan

Michigan

4.6/5  rDev +12.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

The "Mills" is an excellent place. I have frequented the establishment multiple times. I think I enjoyed it when I had my 21st birthday there. I've attended a couple other parties there as well and remember them. They have a nice private room in the back that doubles as the cigar room when not in use. There is a stage that is framed by the beer vats that also includes a large projection screen for sporting events. You can't look anywhere in the bar without seeing at least one tv. The sit down area is a little more modest. A good place to sit down and chat, without the noise of the bar. If you want the bar atmosphere there are the pool tables which are kept up pretty well.

Last but not least is the beer. They have at any one time 6-8 microbrews on tap as well as other mass marketed beers. I haven't found a Rochester Mills Beer that I've disliked. Their Sacriligous stout is very good, as well as their Paint Creek Porter, Milkshake Stout and Oktoberfest. I like dark beers and if you do too, this is the place to go.

10-17-2007 15:35:39 | More by DackAchan

CoSMoSYS

Michigan

3.56/5  rDev -13.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

I visited this establishment for the first time last Saturday for my girlfriend's friends birthday. It's sort of in a tucked away part of beautiful downtown Rochester. There are various amounts of parking options, so you are not limited. While walking up to the building I had to stop and take a look at the architecture of the place. It reminded me of a old factory/mill they had restored. Very unique and made me feel comfortable when I went in. The brewery seems to occupy just a third of the building, even though the brewery is huge! I enjoy a small, cozy and somewhat quiet setting to enjoy a drink and have conversations but this place was hoppin with people and music.

When you walk in the first thing you notice is the pool tables, flat screen TVs and a very long bar. Not only do they have their own brews but they also sell the typical beers: Labatts, Guinness, etc etc. I had three beers when I was there, The Lazy Daze, A Raspberry type beer (sorry, I can't remember the name!) and the Hard Cider.

If cigars are your thing, they have their own smoking room and humidor for your convenience.

They also had a decent sized kitchen and the food that our party ordered was met by various, "mmmm's" and orders for more food.

The wait staff was friendly but the service seemed just ok. They had us move literally 3 different times to different tables and that was somewhat annoying and they were sometimes slow to get over to you. They were busy however, so I attribute it to that.

They had a band that night, Reggie Smith and the After Party, which helped bring the night to a great end before we left. There were a lot of people dancing it up to the great tunes.

04-17-2007 12:29:04 | More by CoSMoSYS

adams82

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Located just outside of downtown Rochester, "The Mills" is truly a great find. The historic knitting mill lends a unique character to a brewpub and really helps make the dining/drinking experience as enjoyable as possible.

There's plenty of space, so getting sat quickly has never been a problem and you're not bumping elbows with the people next to you. Once seated, take a minute to observe the unique layout and you'll see four or five pool tables in the middle of the dining area, a rather large bar lined with stainless serving tanks and nestled in a corner behind a glass wall is the brewhouse. It's always cool to see where your beer comes from! Oh, and like others have said, the yuppie crowd does tend to find its way in, but come on... it's Rochester! They have to go somewhere and they might as well try out some good beer while they're at it.

The staff have always been friendly and attentive and have had at the very least, a little knowledge of beer. The menu seems to change on a semi regular basis and it's fairly diverse with pasta, sandwiches, (awesome!) pizzas, unique appetizers and some really excellent desserts.

The beer list has 8 mainstays, but you may only see 7of 8 on tap at certain times as they rotate between their dry and sweet stouts. All are very good offerings and range from lighter lagers for the masses to enjoy to a really good IPA and a killer porter. Beyond the usual suspects, there are usually one or two seasonal (sometimes more!) which always end up being more than exceptional. From an Amarillo Pale Ale to Belgian Tripple, they tend to cover a wide range of styles in small batches.

While Rochester Mills is a part of a chain, they are not franchised and really deliver excellent food and beer time and again. Prices are more than reasonable (especially when you take into consideration where they are located) and the quality service is paired nicely with quality food and drink.

02-11-2007 16:08:20 | More by adams82

sinstaineddemon

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

I love this restaurant/pub. This is where my girlfriends parents first took me out to dinner. A great establishment with GREAT beer, well of what ive had so far. The servers are friendly, accurate, and best of all knowledgeable about there beer.

They have a great selection of beers and great food, their palamino pasta sauces are great, and their cheese soup is even better. Worth a trip, well maybe not for me from Ct, but when I am out here i make it a point to stop.

The prices are pretty good too, 3.75 for the pints, but maybe those were lunch prices?

Worth the trip!!

04-10-2006 03:42:34 | More by sinstaineddemon