Rohrbach Brewing Company

Rohrbach Brewing Company, also known as Rohrbach's, is a craft brewery based in Rochester, New York. Founded in 1991 by John and Patty Urlaub, it is described as Rochester's first craft brewery. The company takes its name from Rohrbach, Germany, a place that helped inspire the founders' interest in bringing German-influenced craft brewing to Rochester. The business began at the German House on Gregory Street before expanding into a larger brewing and hospitality operation. Its principal production facility is at 97 Railroad Street in Rochester's Public Market district. This site functions as the company's production brewery, beer hall, distribution base, and a venue for brewery tours. Rohrbach also operates a brewpub at 3859 Buffalo Road in Ogden, a Rochester suburb. The Ogden location serves German- and American-style pub food alongside Rohrbach beer and includes a smaller brewing facility for small-batch ales and lagers. Rohrbach's portfolio combines year-round packaged beers with seasonal, limited-release, small-batch, and contract-brewed products. Its established year-round range includes Rohrbach Scotch Ale, Blueberry Ale, Railroad Street IPA, Vanilla Porter, Highland Lager, and Space Kitty Double IPA. The beers are distributed primarily in Rochester and other nearby Upstate New York markets rather than through a broad national network. They have been available through regional retailers, including Wegmans stores. The brewery has also developed relationships with local institutions. For approximately two decades, it brewed Red Wing Red Ale for the Rochester Red Wings baseball team, and Rohrbach beers have been served at the team's Frontier Field. The company hosts the annual Flour City Brewing Festival, connecting its brand with Rochester's wider brewing community. Overall, Rohrbach's positioning is strongly regional: it combines neighborhood brewpub hospitality, German and American brewing references, local event participation, and a distribution footprint centered on Upstate New York.

Rohrbach Brewing Company was established in 1991 by John and Patty Urlaub in Rochester, New York. The founders drew the company's name from Rohrbach, Germany, and sought to introduce a dedicated craft-brewing enterprise to Rochester. The brewery's early operations were associated with the German House on Gregory Street. Its creation is associated with the emergence of Rochester's modern craft-brewing scene, and the company is identified as the city's first craft brewery. As demand grew, Rohrbach expanded beyond its original setting. The company developed a production brewery at 97 Railroad Street in Rochester's Public Market district. The Railroad Street site became the main brewing and distribution location and later incorporated a beer hall serving Rohrbach beer, wine, cider, and food. The facility also became a place where visitors could take scheduled brewery tours. Rohrbach subsequently operated a second location at 3859 Buffalo Road in Ogden. Unlike the larger production site, the Buffalo Road brewpub combines a restaurant with a smaller brewing system. It serves German- and American-style pub food and offers ales and lagers made by Rohrbach. The two-location structure allows the company to operate both as a regional production brewery and as a hospitality-focused brewpub. The brewery's product strategy has included a stable group of year-round beers alongside rotating seasonal and limited releases. Core offerings cited for the brand include Scotch ale, blueberry ale, IPA, vanilla porter, Highland lager, and a double IPA called Space Kitty. Rohrbach has also produced small-batch beers and contract brews, with some short-run products made at the Ogden facility. The company's market has remained concentrated in Rochester and surrounding Upstate New York communities, including the Buffalo and Syracuse areas. This regional focus distinguishes Rohrbach from nationally distributed craft-beer companies and supports its identity as a local Rochester institution. Its beer has been sold through regional retail channels, including Wegmans stores. Rohrbach has also maintained ties with local events and organizations. It has brewed Red Wing Red Ale for the Rochester Red Wings baseball team for roughly two decades, and Rohrbach products have been served at Frontier Field. The company is additionally associated with the annual Flour City Brewing Festival, which it hosts. Through its brewery, beer hall, brewpub, packaged products, and civic events, Rohrbach has developed a business model centered on local production, regional distribution, and Rochester-area hospitality.

• 1991

  Company founded in Rochester

  [1]Rohrbach Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org

  John and Patty Urlaub founded Rohrbach Brewing Company, identified as Rochester's first craft brewery.

A locally rooted Rochester craft brewery combining German-influenced and American beer styles with brewpub dining, regional distribution, and community-oriented events.

• Year-round craft beer

  Rohrbach Scotch Ale

  A core Rohrbach beer and the brewery's flagship offering. It represents the company's traditional ale range and is packaged among the brand's regularly available beers.

• Year-round fruit ale

  Blueberry Ale

  A fruit-oriented ale included in Rohrbach's regular packaged lineup. Its blueberry identity gives the core range a sweeter, fruit-forward alternative to the brewery's more conventional malt- and hop-led styles.

• Year-round IPA

  Railroad Street IPA

  An IPA named after the address of Rohrbach's principal production brewery in Rochester's Public Market district. The beer connects the packaged portfolio directly with the company's main brewing facility and local identity.

• Year-round porter

  Vanilla Porter

  A porter in Rohrbach's regular beer range, distinguished by vanilla flavoring. It broadens the year-round portfolio with a darker beer designed around a recognizable specialty flavor.

• Year-round lager

  Highland Lager

  A regularly available lager that provides a lighter, lager-based counterpart to Rohrbach's ales, porter, and IPA. It is part of the brewery's core four-pack can selection.

• Year-round double IPA

  Space Kitty Double IPA

  A stronger IPA-style offering in Rohrbach's year-round range. Its inclusion gives the core portfolio a more assertive hop-focused option alongside the standard IPA and traditional styles.

• Sports partnership beer

  Red Wing Red Ale

  A red ale brewed for the Rochester Red Wings baseball team. Rohrbach has produced the beer for approximately 20 years, and its products have been served at the team's Frontier Field.

• Flour City Brewing Festival

  Rochester, New York

  Rohrbach Brewing Company hosts the annual Flour City Brewing Festival, linking the brewery to Rochester's broader craft-brewing community and local beer culture.

  Source

1. 1Rohrbach Brewing Companyen.wikipedia.org