Rockmill Tavern is F***ing Great

…and they open tonight

by Matthew Erman, Photos by Brian Kellett

When I first moved to Columbus, the downtown beer boom hadn’t happened yet and we were all still drinking Rogue Dead Guy and Bell’s Two Hearted (not that two hearted isn’t a great beer, but as far as the midwest goes — it’s pretty typical.) It wasn’t long into my first year of Columbus that I came across a frosty-corked bottle that stood above the others (at the now long-gone Beer Barn on 4th & 5th) with the picture of a solemn, lone horse on the label.

“Rockmill Brewery — Tripel: Golden Ale”

This was my first treat into what I consider and have considered since living here, the best beer in all of Columbus. Now I can’t say for certain if it’s because of the taste, the nostalgia of popping off that cork for the first time or that I too, like that horse on the bottle, was alone (I know, how pretentious of me, but hey — I was 21.)

It’s funny, I don’t drink Rockmill often — maybe — once or twice a month and that’s if I’m treating myself. It’s not a particularly expensive bottle, but the taste is fantastical. This is the kind of beer they serve to Tyrion Lannister, the kind of drink Kings and Queens of ancient Germany drank on only the most majestic, celebratory nights. So if it is so good, why do I only drink this beer infrequently?

Because I’m scared to ruin the magic, terrified that over indulging in something so good will turn it into something typical, which at the end of the day is the one thing that Rockmill Brewery isn’t — typical.

The first thing you see when you walk into Rockmill Tavern is the wall of green plants, flowers and herbs that hang above the entrance. A living wall, built and designed by Stump’s Brian Kellett — just one of their many vows to sustainability.

And that’s at the core of Rockmill Tavern — local & sustainable. Yeah, I know — everyone is about that but they’re making everyone look like chumps. Everything from the wood panels that line the inside of the gorgeous interior to the tables that sit on their second floor come from reclaimed wood and barns. Just like their beer, it is magic. Their soap is from Glenn Avenue Soap Company and the smell of their restaurant was designed specifically for them by Short North’s Candlelab. The head chef (Andrew Smith of The Rossi, Salt & Pine) sources the ingredients locally, and — well, you’ve heard this all before, but they really do live by this, it is real.

So real in fact that you feel immediately so far away from the city and yet, outside the window — there it is, looming over you. The city is present in how local the restaurant feels. Everything about it is an exercise in an effort to make you reconsider the space, pulling you closer to Columbus as an entity and further away to the farms where this all started.. I couldn’t help but run my hands over the walls, feeling the grain of the barnwood.

The kind of vibe you can expect any given night, warm, dark and dreamy — Photo by Brian Kellett

Rockmill’s menu and beer go hand-in-hand. A mix of spicy, sweet and cask smoke. Even their house cocktail, which features a mix of OYO Stonefruit Vodka and Blood Orange Simple has an unreal smokey-ness that had me convinced they’d swapped the vodka with a mescal or tequila.

A Few Taste Observations —

Urfa Mayo is my shit — like wow. So rarely do I taste a new thing. This was a new thing. I had a big problem when I was ready to never eat ketchup again and this was a perfect compliment to their fries.

Their “appetizers” are so far and away from being appetizers that it’s a crime to call them that — the cheddar biscuits could take down empires in the right hands.

Oh? You’re not impressed with a cheesy biscuit? Well, they serve it with a spicy honey butter that will make you question the morality of spooning butter into your mouth. I’m not being grandiose or hyperbolic because I legit did that. I just ate some butter it was that good.

What’s that? You want a salad? Oh — here’s this cheesy, beet roasted concoction that made me feel like beets could be a thing. Like a bigger thing than they are. It changed beets for me.

Their burger is a mammoth of taste. The meat is RL Valley Ranch beef, custom ground at Butcher & Grocer here in Columbus! The smokey bacon jam, the Tillamook cheese, the ciabatta bread is from Matija Bread, locally baked by Matt Swint. There’s something about the perfect mix of spice, and smoke and meaty richness that the whole thing melts in your mouth — get it medium to preserve the integrity of your bottom bun and enjoy because it is a legit, eye-opening pleasure.

Their burger pairs perfectly with their Petite Saison — Photo by Brian Kellett

I drank their beer for first time this year. Six of them actually. I wasn’t afraid anymore of turning a good thing bad — because in Rockmill Tavern’s case — too much of a good thing, is a great thing.

And Rockmill Tavern is fucking great.