Columbia’s River Rat Brewery to close after a decade. Here’s when the last day will be
A brewery that has been a popular destination in Columbia for the last decade has announced it plans to close.
River Rat Brewery, located at 1231 Shop Road, announced Tuesday night on its social media channels that it plans to close its doors. Its last day open to the public will be Dec. 30.
“We want to thank all of our wonderful customers and employees for supporting us over these past 10+ years,” River Rat posted. “Memories that will always be close to our heart! RRB grew organically over these last 10 years and what a pleasure it was to serve the great community of Columbia and beyond.”
River Rat was one of the first handful of Columbia-based craft breweries to hit the local scene about a decade ago. Two other breweries that, like River Rat, were located near Williams-Brice Stadium also closed in recent years: Conquest Brewing, which was located on Stadium Road, closed in 2019, and Swamp Cabbage Brewing on Brookwood Drive closed in 2022
River Rat didn’t offer a reason for its closing in its Tuesday social media posts.
“Though it is time to end this chapter we want to thank all who visited our establishment throughout these 10 years,” River Rat wrote. “The experiences we shared with our customers and employees will forever be in our hearts.”
The brewery said it will have a 25% off sale on all merchandise and beer this week.
Aside from a host of original beers — Kerry’s Peanut Butter Porter is a favorite — River Rat also has offered a full food menu at the Shop Road site, including burgers, barbecue sandwiches, quesadillas, wings and more.
The coming River Rat closure is the latest news in a bruising few weeks on the Midlands dining scene, as a host of long-running establishments have either closed or announced closures.
Al’s Upstairs, the Italian restaurant that has been at 300 Meeting St. in West Columbia for 44 years, announced its coming closure. Owner Al Loftis is retiring, and the restaurant’s last day will be Dec. 19.
Village Idiot announced on Tuesday that it would close its Forest Acres location at 4517 Forest Drive by the end of the month. The Forest Drive location has been in business for 14 years. The company’s Five Points and Whaley Street locations remain open, and franchising plans for the company are continuing.
In late November, Alodia’s Cucina Italiana closed the doors at its Irmo location at 2736 North Lake Drive after 15 years. The Lexington Alodia’s remains open.
And Jin Jin Chinese restaurant, which had been located at 469 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia for 29 years, announced on Dec. 2 it would be shutting its doors.
