Rochester breweries and taprooms

As of November 2026, three Rochester breweries show current hours on their own websites: Forager Brewery (a brewery and scratch kitchen, taproom hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.), Kinney Creek Brewery (beer and hard seltzer, open 7 days a week, bring your own food welcome), and LTS Brewing Company (beer, house-made craft soda and pizza). All three are in northwest Rochester. Thesis Beer Project closed its taproom in fall 2026, according to KTTC.

This guide is for anyone in Rochester for a visit, an appointment or a weekend who wants a taproom and needs to know what is open, when, and whether there is food. Descriptions come from each brewery's own website, attributed, not from reviews. Hours were read on November 11, 2026.

Rochester's tourism office, Experience Rochester, runs Rochester Craft Beer Week each May; the 2026 edition ran May 11 to 17. More food and drink guides are on the food and drink page.

Rochester breweries compared

Forager and Kinney Creek have addresses on parallel streets in northwest Rochester, 6th Street NW and 7th Street NW. LTS is on 32nd Avenue NW.

Forager Brewery

Forager is at 1005 6th St NW and runs as a restaurant as much as a taproom. Its site describes "a relaxed family friendly restaurant experience" with "a full menu of vibrant dishes made from the freshest seasonally available ingredients," and says the menu changes to bring in items from local farming partners. On the beer side, Forager says it uses "time-honored traditions" alongside "innovative brewing practices" and draws on the Driftless Region. The menu also lists cocktails, wine and spirits, and takeout and delivery are available.

• Hours: taproom open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for lunch, dinner and drinks; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• Paying: Forager says there is no processing fee for cash, debit or its gift cards, and a 3% fee on credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. An 18% gratuity is added for groups of 8 or more.
• Phone: (507) 258-7490.

Kinney Creek Brewery

Kinney Creek, at 1016 7th St NW, calls itself "Rochester's First Brewery" and "a locally owned and operated micro-brewery." It brews beer and hard seltzer in-house (its seltzer brand is Med City Seltzer) and says its taproom has "over 30 craft brews, hard seltzers, seltzer cocktials and more" on tap, plus Sicilian granita.

• Food: "We've got pizzas and snacks for you to enjoy, but we are also a Bring Your Own Food taproom," the brewery says. You can order in or bring your own.
• Kids and dogs: the brewery lists NA root beer on tap for kids. Dogs are welcome on its two large patios but "must stay outside."
• Parking: behind the brewery and in an additional lot.
• Hours: Monday and Tuesday noon to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday noon to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday noon to 11 p.m.; Sunday noon to 8 p.m. The site says, "We are OPEN and serving up drinks 7 days a week!"
• Phone: (507) 282-2739.

LTS Brewing Company

LTS is at 2001 32nd Avenue NW. Its own description: "We like to say 'It's about the beer' because we're beer people - but we aim for everything from the craft soda, to the customer service... to be of the highest quality." Its sodas are made in-house, and it lists flavors such as butter beer, root beer, grape, orange and a non-carbonated lemonade, with floats available.

LTS pizza menu (as posted November 2026)

LTS says it serves pizza "every day open to close." Prices from its published menu:

The menu marks a gluten-free option on the Margherita and the Chicken Alfredo pizza.

• To go: growlers, crowlers and 750ml bottles.
• Patio: LTS describes a pet-friendly outdoor patio with a covered tent and yard games.
• Hours: Monday to Thursday 3 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 7 p.m. LTS also posts separate fall and Thanksgiving hours as images on its home page, so check there around holidays.
• Phone: 507-226-8280.

Closed or not confirmed

• Thesis Beer Project: KTTC reported on September 29, 2026 that Thesis, which opened in 2019, had closed its Rochester taproom; the business had earlier warned customers it would close, citing construction along 2nd St. SW (KTTC, August 5, 2026).
• Grand Rounds Brew Pub: its old website no longer shows brewpub news or current hours, and the related Grand Rounds Brewing site says only "Launching Soon." It is not listed here.
• Little Thistle Brewing Co.: Experience Rochester lists it at 2031 14th St NW, and it took part in Rochester Craft Beer Week in May 2026, but its own website did not load when this guide was checked (retried November 11, 2026). It is left out of the table; call (507) 226-8014 to confirm it is open before you go.

Rochester Craft Beer Week

Experience Rochester lists Rochester Craft Beer Week as May 11 to 17, 2026. Participating breweries included Forager, Kinney Creek, Little Thistle, LTS and Thesis, with events such as a Forager bottle release and spring market, an LTS block party and small-batch release, and live music at Kinney Creek. The 2027 dates had not been posted as of November 2026; check the Craft Beer Week page in spring.

Check before you go

• Hours change. All hours here were read from the breweries' own sites on November 11, 2026. Holiday hours differ; Forager closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• Food: only Forager runs a full kitchen. Kinney Creek and LTS serve pizza, and Kinney Creek allows outside food.
• Payment fees: Forager charges 3% on credit cards.
• Dogs: Kinney Creek allows them on the patios only, and LTS describes its patio as pet-friendly.
• Designate a driver if you plan to visit more than one taproom.

Heading east toward the river? See things to do in Red Wing and Red Wing restaurants, which include Red Wing Brewery, or browse all Bluff Country guides.

Related guides: Red Wing restaurants · Whitewater State Park · Breweries in Duluth · Things to do in Winona

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Sources

• Forager Brewery, home page (hours, location, payment policy): https://www.foragerbrewery.com/
• Kinney Creek Brewery, home page (hours, food, patios): https://www.kinneycreekbrewery.com/
• LTS Brewing Company, home page: https://www.ltsbrewing.com/
• LTS Brewing Company, Contact (hours): https://www.ltsbrewing.com/contact
• LTS Brewing Company, Food (pizza menu): https://www.ltsbrewing.com/fresh
• LTS Brewing Company, Soda: https://www.ltsbrewing.com/soda
• LTS Brewing Company, Taproom: https://www.ltsbrewing.com/taproom
• Experience Rochester, Rochester Craft Beer Week: https://www.experiencerochestermn.com/craft-beer-week/
• Experience Rochester, Little Thistle Brewing Co. listing: https://www.experiencerochestermn.com/listing/little-thistle-brewing-co/8660/
• KTTC, "Thesis Beer Project closes Rochester taproom" (Sept. 29, 2026): https://www.kttc.com/2026/09/29/thesis-beer-project-closes-rochester-taproom/
• KTTC, "Rochester beer company shuttering due to ongoing 2nd Street SW construction" (Aug. 5, 2026): https://www.kttc.com/2026/08/05/rochester-beer-company-shuttering-due-ongoing-2nd-street-sw-construction/
• Grand Rounds Brew Pub, website: https://www.grandroundsbrewpub.com/
• Grand Rounds Brewing, website: https://grandroundsbrewing.com/