Fifth Frame Brewing announces abrupt, immediate closure

Brewery, originally based in downtown Rochester, was evicted from that space before setting down roots in Irondequoit.

The current year is off to a wildly shitty start.

Fifth Frame Brewing, one of the best and most adventurous breweries in Monroe County, announced an immediate closure, Thursday night on social media. The announcement was abrupt and without warning. Brewery owner Jon Mervine didn’t respond to my text messages when I sought comment earlier in the day.

In the statement posted to social media, Fifth Frame didn't offer any reasons for the immediate closure. The statement read, “It is with heavy hearts that we at Fifth Frame have to announce the closing of our operations. This was an incredibly difficult decision, however unavoidable.”

It continued, “We cannot thank the Rochester community, and our friends across the state & across the oceans enough for the support, business and relationships forged over the years. We were so warmly welcomed into the Summerville community as well, and are beyond grateful. We will miss being here.”

Photo: The exterior of Fifth Frame’s Summerville location on Jan. 1, 2025.

In early September 2024, I learned Fifth Frame had been evicted from its St. Paul Street location after it didn’t pay rent in May and June of last year. A judge signed the eviction order in August 2024. Further filings illustrate a mounting financial burden for the Rochester-based brewery.

The brewery’s story ended quietly but heavily, with public gratitude and private legal strain converging at the start of the new year.

For years, Fifth Frame was a fixture in downtown Rochester, operating out of its St. Paul Street space as a brewery, coffee spot (when it first opened), and gathering place. It opened in October 2017 and then added beer two months later. The business built a loyal following locally and beyond, forging relationships with customers across New York state and even overseas, and later becoming part of the Summerville community in Irondequoit where it expanded operations after the sudden closure of the original downtown spot. The brewery also produced its beer at a satellite location on Joseph Avenue, less than a mile from the original taproom. At that space, it utilized a 10-barrel brewhouse.

Those pressures surfaced formally in 2024, when Fifth Frame’s landlord, REO Holdings 155, LLC, filed suit alleging the brewery had fallen behind on rent and other obligations under its commercial lease. The landlord claimed Fifth Frame owed approximately $43,353.71 in unpaid rent, late fees, and related charges as of early December 2024, and further alleged that fixtures and equipment were removed from the space without authorization. The dispute escalated quickly, and Fifth Frame was evicted from the St. Paul Street location, bringing operations there to an abrupt end. Originally, the St. Paul closure was advertised as temporary. In reality, that location never re-opened. Almost immediately, Fifth Frame began work on renovations at the former Summerville Grill building in Irondequoit. Summerville opened in September 2024.

Photo: Fifth Frame eviction notice on its St. Paul Street taproom in 2014.

Fifth Frame pushed back in court against its landlord, denying that it was properly in default and arguing that the lease required written notice and a chance to cure any alleged breach before eviction — steps the brewery said were never taken. Fifth Frame also asserted counterclaims, contending that the eviction was improper and that the landlord wrongfully retained equipment belonging to the brewery. While the landlord sought damages tied to the lease and future rent obligations, the case centered on whether the eviction itself complied with the contract. As of the filings at issue, the landlord’s claims reflected alleged damages rather than a final monetary judgment.

At the same time, Fifth Frame was facing trouble on another front. Crosby Hop Farm, LLC, an Oregon-based hops supplier, filed a separate lawsuit alleging that Fifth Frame had entered into a multi-year hop supply agreement and failed to pay for deliveries made between 2023 and 2024. The complaint detailed unpaid invoices and related charges tied to hops that had already been delivered and used. Fifth Frame did not respond to that lawsuit. On Dec. 30, 2025, State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Waldorf entered a default judgment in favor of Crosby Hop Farm for approximately $27,698, plus interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs.

With its downtown location shuttered, an active landlord dispute, and a supplier judgment on the books, Fifth Frame made its closure official in a public announcement following the holiday season. The announcement also addressed loose ends — a forthcoming final event for Crispy Club members and instructions for customers holding gift cards to reach out directly — before closing with a simple plea to continue supporting local businesses and craft breweries.

Together, the court filings and the farewell message tell a fuller, more sobering story. Fifth Frame’s closure was not sudden in cause, but it was swift in effect: the culmination of mounting legal disputes, unpaid obligations totaling tens of thousands of dollars, and the economic realities facing small, independent breweries. What remained at the end was gratitude for the community that supported it — and the quiet acknowledgment that this chapter of Fifth Frame’s history had come to a close.

Mervine remains one of the most talented brewers in the Rochester Region. Before opening Fifth Frame, he partnered with Chris Spinelli, his former classmate at RIT, to open Roc Brewing in the city’s East End neighborhood in 2011. Mervine left that brewery in August 2014.

Why was Fifth Frame important to me

I’ve written about a lot of breweries over the years, but Fifth Frame Brewing was different for me. It wasn’t just a place I covered — it was a place I kept coming back to, even when I didn’t need to be there for a story.

The people behind the bar, in the brewhouse, and in the kitchen genuinely cared — about the beer, about the space, and about the people walking through the door. Over time, familiar faces became friends.

And the beer — especially the lagers — is what kept pulling me back. In a craft landscape often dominated by haze and excess, Fifth Frame showed restraint. (At least some of the time. Fifth Frame was also deep into the hyped styles, particularly smoothie sours and hazy IPAs. I will say, however, the brewery's series of hazy pale ales were wonderful.) Their lagers were thoughtful, clean, and expressive. Those beers reminded me why lagers matter, why technique still counts, and why subtlety can be powerful.

For me, Fifth Frame wasn’t just a stop on the beat. It was a place where community happened naturally. I am really gonna miss that. (Related: I am really getting sick of sharing shitty news.)