As brewery equipment rolls into Over-the-Rhine, the
Christian Moerlein Brewing Company is just weeks away from reaching another milestone in reviving the Christian Moerlein and
Hudepohl names in Cincinnati.
The former home of the
Kauffman Brewing Company and
Husman’s Potato Chip factory at 1621 Moore Street is nearly converted to brewing headquarters for Moerlein and Hudepohl beers.
With this building, “exponential growth is possible,” says Josh Baker, marketing director for Christian Moerlein.
The lingering question in many beer fans’ minds, though, is simple. What will be the first beer off the new production line?
“Whichever beer we need will be first to be brewed,” says Baker, who hints at a secret ale likely to emerge from the brewing lines soon.
While the
Lager House at the Banks will continue brewing to fulfill the restaurant’s beer needs, all other brewing will happen on Moore Street.
At first, the Moerlein lagers and ales and Hudepohl seasonal beers will be brewed on Moore Street, but eventually all the Hudepohl beers will roll off the lines there as well.
Beer won’t be the only focus of the expanded space, Baker says. The location will also feature a banquet hall (in the space that has served as
Bock Fest Hall the past few years) as well as a tap room, slated to open next spring. Brewery visitors will be able to purchase their favorite beers in cases, growlers and kegs from the tap room, located in the old Kauffman malt drying room.
Since the building was a pre-refrigeration era brewery, it also offers access to lagering cellars, which are currently featured in several Cincinnati tours, including those given by the Over-the-Rhine
Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., a nonprofit organization dedicated to preservation and redevelopment of Cincinnati’s rich beer brewing roots.
Moerlein and
The Brewery District are closely tied with Steve Hampton, executive director for The Brewery District and project architect for the new brewery, and Gregory Hardman, CEO of Christian Moerlein and president of The Brewery District. They plan to incorporate tours and history into the new brewery, which allows visitors to simultaneously experience Cincinnati beer, past and present.
The Brewery District CURC is in charge of the annual Bock Fest, as well as the seasonal
Biergarten at Findlay Market. The nonprofit will be in charge of beer sales at an
open house for the brewery from 4 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 21.
If all goes smoothly, brewing is set to start “within two weeks after the open house,” says Baker. “People have been knocking on our door wanting to see what is happening. The amount of support and cheers has been overwhelming the past year.”
Guests at the open house can enter a drawing to win one of the first 100 bottles off the production line. The bottles will be numbered, signed and accompanied by a letter of authenticity. Registration for the contest will take place until the open house and can be done at Findlay Market or by mail.
After the open house, the next brewery-related event will be the
Third Annual Hudepohl Thanksgiving Eve Turkey Trot featuring $2 Hudepohl Amber Lagers at bars along Main and Vine streets.
By Blaire Mynear
Blaire Mynear is an aspiring biologist and a resident of Walnut Hills
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