Moerlein Lager House on track for fall


Provided/Cincinnati Riverfront Park
A view of the proposed building includes details of the Moerlein Lager House, a 1,100-seat microbrewery and restaurant planned for Cincinnati's riverfront.

Written by
Lisa Bernard-Kuhn

Greg Hardman watches the steel beams and cinder block rise along the river and sees a Cincinnati icon in the making.

“It’s going to be the greatest lager house and beer garden in the world,” says Hardman, president and CEO of Christian Moerlein Brewing Co.

His $4 million Moerlein Lager House will open this fall despite delays from record spring rains, latest timetables show. The two-story restaurant will feature a 6,500-square-foot microbrewery, two outdoor beer gardens, a hops garden and room for more than 1,100 diners and drinkers.

“I envision everyone saying: ‘You have to go to Moerlein Lager House. They have every single brand of beer that was brewed in Cincinnati,’ ” Hardman says.

Since acquiring Christian Moerlein in 2004, Hardman has resurrected a collection of more than 60 beer brands original to Cincinnati.

The effort has returned labels including Burger, Hudepohl, Hudy Delight, Little Kings, Top Hat and Windisch-Mulhauser to beer taps, restaurants and store shelves. Many brands date back to the 19th century when Over-the-Rhine and Cincinnati was a beer brewing Mecca in the United States.

Photos: What will it look like?
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...804&Ref=PH

While the beers are brewed in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania today, Hardman’s working to return brewing to Cincinnati.

This year he opened a brewery in Over-the-Rhine where his firm began brewing small, pilot batches in the former Husman’s potato chip plant on Moore Street. It was the first time since prohibition in 1919 that Christian Moerlein beer had been brewed in Cincinnati.

“No city in America that I know of is rescuing their brewing heritage and history quite like what we are here today,” Hardman says. “We want these Cincinnati brands to come back bigger and better than ever.”

At the Lager House, Hardman will help with brewery tours, mug clubs and regular inductions to a Beer Barons Hall of Fame.

“We’re doing all of this as a tribute to Cincinnati’s grand brewing heritage,” he says.

Rain has created challenges

By August, contractors with West Chester Township-based Schumacher Dugan hope to complete the roof for the Lager House, which was designed by Mt. Adams-based Tilsley + Associates.

Contractors are working overtime to make up for the rain delays. They’re homing in on early November for completion – but no firm date has been set.

“This rain is playing havoc on brewing plans,” Hardman says. “Our biggest challenge is pinpointing the exact date of the opening.”

He wants just the right brew on tap for the season when the first guests file in. He’ll need up to two months notice ahead of Opening Day to perfect the beer, he says.

“I can’t just snap my fingers and there’s the beer,” Hardman says. “Just a few weeks delay could be the difference between an Oktoberfest beer or a holiday beer. It’s a very long, thought-out process because you want to make sure you have a great line-up of beer.”

He expects to soon announce the naming of a world-renowned brew master to help deliver top-notch brands.

“We had resumes from Germany, Asia, all over Europe and the U.S,” he says. “The guy we picked is like the beer rock star. He’ll be in charge of everything from the ingredients coming into the door to the beer flowing into the glass.”

The brew master will be able to select offerings from 67 Cincinnati beer recipes. He also will be free to craft and create new Moerlein-owned lagers. Additionally, the brew master will have a hand in selecting at least 100 other beers from across the world that will be available at the Lager House.

“Our intention is to have relationships with other brewers from around the world and do some world-class things that have never been done in Cincinnati before,” Hardman says.

As Hardman focuses on the beer and microbrewery, the Cunningham Restaurant Group is focued on the restaurant side. The Avon, Ind.,-based group operates Stone Creek Dining Co. restaurants in Montgomery and West Chester Township.

The team is working to fine-tune the Lager House menu, which will feature dishes unique to 19th century Cincinnati.

In the coming months, top management and an executive chef will be finalized, says Tom Cunningham, a partner in the restaurant group.

“We anticipate peaking with about 250 employees by next spring,” Cunningham says.
Already, dozens of requests have come in from local residents hoping to book events and wedding receptions at the Lager House.

Cunningham says he’s working with Cincinnati’s parks division to consider whether weddings can be held at the recently finished Schmidlapp Event Lawn at the newly named Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park – which sits right at Lager’s House back patio.

“We know there will be days that will be busier than others, but at the end of the day we believe Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky residents will support us,” Cunningham says.

Strategizing with Holy Grail

For a glimpse at the potential welcoming the Lager House might receive, Hardman and Cunningham can look just a block north to the Holy Grail bar and restaurant at The Banks.

Since its opening in March, the locally owned venue has hosted countless standing-room-only crowds after Reds games and on weekends.

“It has been fantastic,” says Jim Moehring, a co-owner of the restaurant.

The Holy Grail has been so successful that it’s expanding by 700 square feet in coming weeks. The extra space will allow the addition of outdoor restrooms, a walk-up bar and more seating.

In recent months owners of Holy Grail and Moerlein Lager House have been sharing updates on construction and brainstorming about strategies in the months ahead.

If all goes as planned both venues will be among a mix of seven restaurants and bars to be open at The Banks and Smale Park by the end of the year.

Setting the Lager House apart from the other incoming venues is its dedication to Cincinnati’s past, says Willie Carden, city parks director.

“The greatest thing about history is that if you really pay attention to it, you can expand and celebrate what was once so successful in the past,” Cardin says. “That’s what’s so exciting about what’s happening here.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110.../306260005

“It’s going to be the greatest lager house and beer garden in the world,” says Hardman, president and CEO of Christian Moerlein Brewing Co..........and we have Nevada swamp land to sell you .

“I envision everyone saying: ‘You have to go to Moerlein Lager House. They have every single brand of beer that was brewed in Cincinnati,’ ” Hardman says.....wtf is he talking about?

Whoops, here's the punchline to that joke: "Since acquiring Christian Moerlein in 2004, Hardman has resurrected a collection of more than 60 beer brands original to Cincinnati."

“We had resumes from Germany, Asia, all over Europe and the U.S,” he says. “The guy we picked is like the beer rock star."...That is contrary to the word circulating currently.

Best wishes to Hardeman and this project, i really hope it works and I think it will, but I wish he would drop the schtick with buying the rights to all these defunct breweries (that are defunct for a reason) and blaze his own trail.
I applaud him for also , FINALLY, bring the brewing here and for creating jobs in a community that needs them badly.

Ouch, one more piece of flotsam and jetsam from the PR machine....“The greatest thing about history is that if you really pay attention to it, you can expand and celebrate what was once so successful in the past,” Cardin says. “That’s what’s so exciting about what’s happening here.”

hmmmm

How will they do during our long winters with no weekend sports? Will overhead exceed revenues?

I see Underground Railroad Museum like subsidies coming for this place and also the cincinnati bars and restaurants whose customers it sucks away. Either that, or the burgers will cost $25 each.

What we really need is a sleek 450kmh bullet train connecting Green Township with Findlay Market, then streaking non-stop to Hilton Head, and finally Fort Myers. Now that would be a solid investment.

Looks like a really nice high end establishment. Wonder what the rent is?

(06-28-2011 09:10 AM)OneUChoopsfan Wrote:  

How will they do during our long winters with no weekend sports? Will overhead exceed revenues?

I see Underground Railroad Museum like subsidies coming for this place and also the cincinnati bars and restaurants whose customers it sucks away. Either that, or the burgers will cost $25 each.

What we really need is a sleek 450kmh bullet train connecting Green Township with Findlay Market, then streaking non-stop to Hilton Head, and finally Fort Myers. Now that would be a solid investment.

Well, so far the Grail seems to be doing really well even on days when the reds aren't in town and nothing else is going on downtown. I work downtown and park at the Freedom Center so I see every day that there is a very solid crowd hanging out drinking and having dinner there every night. Obviously the Grail is the only game in town right now and with the influx of the Lager House, Toby Keiths, the diner, Johnny Rockets, etc., there will be a lot more competition so I wouldn't expect the gravy train to keep rolling indefinitely. I do think with the built in customer base of the apartment buildings overhead that these businesses will have a much better chance for survival. A lot of my younger coworkers are moving into the Current at the Banks so there does seem to be a healthy appetite for new, quality rental housing in the downtown area.

All kidding aside, I hope this costly venture does succeed.

New "scenes" like the Banks always do well for a while, especially if they open in the summer months. Two years from now? In the dead of winter?

I would think the hope would be that this area can regain the consumers now heading to Newport & Covington, but I'm really concerned that the Banks will also destroy other downtown and surrounding area venues.

I've always thought that residential living on the riverfront is much more attractive than OTR & other downtown locations.

Now, if we only had a Maglev.

It's on an island. Not their fault - it's the mental midgets that planned (I use that term loosely) this out. Couple years out, offseasons are going to be brutal.

If so, maybe they can push a 150 mil bond down our throats like the Museum Center?

Well if the place can do have as well as the rest of craft beer market it'll be more than fine. I hope their brewer really is all Hardman pumps him up to be.

I do not know this to be true but we are hearing it is an ex Sam Adams guy. Whatev, if the guy can brew we will soon know. I just hate all this hyperbole in every thing hardman says. What would be the problem with saying "we have a guy; we've vetted him and we think he is perfect for what we are trying to do and we are grateful he has put his faith in the Lager House as a place to show his skills."?

(06-29-2011 08:12 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  It's on an island. Not their fault - it's the mental midgets that planned (I use that term loosely) this out. Couple years out, offseasons are going to be brutal.

If so, maybe they can push a 150 mil bond down our throats like the Museum Center?

I have always said that the first part of the Banks that needed to be built was the canope that they want to put over the Fort Washington Way.

When you can connect the downtown area with the river the Banks have a much better opportunity to be successful.

They support pillars are there. The clowncil just needs to get it done.

Moerlein finds beermaster at local school



Written by
David Holthaus

After a nationwide search for a "rock star" brewmaster for his soon-to-open riverfront brewpub, Greg Hardman discovered his star in his backyard.

He found him in an unlikely place.

Richard Dube was content to be teaching science at Lloyd Memorial High School, where he'd worked for the last 10 years. But when he heard about the search for someone to create the beer experience at the new Moerlein Lager House, he knew he was the guy.

"Your search is over," he announced in his interview with Hardman, the CEO of Christian Moerlein Brewing Co.

Indeed it was. Dube will be the point person for all things beer at the microbrewery and restaurant that's scheduled to open in November next to the Reds stadium. The $4 million Lager House, with a microbrewery, restaurant, two beer gardens and room for 1,000 people, will be a key piece of The Banks riverfront development and something of a bridge between the glory days of Cincinnati's beer-brewing past and its future.

In Dube, they found someone who combines an impressive resume in the world of beermaking and a second career in teaching, with some endurance running thrown in - something that will be useful to cope with the long hours involved in starting and running the brewpub.

He'll be doing more than getting his hands sticky fermenting small batches of full-bodied beers. Dube will also take on a public role to educate his guests about craft beers and promote the legacy of Cincinnati brewing that Hardman is resurrecting.

"My vision is to make people appreciate beer the way I do," he says. "To me, it's going to be the pinnacle of my career."

In his previous life, Dube brewed for Molson and Labatt's, two well-regarded beers of Canada. In the mid- and late '90s, he helped Boston Beer Co. grow into the giant of craft brewing that it is today. He brewed its Samuel Adams beers, both in Boston and at its Cincinnati brewery, moving here in 1998 when the company bought the former Hudepohl-Schoenling brewery in Queensgate.

A French Canadian from Quebec (his name is pronounced ree-SHARD doo-BAY), Dube is a microbiologist by training, and found himself drawn to brewing before he even graduated from Quebec's Laval University.

Brewing beer, he says, "is part art, part science."

"When it gets down to recipe formulation and product development, that's when the art kicks in."

He began his beer career at Molson's breweries in Montreal, overseeing quality control and training new employees in brewing. He moved to Labatt's as an apprentice brewer, then in 1993 got a call from Boston Beer, the company started by former Cincinnatian Jim Koch.

He helped turn the old brewery on Central Parkway into one of Boston Beer's largest producers, churning out a variety of beer styles.

After more than 20 years of making beer, Dube was ready for a change. At age 44, Dube found himself lecturing high schoolers on science and working on a master's in education. Within a couple of years, he was head of the science department at Lloyd High.

He kept his hand in the brewing world, working as a consultant for the Chicago-based Siebel Institute of Technology, one of the top centers of brewing science in the country.

At the Lager House, Dube will cook up seasonal recipes, create food pairings and train a staff of 200 on the finer points of beer appreciation.

"He brought an ability to communicate and be a mentor," Hardman said. "We want our people to be knowledgeable about beer."

On tap is an apprenticeship program. "This person has to be a mentor to up-and-coming brewers," Hardman said.

Brewing just 5,000 barrels a year will allow him to keep his hands on the product. "It allows you to play with ingredients," he said. "You taste the malt; you even taste the yeast."

At age 54, and despite his love for beer, Dube is lean and tanned. He's a trail runner and dabbles in rugby and hockey. In 2007, he completed what some consider to be the toughest endurance run, the Marathon of the Sands. The race is the equivalent of six marathons run over seven days in the desert of Morocco.

He did it to raise money for research on Alzheimer's, a disease his mother died from.

He's planning to bicycle to work from his 83-year-old restored home in Bellevue that he shares with his wife, Danielle, and their two dogs. They have two grown children, Kim, 28, and Kirk, 24.

Quote:Dube's favorite styles of beer

There are dozens of styles of beer. Although he didn't want to talk brands, here are a half-dozen styles Dube likes:

Munich Helles, a medium-bodied, malt-based beer light in color.

American IPA, high in hops, flavor and aroma, with a copper color.

Munich Dunkel, a light brown beer made with roasted malt.

Baltic Porter, a smooth lager that is very dark in color.

Imperial Stout, extremely rich, high in alcohol, with a dark brown color.

Belgian Golden Strong Ale, high in alcohol, relatively light-bodied, but complex.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...336&Ref=AR

(06-29-2011 03:52 PM)OneUChoopsfan Wrote:  All kidding aside, I hope this costly venture does succeed.

New "scenes" like the Banks always do well for a while, especially if they open in the summer months. Two years from now? In the dead of winter?

I would think the hope would be that this area can regain the consumers now heading to Newport & Covington, but I'm really concerned that the Banks will also destroy other downtown and surrounding area venues.

I've always thought that residential living on the riverfront is much more attractive than OTR & other downtown locations.

Now, if we only had a Maglev.

I've never been a fan of The Banks concept, but I'll support it. I'm particularly skeptical about mega bars (Toby Keith's) or mega anything (Moerlein Lager House).

Call me crazy but I have no desire to go drink defunct Cincinnati brews. I will do it out of civic duty and fulfilling my personal goal of experiencing one new establishment a month, but that will probably be it.

I'm afraid The Banks will go the same route as the grossly overrated Levee, with it half empty mall area and contrived sense of place.

But I guess it's important to have trophy stadiums with trophy development between it instead of developing the historical neighborhoods we have.

Side note: My monthly new experience was completely by accident: Vitor's on Harrison in Cheviot. I think it was Cheviot. All I know was I was hungry and driving down the road and I saw the place and went in for Sunday breakfast.

Two thumbs up. I'd put more thumbs up if I had them. Ok, the host (who turns out to be the chef) greeted us at the door wearing an orange Vitor's tshirt, flying pig pajama shorts, dark Nike athletic socks, and orange crocs for footwear. Pretty funny.

Food was awesome. That's all I can say. Yum. Can't remember having a better breakfast. Hot donuts. Free coffee bar. Santa Fe omelete. French toast for desert. A day's worth of calories in one sitting. Dat's some good ****.

Glad breakfast was good, but back to hardman and the Hardman PR machine......

"He brought an ability to communicate and be a mentor," Hardman said. "We want our people to be knowledgeable about beer." He should be glad the people buying his retro brands are not knowledgeable on beer.

"He'll be doing more than getting his hands sticky fermenting small batches of full-bodied beers." Hardman brewing full bodied beer? That should be interesting.

As shrewd as businessman as Hardman is I think he finds a way to make this work. I hope it isn't just a grand opening and fizzle out scenario, an entertainment district would be nice to see here.

The old school cincy beers like Burger and Top Hat went out for a reason. They taste like sh*t.

If this guy is really good he should dump every beer they have except for the original which is a pretty decent lager.

All their beers are good but not great. The OTR pale ale is a great example, not bad, but nowhere near a top tier memorable pale ale.

Agreed.

(08-21-2011 02:19 PM)beck Wrote:  Glad breakfast was good, but back to hardman and the Hardman PR machine......

"He brought an ability to communicate and be a mentor," Hardman said. "We want our people to be knowledgeable about beer." He should be glad the people buying his retro brands are not knowledgeable on beer.

"He'll be doing more than getting his hands sticky fermenting small batches of full-bodied beers." Hardman brewing full bodied beer? That should be interesting.

As shrewd as businessman as Hardman is I think he finds a way to make this work. I hope it isn't just a grand opening and fizzle out scenario, an entertainment district would be nice to see here.

Yeah, breakfast was really good. Just thought I'd share. But I got the name wrong - it's Vitor's, not Vitaro's.

I the Moerlein Lager House will have a tough go of it in the long run. They'll make their money on game days, but the rest of the time they'll have an overabundance of space they'll need to pay for.

I don't know Hardman and I, obviously, do not like the way he approches some things. The guy is a smart business person and I believe he is wired in enough in Cincinnati, and smart enough, to make this work. Only time will tell.