Beer stein depicts history BY JON NEWBERRY | snipped-for-privacy@ENQUIRER.COM
Cincinnati's Rookwood Pottery Co. and Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. have gotten together to commemorate the rebirth of Over-the-Rhine with a beer stein depicting the historic neighborhood and its 19th century Moerlein brew house.
The one-liter, glazed ceramic steins cost $200 each and include a personalized stamp (up to 15 letters) on the bottom and a wooden case. They can be pre-ordered at Rookwood's Web site (rookwoodcompany.com) and will be unveiled to the public during the community's coming-of-spring Bockfest celebration.
Pottery artists Allan Nairn and Terri Kern will sign the mugs, as will Chris Rose, Rookwood Pottery's president and chief executive, and Gregory Hardman, Christian Moerlein's owner.
Rookwood's first-edition production is being limited to 200 steins. Buyers also have to purchase a $95 ticket (admits two) to a March 3 reception at Bockfest Hall on Main Street. Food, drinks and musical entertainment by Jake Speed and the Freddies are included. Proceeds from the reception go to the nonprofit Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. Proceeds from the stein sales go to Rookwood.
The depictions on the stein include a crow - or rook - pulling a banner across the top that reads "Christian Moerlein" on one side and "OTR Let the Journey Begin" on the other. The bottom edge is covered with hops and hop vines. The center depicts a barge on the Miami & Erie Canal, which transitions into a cobblestone street, on which stand the old brewery and three workers - a barrel maker, a brew master and a server hefting several steins brimming with beer.
The canal once flowed where Central Parkway is today, dividing downtown from Over-the-Rhine.
"We're very passionate about the rebirth of Over-the-Rhine," said Rose, who plans to establish his pottery company's permanent home there.
"Christian Moerlein's philosophy is very much in line with Rookwood's," he said. "We thought it would be good for two iconic Cincinnati brands to do a venture together."
In its earlier incarnation, Rookwood was famous for its elaborate beer steins, but there are no known Moerlein steins from the brewery's pre-Prohibition past. The stein that will be unveiled at Bockfest is envisioned as the first of a series with Moerlein, Rose said. The $200 price tag is a bargain for art lovers and collectors, given that some older Rookwood steins sell for $5,000 at auctions, he said.
This year's Bockfest gets under way March 1 with a prefest toast to bock beer and brats on Fountain Square. The official event kicks off with the Bockfest Parade March 2, starting at 6 p.m. in front of Arnold's Bar and Grille downtown and heading north on Main Street. Details are at