Thursday, January 24, 2008 Cincinnati's Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. will introduce its latest seasonal beer next week with a ceremonial tapping of the first keg in Mount Adams.
The beer is a strong dark lager, dubbed Moerlein Emancipator Doppelbock to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, according to Moerlein owner and CEO Greg Hardman.
Hardman noted that Prohibition wiped out scores of beer-related businesses in Over-the-Rhine, which at the time was a thriving commercial and residential district packed with German immigrants. The damage helped trigger the neighborhood's long decline, something that only recently has begun to be reversed, he said.
The Emancipator label features a newspaper headline heralding Prohibition's end, incorporated into a celebratory Over-the-Rhine street scene with a Moerlein beer wagon pulled by two goats. The goats are a tip to the upcoming bock beer season and the area's annual Bockfest carnival in early March.
The label art is derived from an original painting by Cincinnati artist Jim Effler, whose works have adorned numerous beers from Moerlein and BarrelHouse Brewing Co.
The beer is a revamped version of Moerlien's previous Doppelbock seasonal beer, with a blend of six malts and a slightly lower alcohol content, down from 7.9 percent 7 percent. Hardman said he's also hoping to bring back Hudy Bock for Bockfest again this year, although a severe global hops shortage is complicating the task. Last year's supply of Hudy Bock, available only on draft, sold out during the first day of Bockfest.
The first tapping of Moerlein Emancipator will be staged at the Pavilion in Mount Adams on Jan. 31. Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit, community volunteer group Give Back Cincinnati.
(I was there! - GH)