What ales you? BY JON NEWBERRY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER Comments | E-mail | Print | digg us! | del.icio.us!
The Moerlein OTR Ale Haus at Findlay Market opened for a five-day special engagement Wednesday afternoon, with Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell tapping the ceremonial first keg of the new beer in front of the former Elder Café on West Elder Street.
To the accompaniment of the "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out the Barrel)" over a loudspeaker, Tarbell wielded a wooden mallet to start the beer flowing and inadvertently shattered a limited-edition Christian Moerlein ceramic stein fresh from the kilns of Rookwood Pottery.
"He did a Mallory," one observer wisecracked.
The OTR Ale Haus is open through Sunday. Proceeds go to the Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corp.'s effort to install a historical marker commemorating the area's 19th-century brewing industry and put up "Brewers Boulevard" street signs along McMicken Avenue.
Tarbell, who's been working to revive Over-the-Rhine for 30 years, said he was encouraged by the speed - 30 days - with which the organizers had transformed the old saloon.
Mike Morgan, executive director of the district, cited the OTR Ale Haus and the contributions of community volunteers to get it ready as a "symbol of the permanent change that's taking place in Over-the- Rhine."