Moerlein Lager House
Brand-spanking new. Pretty and slick (for about $12 million, as I’m told, it better be). A little too pretty and slick for this reporter’s tastes but that’s what happens when you’ve lived and played too long in Over the Rhine. The Moerlein Lager House feels a bit like a suburban chain restaurant. Only the view of the beautiful Roebling suspension bridge and Mike Brown’s taxpayer funded Pigskin Pleasure Palace reminds you that you’re not in Mason or Blue Ash.
Still and all, the beer line-up is impressive. The second floor bar has the guest drafts (or draughts if you prefer) and includes top of the line offerings like the Victory Prima Pils, Bell’s Two hearted Ale and Founder’s Breakfast Stout. The bottled list is equally mouth watering. I had feared the Lager House would offer only Moerlein beers and macros like Miller and Bud but they did right by us craft beer lovers. It’s a risky strategy since most Moerlein products don’t show well when put up against the best in the industry. Most beers are $5 to $6, a little more if you opt for the 22 oz. pour (which you should). The most expensive is $12 for 13 oz. of Duchesse de Bourgogne but it’s worth every penny and kudos to Moerlein for even having the stones to offer it.
The menu is extensive and beer-inspired. I generally don’t like big menus because it means lots of inventory where everything can’t always be at its freshest. A big menu also tends to slow down the kitchen. A small menu of locally sourced fresh ingredients is the way to go but, be that as it may, the BLT salad and half a pastrami sandwich was edible even though I quickly had buyer’s remorse and wish I had gone with my original Avril-Bleh hot mett impulse. Lunch at the Lager House is a little too pricey to be an everyday option for most people. The lunch and a beer (albeit a 22 oz. one) plus tip broke the $20 threshold. Add in the $6 parking garage fee (I did linger and poke around some) and we’re talking lunch for the price of dinner.
Business was honey-moon-period brisk but I think they’ll do well over the long haul with the corporate office tower crowd, comforted as they will be by the sanitized feel and, perhaps, the homogeneity of the clientele – the only black faces I saw were on the payroll.
In addition to the two large bars, there are three full kitchens, a picnic table style beer hall that can be opened up to the elements on summer days, more dining space than they are going to know what to do with (capacity, I’m told is around 600) and a brewery in the basement. Greg Hardman, the owner who is referred to as a Beer Baron in the little History blurb on the back of the menu, has been promising to brew locally since he bought Moerlein in 2004 (Moerlein products are currently “contract brewed” out of state). Hopefully, bringing the brewing process in-house will improve the quality of the product or, at least, make it more consistent.
The Hog’s Head Union is essentially a mug club. For $30 a year you get a bigger pour for the price of a pint, discounts at the Gift Shop (yes, I said Gift Shop) and the privilege of being emailed about special offers and events. For the high rollers, there’s the Old Jug Society (I saw plenty of Old Jugs in attendance) that gets you a Rookwood Stein in addition to the Hog’s head benefits for $395. That’s not a typo. That’s three hundred and ninety five dollars a year. That better be one kick ass stein.
The Moerlein Lager House is a pleasant enough place for what it is. And even though it’s not going to supplant Lackman or Neon’s as my go-to bar, I can see myself taking in a Red’s game or two while quaffing a Northern Liberties IPA (the best of Moerlein’s offerings). Give Moerlein credit for trying to bring more good beer to a sometimes conservative and reluctant Cincinnati palette. They even tell you about OG – Original Gravity (the amount of malt in the brew) and IBU – International Bitterness Units (the hop bitterness in the taste).
Stop in! You might learn something.
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