New Moerlein brew will use rare, local hops

Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. is gearing up to release a new beer made with both fresh Ohio-grown hops and a rare hop from the U.K.

T-Bird Hop Harvest Ale, launching Nov. 4, is a limited-release brew made with a hops blend that includes rare Phoenix hops from the U.K. and Cascade hops from this season's harvest at Mankato Farms in New Carlisle, Ohio, about 70 miles from downtown Cincinnati, northeast of Dayton. The pale ale will be sold in six-pack cans and on draft throughout Ohio and Kentucky.

"We wanted it to be a celebration of the season and a celebration of hops," Eric Baumann, vice president of brewing for Christian Moerlein, said of the beer.

Only 8,000 pounds of Phoenix hops are grown in the U.K. each year, Baumann said. Christian Moerlein bought more than 400 pounds to use in T-Bird.

The brewery is also one of only four using hops from Mankato Farms. Baumann said the hops were dried after this season's harvest. That freshness means beer drinkers can expect a crisp, cleaner hop flavor and aroma, he said.

T-Bird is 5.8 percent ABV and 50 IBUs. The brewery's description is: "The aroma is full of citrus, lime, marmalade and strawberry with a slight hint of orange. The taste is full of subtle herbal and pear hop tones coupled with a delicate earthy spice from the malt."

"It's going to be a great, sessionable fall beer," Baumann said.

A launch party for the beer will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Christian Moerlein Malt House Taproom, 1621 Moore St. in Over-The-Rhine. A ceremonial tapping, meet and greet with the brewers and brewery tours (at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) will be offered. One-time-only infusions of T-Bird Hop Harvest Ale will be on tap.

Baumann thinks the new beer will complement its Bay of Bengal Double IPA, which should be on the shelves through late winter.

"I think we're going to have two really unique hoppy beers on the shelves at the same time," he said.

Given his pedigree – Baumann came to Moerlein from hop-forward brewery Oskar Blues in January – he's excited about that.

"That's been something I wanted to bring to Moerlein is a more hop focus to complement the lagers we make," he said. "We want to round out our portfolio and showcase that we can do everything."

For more information about the T-Bird release event, visit its Facebook page.