Eight and 12 are the lucky number for the new
Moerlein Lager House, which is slated to open Feb. 6, 2012.
Richard Dube, the head brewmaster at the lager house, is in charge of all brewing operations, as well as hosting beer tastings and dinners. He plans to have eight Moerlein beers on tap at all times. Lager House, OTR, Northern Liberties, Barbarossa, Hefeweizen and a Vienna lager, will be the mainstays, but each month also includes a featured beer.
“We have a 15-barrel brewing system on-site, and I’ll be brewing two batches of each seasonal beer,” Dube says. “We’ll have each one for two months, unless it’s really popular and runs out.”
Barring a two-week sellout of a monthly special, Dube plans on brewing only 30 barrels each. These barrels will add to the 5,000 that the brewery expects to produce annually. The lager house will contain eight holding tanks. Each tank includes 30 barrels at a time, and all beers will be available in the 1,100-seat restaurant and bar. Still want “Moer”? You can visit the “Moer to Go” carryout window.
Dube already has his top-secret list of the monthly beers developed. Some of the seasonals will be Moerlein favorites like “5th and Vine” or the “Saengerfest,” but the others will be unique to the lager house. “There will be about nine beers that will only be available at the lager house,” Dube says. “I’m looking forward to creating some really special beers.”
He applied for the job when he had never tasted a Moerlien beer. But Dube has quickly made himself familiar with the products and story of Christian Moerlein. With more than 20 years of brewing experience, and a diploma in brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in London, Dube looks forward to bringing quality beer to the riverfront.
“I am excited to have my hand in a bag of hops,” Dube says. “I am going to play a vital role in the future of the great story the Moerlein Brewing Company has already created.”
By
Evan Wallis
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