One word...malt malt malt...with good hops. I went to the first keg tapping at Findley Market and was immediately impressed even though the beer wasn’t served at the optimum temperature. Great caramel flavor intensifies at the end with a clean finish. I bought a couple six-packs and then went the 1/6 barrel route. I am now close to purchasing my thrid sixth barrel since my neighbors appear to like this beer as much as I do. By far, the best Christian Morlein beer to date.

Delicious pale ale reminiscent of a style of beer brewed in Cincinnati in an era of limited refrigeration and before the arrival of lager yeast. Presentation is outstanding with a beautiful brown / red color, a frothy tan head that lasts and lasts and leaves a fine lace pattern on the glass. Nice hops aroma is very inviting. Big malty flavor and body provide myriad of flavor notes. But the best part is a zesty hops flavor from healthy doses of Fuggles and Cascades. Overall, a well balanced and satisfying pale ale that loves to please.

Draft. First tried this brew at the first tapping event at Findlay Market in OTR. Now have it on draft at home. This beer is amber in color and pours with a nice head and good retention. Aroma is soft and gentle...which is very inviting. At first sip, the beer is quite impressive. Crisp, clean, and very enjoyable. Lots of malts, yet enough hops to balance well. Nice caramel tones in there as well. This beer finishes very clean and leaves no aftertaste. Much better at home then at debut tapping...I believe this is due to the temperature at which it was served. This beer tasts best to me at colder temperatures. Proud to say this one is from my home town.

On tap and from a twelve ounce bottle at the Elder Cafe in the "Over The Rhine" neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio - This one pours a reddish-brown ale with a fine, thick, lasting tan head and a floral, sweet malty aroma posessing undertones of Cascade and Fuggles hops. Tastewise, this is a very balanced and hearty brew, with a three malt formula and very pleasant finish. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - By the way, the name of this beer is simply "Moerlein O.T.R. Ale", no "Christian"! ---------------------------------------- I’m now updating this rating with more specific info about "Moerlein O.T.R", as I’m currently at the published Elder Cafe Tapping. O.T.R. is 40 IBU, with a specific gravity of of 16.4 according to the brewer.

I’ve been a Cincinnati area native all of my life, so when Christian Moerlien released their first tribute beer to one of the nation’s oldest authentic German brewing meccas, I must say I was pretty pumped. This is a very well-crafted beer that I thoroughly enjoyed. It has a nice foaming head that’s short lived, but leaves a small white ring atop a beautiful coppery mahogany body. The aroma is intensely aromatic, with loads of fresh hops, and a very sweet, almost mapley smell from the malt. This is followed by notes of raisins, dates, and dark brown sugar. The taste is where the hops start to shine: the cascade bringing the full-on fresh, piney citrus, and the fuggles bringing that mellow, subdued English bitterness. However, this beer is ridiculously well-balanced: nutty sweet, toasted malt, honey, ripe fruits, and spicy, burnt candied yams are all present. Rather than calling this a pale ale, I see it as more of a well hopped brown ale. Beautifully crafted, this was a lesson in balance I won’t soon forget.