Expanding the Consumers’ Experience While They Are On The Go

For Greg Hardman, being able to tell the story of Cincinnati brewing through a new taproom is exciting. The owner of Christian Moerlein Brewing since 2004, Hardman is lending HMSHost the brewery’s name, look and feel to a new airport taproom which will open later this summer.

“They wanted to do something unique and show that Cincinnati was a major brewing center and explain that look and feel to people,” Hardman told Brewer Magazine recently. The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport will be owned by HMSHost and operated by its staff. It is part of a new eight-year deal valued at $17.7 million, but both sides wanted to make sure the Christian Moerlein service and knowledge was apparent.

Hardman and HMSHost made sure to include in the contract for their to be ‘a robust training program’ which will have continuing education each month for the staff that works at the airport location.

“As much as we wanted it, they mandated it as well,” Hardman said. “When HMSHost and us teamed up together they sent up people to Cincinnati to investigate the history and heritage of the area and the wonderful architecture of the historical breweries, both above and below, and they were blown away,” Hardman said. “They wanted to make the airport location a tribute to Cincinnati’s Over the Rhine brewery district and the Christian Moerlein Malt House.”

The look of the new taproom at the airport will mimic the brewery’s Malt House taproom, which is literally a former malt house that was used in the 1800s by Cincinnati brewers. The facility will have arched ceilings and a lot of brewing history throughout.

“They have incorporated those aspects into the design of the facility at the airport,” Hardman said. “They have gone back to the roots of Christian Moerlein and Cincinnati brewing history.”

Along with 12 taps that will have similar beers as the Malt House taproom, a menu has been designed to incorporate food from the 1800s as well.

“We look at this as a natural evolution by teaming up with HMSHost and to bring a complete unique experience to a consumer,” Hardman said.