Tasting

In Ohio, beer is usually served in a pint glass, a tall vessel that widens toward the top and holds just under half a liter, precisely 473 milliliters. It's the standard glass of the American pub and suits lager, pale ale, and IPA equally well. In Over-the-Rhine and Ohio City, it comes with nearly every order.

What does a Dortmunder from Cleveland taste like? A Dortmunder-style beer like Great Lakes' Dortmunder Gold shows a round malt core with a light sweetness, and the finish stays mild. A cool glass suits it best, though not ice-cold, or the malt disappears.

The Burning River Pale Ale smells of grapefruit with a touch of pine resin. It tastes cleanly bitter, dry, and fresh. Rhinegeist's Truth IPA is hoppier and heavier, with citrus and tropical fruit on the nose. IPA tends to taste better slightly warmer, as the hop aroma opens up more fully.

The Christian Moerlein Select Lager recalls the older Cincinnati flavor profile, a mild lager style with understated bitterness.

Flavor also depends on how the beer is poured, and a freshly tapped lager tastes noticeably smoother than one from a bottle. Most brewpubs pour straight from the cask, with one tap per style. The foam should stand about two fingers high without hiding the beer underneath. Small tasting glasses make it easy to compare several styles side by side without drinking too much. Line the beers up together and you'll see the colors ranging from golden to amber to copper, and the aroma alone reveals just how different lager, pale ale, and IPA really are.