Tap handle #64: Mickey's Malt Liquor - Green Hornet

If you thought the Tomboy Steampunk tap from a couple of posts back was very rare, have a look at this one. Since Mickey's Green Hornet is my favorite advertising icon, I had to have this tap, and it's one of my top taps. It's in good shape for it's age, with no real damage, just some areas of missing paint. It's hard to find them because many were tossed out after the wings and antenna were damaged, which happens a lot because they are very fragile. Plus, although Mickey's is still produced, it's safe to say the taps are vintage - when was the last time you heard of a place that had Mickey's on tap? It may even be older than the Coors Beer Wolf tap.

Click through to read more about Mickey's Malt Liquor...


Mickey's was a brand of Sterling Brewing (in Evansville, Indiana) that began as Sterling Mellow Ale in 1962 in the innovative wide-mouth green bottle. In 1964 Sterling merged with Associated Brewing Company to form Sterling Brewers Association. The president of the new company wanted to name a beer after his wife Mickey. They decided to make it look like an Irish import and filed a patent in February of 1965 for the following:

 "Hands, fingers and arms. Clover, shamrocks and other trefoils. Castles, palaces, forts, fortresses, battlements. Shields or crests with figurative elements contained therein or superimposed thereon. Scepters, orbs. Banners."

Sterling continued to brew Mickey's until 1972, when they were bought by Heileman Brewing. In the 1980s, Mickey's became the "Mean Green" and the hornet mascot was first used. However, despite a nice run with Heileman, Mickey's continued to change hands, as Stroh Brewing bought Heilman in 1996 and then Stroh sold its labels to Pabst and Miller in 1999. Pabst was already carrying several malt liquor brands, so Miller picked up Mickey's, and is still the owner today.

Mickey's is described as a fine malt liquor with a moderate bitterness and fruity aroma. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 1.67 out of 5.

Mickey's Official Website (Note: not much to see there, except maybe their hot model)