Tap Handle #144: Tuscan - Paradise Pale Ale

Another of my whimsical taps, this one is pretty rare. Great detail, from the crown of fig leaves to the foam in the boar's mouth (which is not visible in the picture). A fun tap I was happy to acquire.

Tuscan Brewing originated in 1998 in Red Bluff, California by Val Theis. He began brewing as a hobby while working at a packaging plant. Feeling good about the results and feedback from friends, he built a 3000 square foot building next to his home, doing most of the construction himself, and stocking it with equipment from dairies, the packaging plant where he worked, and old equipment from the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. By 1992 Theis and his wife Nancy had established the Tuscan Brewery, named after the Tuscan Buttes located east of Red Bluff. They ran the company until their daughter Cathy and her husband Phil took over in 2003. They began bottling 22-ounce bottles of Tuscan Pale Ale and eventually added their Hogsback Brown Ale to the fold. They fed their excess grain to the wild boars that run wild in the area, and used them as a "mascot" on their hand-made labels. Tuscan chose Bay Area artist Carol Benioff to illustrate a more recognizable and uniform logo featuring a smiling boar blowing through a bugle. Tuscan Pale Ale also became Paradise Pale Ale and the Hogsback Brown Ale was renamed Sundown Brown Ale and given the slogan “Celebrate Life!” Business was rocky from the start due to financial constraints and the competitive nature of the brewing industry. The business finally closed its doors sometime around 2007-2008.

Paradise Pale was an American pale ale. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 3.06 out of 5.

Since Tuscan Brewing is no longer in business, no website link is provided.