Tap Handle #152: Hook & Ladder - Lighter

This is a great-looking tap in the shape of a flame. Each purchase of this tap goes to a burn victim fund, so it was an easy choice for me to buy a few of these and resell them. I didn't make any money doing it, but it's for a good cause, so that's okay.

Hook & Ladder began in 1994 in San Francisco, California by east coast native Rich Fleischer. He brewed his first batch of beer in his kitchen. By 1999 Fleischer had formed Hook & Ladder, selling Grassfire Wheat (currently sold as Hook & Ladder Golden Ale) and Hook & Ladder Backdraft Brown. Matt Fleischer joined his brother Rich in San Francisco to help grow the Hook & Ladder brand. In 2001 Hook & Ladder Golden Ale won a gold medal in the American Style Wheat category at the Great American Beer Festival, beating out 52 other entries. By 2002, Hook & Ladder had built a loyal following and landed a distribution partner, but lack of capital forced Rich and Matt to halt production.

The brothers returned to the East Coast, where Matt enrolled in the Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. In 2005, after a two and a half year hiatus, the business re-launched as Hook & Ladder Brewing Company, No. 2 with more capital.  The company also implemented its philanthropic program, "A Penny in Every Pint", in which funds from every sale went to burn victims. Statistics show that Hook & Ladder is one of the fastest-growing craft brewers in the country, increasing its distribution to 27 states with 110 distribution partners. They currently brew three varieties of beer, as well as three seasonals.

Hook & Ladder Lighter is a light ale containing only 94 calories in a 12-ounce bottle, with a light body and a faint aroma of fruitiness. Recommended food pairings are seafood, sharp cheeses, and pizza. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 2.07 out of 5.

Hook & Ladder Official Website