Tap Handle #358: Big Rock - Warthog Ale

Tap Size: 9"

Rarity:  10 or less seen, tap no longer produced, hand-made

Mounting:  3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

Sometimes as I go through the collection, I discover a tap that somehow never made it onto the site. I've had this Warthog tap for as long as I've had the Big Rock Grasshopper, as I bought them at the same time. I'm not sure what happened that prevented it from getting profiled, but it finally gets its due here. The detail on the Warthog tap is incredible and it's really a beautiful tap. There are at least 2 versions of this tap, possibly 3, but I have never seen any others in person to be able to verify that. I do know the version 1 tap was made by the same company that made the Big Rock Chinook and Canvasback taps (see photo inset). The tap was later redesigned completely to feature a Warthog in a bowler hat and on a different base, which will appear here in a future profile. This tap can be hard to find unless you can find a collector that has an extra or is otherwise willing to give one up. The last one to appear on the secondary market was in 2020 and sold for $137.

Warthog is a brown ale, a lighter, copper colored version of Traditional, and has a nutty finish reminiscent of fine English brown ale. It's malty with a hint of toffee, balanced with very evident hop and followed by a clean finish. It was first produced in 2002.

Beer Advocate:  74 out of 100 (okay)

Untappd:  3.35 out of 5

For more about Big Rock, see this post.