Tap Handle #366: Montauk - Driftwood Ale


Tap size:  12"
Rarity:  Rare
Mounting:  internal 3/8" nut

Another day, another tap from New York. It seems like a simple design, but this is a really cool tap up close. Montauk's logo was inspired by the area's rich Indian heritage. They didn’t want just another lighthouse insignia - they liked the idea of an artifact, something that could be held, and their friend, artist Charlie Ly, designed the logo with the founders' input. With Montauk being a small brewery and originally using wood taps, this figural tap is fairly rare.

Click through to read more about Montauk Brewing, their signature Driftwood Ale, and more photos of the tap...

Montauk Brewing was founded in Montauk, New York in 2010 by Vaughan Cutillo, Joe Sullivan, and Eric Moss. The three went to high school together, and spent years as ocean lifeguards, fishing, and surfing the beaches. After returning to Montauk after college, Cutillo and Sullivan worked at an alternative energy company. In 2009 they started experimenting with home brewing, having friends over to sample it. The beers were so popular that they began to plan opening a brewing company. They knew that they were missing something and called Moss, who had brewed beer while studying finance at the University of Colorado Boulder. Moss became the third partner in the brewing company.

However, banks wouldn’t loan them money without a track history, so Cutillo’s father offered up his kitchen showroom, shaped like a big barn, and his woodworking shop in the back. With their combined savings, the three friends came up with enough to get the beer flowing. They agreed their first beer wouldbe Driftwood Ale, and connected with the brewmaster of Butternuts Ales & Lagers, who helped them brew their first batch.

Borrowing brewing space from the Cooperstown Brewing Company in Milford, N.Y., they made 535 barrels in their first year. The kitchen showroom has been turned into a tasting room. They planned to use the woodshop in the back to house their own brewery equipment, but their plans hit a snag when they learned that the addition would trigger a requirement to provide three more parking spaces on the site. With no room on the property to add them, they were told that they could, instead, pay fees in lieu of providing the parking spaces - $15,000 per spot - that the town collects for the creation of municipal parking in central business zones. Paying a $45,000 fee, the Montauk brewers have said, would be an impediment, so contract brewing continues to be their current option. The brewery produces their flagship Driftwood Ale as well as 6 other seasonal varieties.

Driftwood Ale is an American style ESB. Known for its dark copper color and appeal to a wide audience, it relies on balance between hops and malt for its drinkability. Driftwood Ale will impress both beer enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike. Recommended food pairings are any seafood dishes. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 2.8 out of 5.


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