Tap Handle #376: Lederer

February 26, 2014

Tap Handle #376: Lederer - Premium Pils

Tap size: 9"
Rarity: Very Rare
Mounting: large 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

As I've indicated in the past, most foreign taps can be difficult to come by. This tap is no exception - I've not seen another like it. The detail on the alligator (or is it a crocodile) could be better, but it is still pretty good, and the stein-like tap base is excellent. Since it is pretty rare, I don't really have a good estimate of its value.

Click through to read more about the Lederer Brewery and their Premium Pils beer, and to see more photos of the tap...

Lederer Brewery was founded in Nuremberg, Germany in 1814 by Christian Lederer. The brewery itself was much older, dating back to 1468 when the city decided to found a municipal "Herrenpreuhauses", where people would gather to socialize over beer. In 1581 the city sold the brewery, and it remained virtually unchanged through the years until purchased by Lederer. He had been a brewer's apprentice and most likely used his wife's dowry to buy the brewery. Lederer embraced technological and business advances - the first freight ever transported by German railway consisted of two barrels of Lederer beer.

Lederer's eldest son Georg was sent to England to study advanced brewing, and later he was placed in charge of the brewery, then took sole ownership when his father passed away. Georg passed away only 3 years after his father, and Georg's two sons jointly ran the brewery, modernizing and expanding it. The industrialization of the industry required an increase in capital, and as a result in 1890 the family company was converted to a corporation. Surviving the bombs of World War II, the brewery was eventual sold to Tucher, which had been brewing in Nuremberg since 1672. Tucher had many owners through the years but is currently owned by the Inselkammer family (who also owns Ayinger, which you can read about in this post).