Tap Handle #413: Druid City

July 18, 2014

Tap Handle #413: Druid City

Tap Size: 11.25"
Rarity: Rare
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

What's great about this tap is that it is fashioned after a Tuscaloosa landmark, the Moon Winx Lodge, which has been in operation since the 1920s (see photo to right). Its landmark neon sign was designed by Gordo artist Glenn House. The sign features neon lettering and a smiling, cartoon crescent moon that features a neon winking eye. The brewery got House's permission to use the sign as its logo. The tap has an elegant, art deco look that is very appealing, and is hard to get due to its rarity.

Click through to read more about Druid City and see more photos of this iconic tap...

Druid City Brewing was founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2012 by Elliott Roberts, Bo Hicks, and a group of local investors. Hicks had been exposed to craft brewing since 2000 at various brewpubs and was a home brewer. The two men met each other through a local home brew club. They cared about the town enough that they decided it deserved its own brewery, since the last one (Barrett's Brewpub) closed in 1999. They crowd-sourced the initial funds, ending up with enough to start a small three-barrel brewhouse and a handful of fermenters. They located the brewery in the Parkview Center, a longtime Tuscaloosa business hub and started brewing two beers, one wheat and one pale ale.

The brewery originally thought there wasn't enough space for a tap room, but in 2013 they created one by converting their office. They currently brew almost a dozen varieties of year round as well as seasonal varieties.

Druid City Pale Ale is an American pale ale with a nice citrus aroma and a citrus and bready caramel flavor, and pours a thick creamy head. It is perfectly balanced to give it a slightly bitter finish.