Tap Handle #418: Blind Tiger

August 05, 2014

Tap Handle #418: Blind Tiger

Tap Size: 9.5"
Rarity: Very Rare
Mounting: standard 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

When I was given a chance to obtain this tap, I jumped through some hoops to get it, and the effort was worth it, as this is a very unique concept. I'd love to know why the tiger is blind...the brewery says that the name "Blind Tiger" comes from the Prohibition-era custom of displaying stuffed tigers to alert patrons to speakeasies or the availability of alcohol...so my guess is that the blindfold signifies the end of Prohibition. I'll have to contact the brewery and confirm that guess sometime in the future. This is a very rare tap and the price to obtain one no doubt will be very high if you should ever find it.

Click through to read more about Blind Tiger and to see more photos of this killer tap...

The Blind Tiger Brewery and Restaurant was founded in Topeka, Kansas in 1995, becoming the first microbrewery in Topeka and the largest brewery in Kansas. Previously the location was a restaurant called The Loft. Blind Tiger changed owners a few times before Jay Ives bought it in 2007. Business had been poor, which had forced the sale to Ives, and he vowed to improve the service, food, marketing, cleanliness, and atmosphere, but felt the beer was already fabulous. Ives, who had been a salesman, had no experience in brewing or restaurant management and learned the business as he worked.

The building was constructed as a huge multi-level establishment, including an outdoor deck. Large fermentation tanks are located in the middle of the main seating area, as well as the side of brewery. As guests walk to their table, they can peer down through a glass window to more brewing machinery. They have around 13 beers on tap, and serve several seasonals and specials throughout the year. Blind Tiger produced over 1,200 barrels of beer for 2010, which placed the brewpub in the top 20 per cent of all microbreweries in America, and in 2011 they added another fermentation tank. Under Ives' ownership, staff has tripled, beer production and sales have doubled, and food revenue has doubled.

In 2014 the brewery won the World Champion Brewpub and Brewer (Large Brewpub Division) at the World Beer Cup. Their Munich Dunkles won a gold medal and their Maibock grabbed a silver.

Blind Tiger has several flagship beers...one of their most popular is their Java Porter, but it is a specialty brew, so instead I'll profile their Tiger Bite IPA. Midwest Style IPA's tend to have more malt flavor and sweetness than the drier East Coast IPA's, but less hop bitterness than West Coast offerings. The hop flavor and aroma are in abundance and usually favor the old school hop varieties such as the C-hops; Cascade, Centennial, and Chinook. The yeast is most often a clean American variety or an English strain that's not too fruity.