Tap Handle #429: Catawba Island

September 25, 2014

Tap Handle #429: Catawba Island

Tap Size: 11.75"
Rarity: Very Rare
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

As I've stated in the past, I love nautical-themed taps, and this one fits in perfectly with my others. It features a seagull perched upon a pier, with rope wrapped around the pier and an anchor that is coming through the signage. The sign features the name of the brewery, as well as a nautical symbol on the side. The front and back of the tap are virtually identical to each other, as are the sides to each other. There is a metal strip on each side of pier that allows a magnetic label to be attached, since the tap is used for all varieties of beer. This is another rare and expensive tap, I've only ever seen one other.

Click through to read more about Catawba Island Brewery and to see more photos of this iconic tap...

Catawba Island Brewery was founded in Port Clinton, Ohio in 2013 by Mike Roder, Steve Busby, and Cindy and Shad Gunderson. Shad Gunderson was a security consultant that had been a homebrewer for 20 years, and Shad and Cindy had traveled throughout the United States and Europe with an emphasis on visiting breweries in Germany, Ireland, Scotland and Belgium, sampling the finest brews and gathering experience. Roder was in the nuclear industry and a homebrewer for 5 years. All of them had dreamed of opening a brewery. As the years passed, they wondered why no one had opened a brewery in the area, and they started to think that maybe they could do it. There were a couple of other breweries in the area, but they were brewpubs only, and because they were on islands that were accessible only by boat or plane, they closed down during the winter when the tourists dried up. The Catawba Island group thought that being a year-round attraction with a focus on distribution would set it apart from the other breweries.

They built a 10-barrel brewhouse on the mainland between Catawba and Port Clinton that included a tasting room. The tasting room (as well as the brewery itself) features a combination of nautical & industrial themes, and offers handcrafted cocktails, wine, beer and handcrafted sodas, with 6 to 8 craft beers on tap, and with 2 to 4 of those being seasonal and specialty beers. They have the ability to fill growlers, and also distribute draft beer to bars and restaurants in the area. Although the brewery doesn't have a food menu, they partnered with several food trucks around the Ohio area, allowing guests to bring the food inside or in the outdoor beer garden, and enjoy it with their beer or drink choice. Live entertainment is provided on certain nights throughout the year, and the brewery runs a pinball league. (Editor's note: pinball league = awesome!)

Only a year after opening, Catawba Island Brewing Company already is proving to be popular with its craft beers. They choice to become a year-round brewery and staying open all winter long proved to be a smart one. The success has allowed the brewery to move forward with canning 2 varieties of beer through a partnership with Buckeye Canning.

Whitecap Wit is a Belgian white that is just as refreshing as being hit by a whitecap after a long hot day. A delicate malt bill consisting of mostly wheat and some barley are the perfect base for some light spices and very little hops. Whitecap Wit is available year-round.