Tap Handle #434: Ironfire - The Devil Within Double IPA

October 12, 2014

Tap Handle #434: Ironfire - The Devil Within Double IPA

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

The label and beer variety profiled for this tap and post are a direct result of the poll I took back on September 18th, when the readers chose The Devil Within Double IPA as the variety that I should profile and photograph. It's a great choice...most of the photos I've seen of this tap feature the 51/50 label, and combined with the fact that this variety is not listed on the brewery website, that makes my photos pretty unique. This tap is, as the brewery would say, bad-ass, with its hat-wearing skull and bands of bullets all over the tap. The front and back are reverse images of each other, as are the two sides. This tap can be found on the secondary market but it is quite expensive. Pay close attention to the bullets, as they chip very easily and most of the taps I've seen have been damaged in this way.

Click through to read more about Ironfire Brewing, their The Devil Within Double IPA, and to see more photos of this killer tap...

Ironfire Brewing was founded in Temecula, California in 2013 by John Maino and Greg Webb. Maino was a history major who was more interested in brewing than old European cultures. Upon graduating, he decided to try his hand at brewing full time and found a position at Ballast Point, a well-known microbrewery in San Diego. Eight months and a lot of grunt work later, Maino was promoted to brewer. He spent six years at Ballast Point perfecting the trade and working on his own recipes until he finally decided to "put his money where his mouth is" and strike out on his own.

Webb grew up on the East Coast, but found his real home in San Diego when he arrived in 2004. He was bartending around town when his interest in brewing was piqued while working at a bar that was also a brewery. After picking up some knowledge there, he began trying his hand at home brewing and eventually found a job at Ballast Point. Over the course of six years, he worked his way up to brewer, doing every brewing-related job imaginable along the way. Webb met Maino while working at Ballast Point and they soon found they shared the same passion for creating distinct beers. Together the two men formed Ironfire Brewing Company.

After receiving a conditional use permit and a liquor license, Ironfire Brewing finished construction on their building, which featured a western/industrial theme. Their brewery space was 4,700 square feet, and by law in Temecula, they could only use 15% of that for a tasting room, which ended up being about 700 sq. ft. Before starting brewing they brokered contracts for hops that ensured they would have more than enough to brew their flagship beers through 2015. The 4 flagship beers are Synner Pale Ale, Gunfighter Gold, 5150 IPA and 6 Killer Stout. Behind the tasting bar they serve 8 Ironfire beers, with cold water and soda that is free to all designated drivers. The current brewing capacity is 1,500 barrels, with the ability to install a total of 20 tanks and produce 8,600 barrels a year.

Visitors to Ironfire can take in the “bad-assery” of old west outlaw-style, driven home by saloon-style wood, plus custom-designed furniture - including a chair built to look like a scorpion - incorporating barrels (the frontage of the bar is constructed using four used whiskey barrels), iron, and even bullet casings.

Ironfire hosted their first annual Homebrew Competition which just concluded earlier in 2014. A great community event, the first place winner took home the grand prize to brew with the Ironfire crew for the Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition.

The Devil Within Double IPA is an Imperial IPA with a clear gold color, an aroma of citrus, a malty backbone and a hoppy bite. Note that Ironfire's website does not list The Devil Within as a current beer, but lists DOA as their Double IPA instead.