Tap Handle #515: Noble Ale Works

September 14, 2015

Tap Handle #515: Noble Ale Works - Breakaway Pale Ale

Tap size: 12"

Rarity: Scarce
Mounting: standard 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

I'm very happy with the acquisition of this tap from Noble Ale Works...it differs greatly from their standard taps, one of which is a solid black tap with a sticker, and one that looks like wood with raised lettering (see photo to right). The version I acquired features a sculpted shield, with very nice markings and detail. All the lettering on the shield, as well as the crown and the solid black areas, are sculpted and raised from the white background. The front and back are identical, as are the two sides to each other. I'm thinking that perhaps this tap was used for a special event such as the brewery's anniversary parties, because I have never seen another, making it very scarce.

Click through to read more about Noble Ale Works, their Breakaway Pale Ale, and to see more photos of this tap...

Noble Ale Works was founded in Anaheim, California in 2009 by Steve Miles and Jerry Kolbly. Miles was a land use attorney and a home brewer who got interested in brewing craft beer commercially when he represented Kolbly, who operated the Newport Beach Brewing Company, and other craft brewers on legal matters. They hired Evan Price to be the head brewer in 2012. When Price was 21 years old he went on a pub crawl through Europe, which inspired him to begin experimenting with home brewing. After many failed attempts to duplicate the classic beer styles of Europe in his kitchen, he went to work for BJ’s Brewhouse as an assistant brewer. Price spent the next two years working with BJ’s, until an opportunity arose for him to become the first salaried employee and a brewer at Hangar 24, which he then worked at for a year and a half. In 2009, Price accepted the Head Brewer position at TAPS Fish House & Brewery. Working under Brewmaster Victor Novak, he learned the fundamentals of classic European beer styles that he tried so hard to replicate during the early years in his kitchen. In the meantime, the TAPS brewing team took home Brewpub Group of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in both 2010 and 2011.

In 2012, Price joined Noble Ale Works (NAW). Located at the Stadium Plaza Business Park, the brewery sits between Angels Stadium and the Honda Center (where the NHL's Anaheim Ducks play). The tasting room, which features 20 taps, is split into two rooms, with the backroom providing a view of the brewing equipment. To divide their brewing area and the tasting room, they installed a long counter top that sits on upright barrels. In 2013 NAW launched its hugely popular golden milk stout with coffee, known as Naughty Sauce, and won the first L.A. IPA Fest. The brewery currently has 3 core varieties, as well as several specials and seasonals, and their beers are distributed across Southern California. They have also collaborated with Monkish Brewing Company. Each year the brewery throws an anniversary party, and in 2015, over 1000 fans showed up for NAW's third anniversary party. In 2017, a 10,000 square foot expansion of the brewery was completed.

Breakaway is a crisp American Ale brewed in true California fashion. Pale golden in color, it has a light to medium body, and a hoppy bouquet of orange blossom and honeydew, which leads into a soft undertone of breadiness. The dry finish lingers with notes of green tea and passion fruit.