Tap Handle #558: Charles Wells - Bombardier English Premium Bitter Ale

January 11, 2016

Tap Handle #558: Charles Wells - Bombardier English Premium Bitter Ale

Tap size: 10.5"
Rarity: Very Rare
Mounting: custom 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

The Bombardier tap from Charles Wells is a toy on a stick, but it is a pretty cool toy on a stick. Featuring a cannon with piles of cannonballs as the "toy", the shaft is gunmetal gray with a bumpy texture to it, lending a cast iron look and feel, and the words "Bombardier" and "A proper English ale" appear up the sides as decals. On the front and back are large "badges" that also have the brewery name and beer variety on them, along with some very "English" looking graphics. The ferrule is custom made, with a broad lip around it that the shaft of the tap fits into. When I first acquired this it was the only one I had ever seen. There was a brief flurry of them appearing on the secondary market at great prices, but that seems to have dried up now. It might be that someone liquidated inventory, since Bombardier English Premium Bitter Ale has been rebranded as Bombardier Glorious English Ale, so the taps are no longer used. In addition, due to the fact that this was a foreign beer, I expect these to soon become scarce.

Bombardier has its own website (separate from Wells), which you can find here.

For more about Charles Wells Brewing, see this post.

Click through to read more about Wells Bombardier English Premium Bitter Ale and to see more photos of this explosive tap...

Previously known as Bombardier English Premium Bitter Ale, this flagship ale was rebranded in 2015 as Bombardier Glorious English Ale. It is a richly rewarding, traditional, burnished copper ale, bursting with English spirit. Natural mineral water, the ripest English Fuggles hops and crushed Crystal malt deliver this experience of England in a glass. Peppery aromas give way to the perfect balance of malty richness, tangy hops and sultana fruit on the palate, with a long, soft spicy finish. Recommended food pairtings are bangers and mash, fish & chips, and sausage rolls.