Tap Handle #570: Jonas Bronck's Beer Company

February 17, 2016

Tap Handle #570: Jonas Bronck's Beer Company - Kingsbridge Kolsch

Tap size: 10.5"
Rarity: Scarce
Mounting: standard 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

This tap was broken, beat up, and abused. Fortunately, instead of sending it to the scrap heap, someone had the wisdom to see that the tap still had value and I was able to acquire it. Kelly, the Museum's Restoration Expert, worked his magic and gave the tap new life - he rebuilt the broken pieces, filled in the chips, and repainted the entire tap. His work never ceases to amaze me. In examining the tap, I assume that the man sitting on the barrel is supposed to be Jonas Bronck himself, the 17th century Dutch settler whose land later became the Bronx in New York. He holds a metal mug with the initial "JB" on it. The wood grain on the barrel, creases on the boots and buttons on the shirt all speak to an impressive level of detail. The rectangular base is recessed in the center with a piece of metal attached to it; the label is a magnet and is easily exchanged for another if desired. The brewery actually contracts the brewing of their beer through another brewery and does not have a physical location, meaning this tap is one of the most scarce I've seen. In addition, Kingsbridge Kolsch is not one of their 2 core beers, so its availability was very limited, making the label scarce as well.

Jonas Bronck (died 1643) was a Dutch immigrant who owned over 500 acres of land in the colony of New Netherland in America. Although he only owned the land for 4 years before his death, it became known as Broncksland as it passed hands from settler to settler. Over the years the nearby river became known as the Bronx River as the spelling was misspelled or simplified, and by extension, the county and New York City borough also assumed that same name.

Click through to read more about Jonas Bronck's Beer Comapny and to see more photos of this elusive tap...

Jonas Bronck’s Beer Company was founded in The Bronx, New York in 2011 by Steve Nallen. Nallen was an accountant for MTV, and had done accounting work for Bronx Brewery in the past. He also had an interest in home brewing and Bronx history. He was scouting the South Bronx for a location for a possible beer garden when he found himself on the former site of the farm of Jonas Bronck, the 17th-century settler who gave the borough its name. Nallen looked at Sam Adams and realized that his borough had its own equivalent, and decided to open a brewery. He funded the venture himself, and handles all the sales and marketing. He named each beer after a neighborhood or street in the borough. The beers are contract brewed by Butternuts Beer and Ale and are distributed to bars throughout the city.