Tap Handle #582 : El Segundo Brewing

March 16, 2016

Tap Handle #582 : El Segundo Brewing - White Dog Wheat IPA

Tap size: 12"
Rarity: Scarce
Mounting: recessed 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

A couple of years ago I managed to pick up this tap after seeing a photo of it, but the one I received was heavily damaged. Later I was able to pick up this version in great condition. There is a blue house on top with green grass and wheat stalks hanging around the edge. Along the base both front and back is a recessed space where labels can be placed. I have two different labels but I couldn't find much information on the Hyperion Vanilla Bean Stout, so I'm profiling the White Dog Wheat IPA on the back. At the base is a white dog laying among a bunch of small barrels. The ferrule is somewhat unique - although it is a standard ferrule, it is recessed within the tap so only about 1/2" of the ferrule is visible. These taps are very scarce; I've seen less than a half dozen and almost all have been damaged...usually the roof of the blue house, the wheat stalks, or the barrels at the base are badly chipped.

Click through to read more about El Segundo Brewing, their White Dog Wheat IPA, and to see more photos of this welcoming tap...

El Segundo Brewing Company was founded in El Segundo, California in 2011 by Rob Croxall. Croxall was a longtime aerospace finance employee who decided to leave his corporate job to risk it all on craft beer. He enrolled in brewing school at UC Davis, and enlisted Thomas Kelley, formerly the Certified Cicerone at the Library Alehouse, to help assess brewing recipes and local demand. After securing a site and starting up brewing operations in 2011, by 2012 their production capacity doubled; however, Croxall was only able to brew limited batches of his Blue House Citra Pale due to a shortage of the Citra hop for which it was named. They were also unable to secure Simcoe hops to make their Blue House IPA that year. They still managed to serve over 100 draft accounts in the greater Los Angeles area and brewed over 500 barrels. They had a VIP party to celebrate their first anniversary, which included access to the entire brewery, a presentation and Q&A session, tri-tip sandwiches, a limited edition custom made growler bag, new growler filled with Double IPA, two glasses, and unlimited tasting pours of several beers.

By 2014 they were brewing 4000 bbls a year, adding two 60 bbl fermenters mid-year, and bottled 6 different beers which increased bottle sales by 4 times. They also implemented a barrel aging program, selecting their Standard Crude Imperial Stout and Hyperion’s Vanilla Bean Stout varieties in Flor de Caña Rum barrels and Still the One Whiskey barrels. In 2015 more stainless steel tanks were added, maxing out capacity, and they expanded the tasting room area by moving it from the cramped bar to a more spacious area in the building next to the brewhouse. The taproom is a favorite hangout spot for locals, and one of the brewery’s biggest revenue sources. One local fan of the brewery, former WWE wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, became a regular at the tasting room before inviting Croxall onto an episode of his podcast. The relationship expanded through a collaboration resulting in Steve Austin's Broken Skull IPA. Austin, who lives in Marina del Rey, California and has the Broken Skull Ranch in Texas, became interested in craft beers around 2013 after drinking light beers for years, and when he fell in love with the brewery’s flagship Mayberry IPA, wanted to develop his own beer. The brewery perfected his formula for the new beer on the very first batch brewed, and Broken Skull was released in bottles in local stores, as well as on tap from Santa Barbara to San Diego.

Named for Croxall’s dog, White Dog alludes to the use of 50% wheat instead of barley in this wheat IPA. White Dog has very little in common with what most people consider a “wheat” beer. The wheat in the malt bill gives the beer a lighter texture and mouthfeel, and helps to accentuate the bright and spicy citrus characters of the fruity West Coast and New Zealand hops used. It pours an amber orange, with an aroma of danky hop, pine, peach, and mango. The result is an IPA that Hop Heads will love, but that is immediately approachable for most people.