The Museum Turns 5 Years Old, Part 4: Profile Previews

Instead of doing a "Cream of the Crop" post this year, which has become an exercise in futility with the number of taps I have, instead I'm going to preview 10 taps that will be profiled over the next year. These taps are all scarce, and I'm looking forward to profile them here on the site. Unfortunately I could not locate all of them in a timely matter...although I wanted to photograph them all, I also wanted to get this post finished. As a result, with the brief discussion of each tap, I've attached the few photos I did take, just to wet your appetite.

So click through to see the 10 taps, in no particular order, that I'm most looking forward to profiling over the coming year:

Big Rock Buzzard Breath

Big Rock has produced many amazing taps over the years, such as Grasshopper, Warthog and Life of Chai to name a few. This Buzzard Breath tap is one of their best. It's very colorful with a humorous cowboy buzzard. Museum Restoration Artist Kelly remembers the beer and the buzzard advertising from his college days and is particularly fond of this tap.

Rogue - Statue of Liberty

Rogue made a series of taps with toppers on barrel bases that are similar to their current Dead Guy and Shakespeare taps, but the older taps are greatly desired, not only because they are scarce but also because the toppers detach from the base. That means you can swap out a broken base for a good one if the base is damaged but the topper is in good condition. Also, some people have the topper only and need the base. The Statue of Liberty is the second most desirable of these taps, and as a result can be quite expensive on the secondary market.

Long Island Meadery

This beauty is incredibly scarce, because the Long Island Meadery does not exist anymore. Mead is made with honey, hence the bee and honeycomb on the tap. Like the Big Rock Buzzard Breath, it's a little on the short side in length, but is no less impressive.

Sailor Jerry

Spirit taps are very rare - since you never see spirits on tap, their tap handles are usually created for promotional events or for use in the distillery itself. That means that not very many are produced. The Sailor Jerry tap is one of the most scarce of all spirit taps - I've never seen another.

Hatuey

There's lots of great history behind this tap, including a tie to the Bacardi family, that makes it a great Museum profile. Also it's very scarce. And it's solid too - much heavier than I expected.

Parallel 49 Schadenfreude

Parallel 49 has some of the coolest taps on the planet! They are also really hard to get your hands on, so their secondary market value is sky high. I was ecstatic to get the Schadenfreude, which I think is their best.

Wildrose

This tap is awesome! Skulls have become a very popular feature on taps lately, and this one features them along with sculpted roses and a leather-wrapped handle. After a few hit the secondary market last year, they have since vanished.

Fox River

The brewery told me that this tap was produced several years ago in limited numbers and should be considered scarce. It was on my top 20 wish list when I first started the site 5 years ago, and after a long wait, I finally acquired one.

New Amsterdam

Like Hatuey, this tap has some great history behind it, since the New Amsterdam brewery is long gone. And like Rogue's Statue of Liberty, this tap features an iconic American landmark, The Empire State Building.

Harvest Moon Pig's Ass

In a recent interview I did with Paste Magazine, I stated that humor in a tap design is always appreciated. The Harvest Moon Pig's Ass is hilarious! Featuring a pig at a bar wearing a top hat and coattails - and no pants - it brings a smile to my face whenever I see it. The brewpub is still around, but the tap is long retired.

I have one final anniversary post and then the profiles will resume. It's been an awful 2 weeks for me but I think things will get back to normal next week.