Tap Handle #663: Evans Brewing

October 16, 2017

Tap Handle #663: Evans Brewing - The krHOPen IPA

Tap size: 11.5"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

When I first saw some of the Evans Brewing taps, I wanted to add them to the museum because they were gorgeous. But as I dug into the brewery's story, I was excited to see that it tied into the story behind another brewery and tap: profile #223, Bayhawk Ales Blue Hawaiian Hefeweizen. Where Bayhawk's story ended, Evans' story begins...it was really cool to see these two completely different taps fit like puzzle pieces. The krHOPen tap is probably my favorite of the 4 Evans taps in the collection. Courtesy of the fine people at Evans, this tap is bursting with color, hops, and lots of nautical themed elements. The brewery name appears as a sign towards the lower part of the shaft, while the beer name is sculpted on the upper portion. These have not appeared on the secondary market to my knowledge.

For more about Bayhawk Brewing, see this post.

Click through to read more about Evans brewing, their The krHOPen IPA, and to see more photos of this epic tap...

Evans Brewing was founded in Orange County, California in 2011 by the father-son duo Mike and Evan Rapport. They had been contracting the bulk of their production to Mexico while promoting the brand as a California beer. They won awards and things were going well until the Orange County consumer base caught on that the local beer they’d been drinking was brewed in Mexico. Fighting an uphill battle, Evans began looking for a local brick and mortar brewery to do their contract brewing. Bayhawk Ales, with a 17-bbl brewery in Irvine, emerged as a potential partner. Bayhawk was contracted to produce some Evans beers, but the end result did not meet their standards. At that time, Bayhawk was also seeking to bring in a majority investor and take the company private - it was “public,” but its stock had never traded on a public market and many of its shareholders had run out of patience. Since the Bayhawk name was not attached to the preponderance of ales and lagers it produced, the brand wasn’t able to reap the benefits of the craft beer boom in 2011. Its name had languished in obscurity.

Unhappy with the contract brewing results, Evans proposed merging with Bayhawk so they could use its premises, in exchange for endowing the Bayhawk brand with their award-winning name. After being rebuffed by management, Evans appealed directly to Bayhawk stockholders. In December 2013, Bayhawk shareholders approved a new slate of directors, installing Mike and Evan as Chairman of the Board and President, respectively. They immediately made changes to improve operations by improving the taste of the beers, increasing the yield of the brewing process, increasing distribution, decreasing labor costs and turning it into a profitable operation. The house-branded beers that Bayhawk sold to restaurants continued to be produced under those restaurants’ names, but all Bayhawk-branded products were converted to the Evans Brewing label. The most appealing move to the 1200 Bayhawk shareholders, however, was the proposal to convert shares of Bayhawk Ales into Evans Brewing Company stock, traded on a U.S. stock market.

In 2014, a fire that started on the roof of the brewery halted production for two months. Seeing the misfortune as an opportunity, Evans had a new state-of-the-art kegging machine, bottling machine and fermentation monitoring system installed. In 2015, Evans’ Honey Blonde and Imperial Brown ales won gold medals at the Los Angeles International Beer Competition, while its Chocolate Porter garnered a bronze. The company has won a total of 16 awards both domestic and internationally. In 2016, Evans Brewing stock began trading publicly. In addition, being limited by the capacity of the McCormick & Shmick's location, they opened a brewpub called "The Public House by Evans Brewing Company", in downtown Fullerton, with plans to build a new brewery in the future. A second brewpub is under construction in Huntington Beach, but a third location in Costa Mesa was derailed by parking issues.

Evans produces 4 core year-round beers – Pollen Nation Honey Blonde Ale, The KrHOPen India Pale Ale, Oaklore Brown Ale, and ChocōLatté Chocolate Porter, and also offers other popular year-round, seasonal, and special release beers at the Public House. In addition, the brewery has added a gourmet Public House food truck that will ply the streets of Orange County, spreading the Evans Brewing brand and The Public House inspired recipes. Most items on the food truck menu include Evans craft brews in the base recipes. Finally, the brewery is developing products for the retail market, such as craft beer infused Brew-B-Q sauces as well as sausages and bratwursts, beer cheeses and even ice cream, each and every one with their beer in the recipes. Evans distributes their beers to 9 western states, including Milwaukee Select and Pig’s Eye. Further, the company provides contract based manufacturing and packing services for craft breweries in Southern California.

The KrHOPen is a West Coast IPA that does not to punch you with bitterness, but gives a balance of bitterness, aroma and body. At first, the aroma comes with floral and piney notes from over a pound per barrel of Cascade and Chinook hops. At first sip, Nugget and Apollo hops give this beer its balanced bitterness with a hint of caramel and biscuit body for a smooth finish. The unusual name comes with a backstory...legend has it that in the mid 1800s, some of the ships delivering beer from England to India chose to make a stop off the California coast to dry hop their precious cargo. But this wasn't an easy task. To harvest these hops they would have to dive into the underwater hop fields and face the beast known as the krHOPen. The krHOPen would use its tenacious tentacles to protect its beloved hop cones. Brewed with Nugget, Apollo, Cascade and Chinook, this IPA is dedicated to the brewers lost at sea fighting the beast.