Tap Handle #674: Parish - Ghost in the Machine Double IPA

December 18, 2017

Tap Handle #674: Parish - Ghost in the Machine Double IPA

Tap size: 10.25"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

Okay, I know this is a "toy on a stick" and I usually try to stay away from those, but it's probably the coolest toy on stick tap I've ever seen. A dark colored skull bears a creepy grin and an afro made of hops. The brewery's name appears directly below the skull, while the name of the beer (and an image of the state of Louisiana) is a decal on the wooden shaft. These labels appear on every side of the tap. Although it commands a high price when seen on the secondary market, it can be found cheaper through other outlets.

A Parish in Louisiana is similar to a county in other states. There are 64 in total. Louisiana was formed from French and Spanish colonies, which were both officially Roman Catholic. Local colonial government was based upon parishes, as the local ecclesiastical division. Parish names came from Saints, native civilizations, colonial founding fathers, Civil War leaders from both sides, two types of fruit, one vegetable, and one conquistador.

Click through to read more about Parish Brewing, their Ghost in the Machine Double IPA, and to see more photos of this ghastly tap...

Parish Brewing Company was founded in Broussard, Louisiana in 2009 by Andrew Godley. A Louisiana native, Godley moved to Pittsburgh in 2003 and discovered a thriving craft beer scene. Returning home a few years later, he recognized a lack of craft breweries in Louisiana and set out to help establish the local brewing industry. He began homebrewing in 2007, perfecting his recipes, until he could officially open his nanobrewery. Brewing on a tiny 50 gallon system that only made about 20 kegs every week, Godley created his Canebreak Ale, made with Louisiana sugar cane. Despite its size, Parish was being distributed all over the Lafayette region, and Canebrake was becoming more and more popular with a full range of beer drinkers. Distributors could not keep the beer in stock.

In 2012, Parish completed construction on a new brewery and began producing 2,000 gallons of Canebrake per week. They began expanding distribution market-by-market throughout Louisiana. In 2013 the brewery finished work on their tap room, a modern mancave with a long wooden bar, big screen TVs, a side lounge area and a gigantic Jenga game made of 2x4s. Tours of the brewery were available on Saturdays. Later that year they started bottling Canebreak, as well as their limited edition Grand Reserve Barleywine Ale, and previewed Ghost in the Machine, a Double IPA. When Ghost in the Machine was fully introduced in 2014, it sold out quickly, and has every year since, with retailers limiting the amount each customer could buy. Hundreds of people wait in line at the brewery to sample the powerfully hopped brew, a brew which has gained national recognition. Parish is now the second largest brewery in Louisiana.

Parish's Ghost in the Machine double IPA is a paradox. It misleads you slightly with its light color and equally airy aroma, coming across as pleasantly citrusy (grapefruit/orange/apricot) with hints of pine. But that first sip lets you know everything about the beer’s motives. Ghost packs more hops than Blake Griffin, Bugs Bunny or Tigger too. It is a beer that is capable of satisfying the most voracious appetite for hops, allegedly containing 10 pounds of hops per barrel during brewing. As Parish likes to say, “it’s probably too hoppy for you.”