Tap Handle #697: Outer Light

August 20, 2018

Tap Handle #697: Outer Light - SUBduction IPA

Tap size: 11.75"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

Submarine taps make excellent tap handles...they just fit in the palm perfectly when pouring beer. This submarine tap from Outer Light doesn't have a lot of detail, but it doesn't need it - it's just a very solid tap with a profile that is unmistakably a submarine. The brewery's name appears on both sides of the tap as well as the bottom, while the beer name (a play on words between a submarine and a geological subduction) is featured on the two sides. It's kind of cool that if you hold the tap right side up, the beer name appears upside down. The blue and green color scheme is a new design; a previous version of the tap, which will appear here in the museum at a later date, features a red and black color scheme. This newer design seems to be scarce at the time of this entry, as I have not seen another.

Subduction is a geological process that takes place at convergent boundaries of tectonic plates where one plate moves under another and is forced or sinks due to gravity into the mantle. Regions where this process occurs are known as subduction zones. Rates of subduction are typically in centimeters per year, with the average rate of convergence being approximately two to eight centimeters per year along most plate boundaries. Subduction zones are sites that usually have a high rate of volcanism and earthquakes.

Click through to read more about Outer Light Brewing Company, their SUBduction IPA, and to see more photos of this slick tap...

Outer Light Brewing Company was founded in Groten, Connecticut in 2015 by Tom Drejer and Matt Ferrucci. The two men met through a mutual friend in college, and found they shared a love of outdoor adventures, as well as home brewing, which they started to do together and share their offerings with friends. One afternoon, after getting caught in a squall while they were out fishing and drinking their home brews, they battled against the tide, spotting a bright beacon in the distance - Saybrook Breakwater Light - or the Outer Light as it is know to locals. The name Outer Light Brewing Company was born in that moment. Another contributing factor to the founding of the brewery was that in 2012, Connecticut changed the regulatory framework for breweries, allowing breweries to sell pints of their own beer in an on-site taproom. Drejer and Ferruci saw an opportunity to leave their humdrum day jobs and turn their passion for beer into a new business, so they put together a business plan in 2013.

They found a 4,500 square foot building that was a former Meineke Car Care. It had enough space and high ceilings to accommodate fermenters and tanks, and offered easy access to Interstate 95 and potential customers from downtown New London, Submarine Base New London, Electric Boat and Mystic. They took out small business loans, private loans and spent some of their own money to come up with the more than $500,000 needed to retrofit the building. They spent quite some time waiting for the federal government and the state authorities to sign off on the project and to get their brewer’s license. While they were waiting, they spent nights and weekends building out the brewery. After 2 years, the work was finally complete, and in 2015 they opened the doors to the brewery, which also included a taproom that could seat 20.

The company initially self-distributed their craft brews to local bars, restaurants and liquor stores in kegs, but eventually signed with distributors to sell throughout Connecticut. They brewed three year-round beers: a red ale, an IPA, and a coffee stout. The brewery didn’t serve food but guests were encouraged to order food in or bring food to the brewery. There were also plans to have food trucks on the premise in the future. And speaking of food, Outer Light worked with celebrity chef Bobby Flay to pair its beers with dishes designed by Flay and his culinary team at a beer dinner held at Mohegan Sun’s Bar Americain. Flay was impressed with the balance each of the beers, and was ecstatic to collaborate with Outer Light.

In 2016 the brewery doubled its beer-making capacity because they couldn't keep up with demand. An initial factor in their success was the presence of local businesses like Electric Boat, whose employees would stop by the brewery for a beer after work. Previously Outer Light had only brewed 9 to 10 days a month, but they doubled that once they finished expanding capacity. The partners had to look for extra warehouse capacity for cold-storage items such as malt and hops. They had brewed 23 different beers before even reaching a year old, ranging from red ales to India pale ales to stouts to porters. Some beers had been brewed only once, while others were so popular that the partners decided to bring them back later as seasonal favorites. Plans were also underway to set up a barrel aging program.

Marketing was accomplished by Drejer and Ferruci visiting potential clients directly who they felt were a good fit to sell beer to. They also participated in beer festivals, educational classes, beer and cheese events, and other public functions. But most of their marketing came through social media. Prior to 2015, as the two men were building the brewery, they were posting pictures and releasing information about the brewery's progress towards opening on their social media sites. Prior to opening they had 1,000 people following them, and their mug club memberships sold out the first day they opened, before people had even tried their beer.

In 2018 Outer Light completed a facility upgrade that expanded capacity and featured a new canning line. They added a fourth year round brew, as well as seasonal offerings, and extended distribution into Rhode Island.

Outer Light's SUBduction IPA is a tribute to Groten, Connecticut, the submarine capital of the world. SUBduction feels like the home at the end of a long journey at sea. This heavenly IPA packs a celestial blend of big hop flavors, finishing with a light crisp freshness that begs for a return voyage. The brew starts with a light malt base and receives copious amounts of Citra, French Triskel, Belma, and Chinook hops. Heavy-handed dry hop additions of Citra, Belma, and Cascade round out OLBC’s debut IPA. The result is a squishingly juicy and drinkable IPA.