Tap Handle #713: Labyrinth

February 08, 2019

Tap Handle #713: Labyrinth

Tap size: 10.5"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: large 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

Many thanks to Labyrinth co-founder Sean Gaura for hooking me up with this incredible tap. I will admit to being a history/mythology buff, and played my share of Dungeons and Dragons in my youth, so this one definitely hits a sweet spot for me. The Labyrinth tap depicts the Minotaur (of Greek mythology) gripping a mash paddle while kneeling on a large block. The block has patterns carved in it that represent the Labyrinth (a maze built to contain the Minotaur). A sign on the front and back bears the name and logo of the brewery. I can't tell whether the sign is metal or is made of something else and metal-plated, but it does an amazing job of catching the light and reflecting it back thanks to the metallic sheen. In a very neat twist, the brewery's logo, which also bears an image of the Labyrinth, has a hop in the center. Why is that significant? Because from Classical times through the Renaissance, the Minotaur appears at the center of many depictions of the Labyrinth, so replacing the Minotaur with a hop in the center adds a great beer-related touch to a classical art form. There is no label; instead, the beer variety is written in the empty rectangular box under the sign, similar to a chalkboard. I'm going to profile the brewery's Pan's IPA. A large ferrule at the bottom rounds out the tap. I have to say that the amount of detail is fantastic, as is the marble appearance, and this has to be one of the top taps I've added to the collection recently. It can currently be found on the secondary market, directly from the brewery, and though it is costly, in my opinion it's worth every penny!

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur is a mythical creature portrayed in Classical times with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man, or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, on the command of King Minos of Crete. In Crete, the Minotaur was known by the name Asterion. Minos required that seven Athenian youths and seven maidens, drawn by lots, be sent every seventh or ninth year (some accounts say every year) to be devoured by the Minotaur. When the third sacrifice approached, Theseus volunteered to slay the monster. In Crete, Minos' daughter Ariadne fell madly in love with Theseus and helped him navigate the Labyrinth. In most accounts she gave him a ball of thread, allowing him to retrace his path. Theseus killed the Minotaur with the sword of Aegeus and led the other Athenians back out of the Labyrinth.

Click through to read more about Labyrinth Brewing, their Pan's IPA, and to see more photos of this epic tap...

Labyrinth Brewing Company was founded in Manchester, Connecticut in 2016 by Adam Delaura, Chris Walnum, and Sean Gaura. The co-founders were childhood friends and reconnected years later as adults, when Walnum started a home brewing club out of his garage. After earning awards at local and regional brewing competitions, the trio began talking about the possibility of opening their own brewery. Walnum's father encouraged the long-time friends to pursue the brewery idea, and with that support, they decided to leave their previous careers as a banker, retail manager, and librarian. While they liked their jobs, the timing was ideal for the co-founders to make a career change. They began connecting with companies around the state to gather business advice, brewing tips, and learn about licenses and regulations. The group used Kickstarter to help raise funds, securing $3,000 from friends, family, and anonymous donors to support purchasing business cards, shirts, and glasses, which were then used to promote their brand while they constructed a comprehensive business plan after attending a business seminar.

They leased a 5,000-square-foot building in Manchester's historic district to house their 7-barrel brew house and taproom after a second Kickstarter raised another $19,000. The building was a former waste silk warehouse that stored used silk from the other mills, and was part of the Cheney Brothers silk mill complex. Several of the Cheney mills were converted to apartments that were conveniently close to Labyrinth Brewing, offering a built-in customer base. As an open space, a lot of hands-on work was needed by the founders to make their vision a reality. It took about 2 years to actually open the doors, and 15 months of that was construction. They also had to deal with zoning regulations as well as local, state, and federal laws. For instance, Labyrinth Brewing was only permitted to operate without selling food after local regulations were changed. On opening day, the founders were met by a line of 85 people waiting to get into the tap room.

The tap room featured exposed brick and custom wood furniture hand-made by Delaura, Walnum, and Gaura from trees they cleared to expand the brewery’s parking lot. It was built to seat between 75 to 120 people, and contained a bar, couches and overstuffed chairs, windows that looked into the brewing area, board games for families, and photographs on the walls that document the journey from concept to opening day, along with the building’s original planning documents and an art gallery supporting local artists. Although the tap room does not sell food, guests are welcome to bring their own, and Labyrinth regularly has food trucks on site during weekends.

The brewery has a tasting panel of 13 people who include national beer judges from the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), restaurant managers, bar managers, bartenders, people who work at other breweries, homebrewers, and a couple craft beer enthusiasts with no ties to the beer industry. The brewery brews and bottles their beer and then sends it to the panel with a BJCP scorecard. The panel fills out the scorecard and returns it to the brewery. The brewery is also committed to quality control, with plans to build a lab in order to measure things like exact yeast count, and also to measure salts and minerals in the water in order to build a specific water profile.

Labyrinth started with 20 pilot beers that the tasting panel evaluated, and the highest-rated beers were chosen for production. The brewery also offers ciders and wines on tap. Initial distribution was very limited, with some local restaurants getting kegs and a small amount of canning, along with growler fills in the taproom. Plans are to expand canning operations to four-packs or six-packs, with some limited bottling of specialty releases that involve manually filling the bottles in-house and capping them. Long range plans are to open a second location. The brewery attempts to source many of their ingredients locally if possible, and to donate spent grains to local farmers. On its opening day, Labyrinth supplied beer for the town’s Silk City Arts and Music Festival. It partners with Mansfield’s Cloverleaf Farm for fresh vegetable pickups, and hosts live music performances by local musicians. They also supplied beer for a dinner supporting Manchester Community College and its Foodshare and hosted an after party for the Manchester Dog Owners Group’s BARKtoberfest.

The brewery currently has a lineup of 10 beers on tap, a mixture of standard offerings, seasonals and specials. Almost all of them have creative names based on myths and legends, such as Erebus (an oatmeal stout), Wail of the Banshee (a Scottish export ale), Bugbear Warlord (an ESB), and Baba Yaga’s Cranberry Berliner (a weisse beer). Labyrinth recently collaborated with Five Churches Brewing of New Britain on Did We Just Become Best Friends?, a smoked maple porter. They plan on producing 800 to 1000 barrels of beer annually.

Pan's IPA is a modern twist on the classic East Coast IPA. Pine and citrus are gently balanced by sweet bready malt flavor. The color is an almost clear golden.