Tap Handle #719: Crying Eagle - Pistol Bridge Porter

May 04, 2019

Tap Handle #719: Crying Eagle - Pistol Bridge Porter

Tap size: 12"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

This is the second tap that was supplied by friend of the Museum Morgan C., and features another Louisiana brewery, Crying Eagle. I will be featuring 3 Crying Eagle taps, and this is probably my favorite of the 3 due to the theme and colors. The tap is done in bas relief, with pistols at the top, the Calcasieu River Bridge below that, a sign featuring the brewery's name and the beer variety, and a sunset scene at the bottom with reeds and metal girders. The front and back of the tap are identical to each other, so I have reduced the number of photos taken. This tap represents one of the new core brews that the company rolled out during their rebranding in 2018, so it is very recent and I have not yet seen another.

The Calcasieu River Bridge was built between 1948 and 1952 in Lake Charles, Lousiana. Officials had planned to call it the Lafitte Bridge, after the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, who was rumored to have buried some of his treasure in the area. About 10,572 decorative crossed pistols were originally placed as part of the bridge rail as a symbol of Southwest Louisiana's pirate history. It brings I-10/US 90 west from Lake Charles into Westlake. In the 50s, it was US 90, and was later grandfathered into an I-10 bridge. When that process took place, the federal government promised to replace the bridge, since it was not designed originally to be an interstate bridge, but that never happened. Decades later, the bridge has been rated structurally deficient by the DOT; in 2016, Travel and Leisure magazine put the bridge on the list of “America’s Most Dangerous Bridges”, coming in at number 7.

Bridge photos courtesy of SnarkyBytes.

Click through to read more about Crying Eagle Brewing, their Pistol Bridge Porter, and to see more photos of this iconic tap...

Crying Eagle Brewing Company was founded in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 2015 by Eric Avery and his father Larry Avery. Eric studied biology and chemistry and tried twice to get into med school but was unsuccessful. So he went to work in the family business, which was climate-controlled storage facilities. Larry suggested that they open a brewery, but it wasn't until Eric's brother-in-law, a craft beer enthusiast, exposed Eric to craft beer, that Eric's interest began to grow. His studies in biology and chemistry proved useful as he started experimenting with brewing different beers. Later he went to a bachelor party in Houston and they stopped at St. Arnold's Brewing. Eric was fascinated with the nuances of their brewing process, especially the engineering and the social dynamic. He and Larry visited breweries across the U.S. to study facility design, production processes and industry best practices, and then scouted locations to house their brewery.

When deciding on a name for the brewery, they wanted Avery Brewing but found it was already taken by a brewery in Colorado. Other names were explored, but in the end they chose Crying Eagle. It is a rough translation of the Atakapa Indian word Quelqueshue (or Calcasieu), the name of a legendary chief with a unique battle cry, which later had a river (in the Avery's parish) named after him. A few weeks after deciding on the name, Eric found out that someone else was looking to open a brewery in town with the same name. Eric immediately trademarked the name, but soon got a phone call from the man who was behind the "other" Crying Eagle, who wanted to meet. His name was Bill Mungai, a longtime home brewer and member of the local homebrewers club. Mungai needed Eric’s equity and good business sense, and Eric needed a brew master, so they joined forces.

They found a location on 10 acres of land in Lake Charles and construction was completed in 2016 on a 15,000 square-foot production facility with an annual production of around 1500 barrels. This facility consisted of a 7500 square-foot production space, a 4000 square-foot tap room, a 3000 square-foot indoor/outdoor mixed-use rental space, an expansive outdoor beer garden, and indoor and outdoor stages. Crying Eagle offered tours, beer dinners featuring local chefs, live music performances, and a "brewers' playground" for experimentation and customer feedback on new brew flavors. They released 3 unconventional beers at launch that they thought would appeal to the local market: a steam beer, an American cream ale, and a Belgian-style single. Initial distribution was concentrated in the Louisiana market.

However, by 2018 the brewery had hit some unexpected roadblocks. Competition was heavy from other Lousiana craft brewers and national brands. Their can labels weren't distinct enough from each other, and locals did not embrace the launch beers. And Woodchuck Cidery had trademark issues with the word “Chuck” being used in The Chuck, the name of the steam beer which was a reference to a nickname for Lake Charles. So Crying Eagle fully rebranded, with 3 new styles and names for their core beers, along with brand new packaging, although they kept the Belgian Single since it was a national award-winning beer. So they added a lager, a porter, and an IPA involving a collaboration with legendary rock band Foreigner. The brewery recently added a retail shop, a a barrel aging program with Bayou Rum, and expanded distribution into Texas.

Pistol Bridge Porter is brewed with black and caramelized malts, imparting notes of dark chocolate, toffee, and dried fruits. A generous portion of English hops provide balance and make this beer go down easy. Jean Lafitte himself would put down his pistols to enjoy some of this dark ale.