Tap Handle #722: True Vine - Mermaids and Unicorns

June 12, 2019

Tap Handle #722: True Vine - Mermaids and Unicorns

Tap size: 11"
Rarity: less than 10 seen
Mounting: large 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

A big thank you to the wonderful people at True Vine Brewing who helped me obtain this beautiful tap! It features, appropriately enough, a stylistic mermaid and a unicorn (they remind me of Maurice Sendak's "Where The Wild Things Are" artistic style) on top of foamy bubbles, with the name of the beer appearing on a ribbon just below them. Under that is a shield-like sign that bears the logo of the brewery. The shaft of the tap has the appearance of a purple-colored treasure map that shows the outline of the state of Texas. At the bottom are some sculpted waves and a large ferrule. The beer and the tap were inspired by all the fairytale worlds that the brewery owners and employees experience as daddies of daughters within the True Vine Brewing Company family. The tap is scarce on the secondary market, with only a half dozen available since they first appeared earlier this year.

Click through to read more about True Vine Brewing, their Mermaids and Unicorns Blonde Ale, and to see more photos of this whimsical tap...

True Vine Brewing Company was founded in Tyler, Texas in 2011 by Ryan Dixon and his wife Traci, and their friends Stephen Lee and Dan Griffith. Ryan was a home brewer that was brewing out of his kitchen, and moved to his garage in order to brew larger batches with friends Lee and Griffith. Inspired by a biography of the Guinness family, he dreamed of brewing on a ‘big boy’ system, making logos, and marketing beers with cool labels. The three friends started working on business plans; each of them already had a full time job, and although they originally considered opening a brew pub, decided instead to open as a production brewery. The name True Vine came from a scripture verse in which Jesus said, ‘I am the true vine, apart from me you can do nothing.' In 2013, they established the brewery in an old 2,000 square foot warehouse in downtown Tyler that housed a one barrel system and three barrel fermenters. This allowed them to brew 50 gallon batches, receive their brewing licenses and start selling Rose City Pale Ale in 2014 to a local restaurant, which soon expanded to 5 local draft accounts.

In 2015 the brewery implemented "Phase II", a major expansion that added a tap room and beer garden, with core beers, seasonal or experimental brews, and tap room exclusives, that totaled about eight beers on tap. The expansion also allowed for a 1200% increase in brewing capacity, as well as canning and distribution throughout east Texas. They were able to raise about $10,000 through Kickstarter to help fund the improvements. However, this came with a downside...the location became very cramped, and they found that they needed office space, more production space, a larger taproom, and more outdoor area. In 2016, one of the brewery's investors had found and purchased a building as a possible investment project for his company. After Ryan and Traci checked it out, they immediately fell in love with the potential. Shortly thereafter, True Vine began to renovate yet another dilapidated building in preparation for a brewing facility.

In 2018 True Vine opened their new facility on the 4 year anniversary of their original opening. It features 10,000 square feet of space, a taproom that is as big as the entire previous building and has 24 taps, a large outdoor pavilion that can hold several thousand people, a stage for live music, and space for Sola Bread & Pizza Company to make pizzas, breads and other upscale bar food for patrons. Production capabilities were increased through the purchase of 4 new brewing tanks, and they have space for future growth and plans for a canning line. The brewery also plans to increase its distribution, which currently covers 13 counties, and they have recently expanded to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Mermaids & Unicorns is a blonde ale that is bready, biscuity, and packs a gentle hoppy finish. It is a beer that can quench the thirst of a Texas summer and have flavor enough to pair well with a backyard BBQ. It is not only the top beer of the brewery, it is also the #1 craft beer in East Texas.