Tap Handle #762: Wonderland Brewery (Brazil)

October 31, 2020

Tap Handle #762: Wonderland Brewery (Brazil)

Tap size: 11"

Rarity: imported tap, less than 10 seen

Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

Wonderland character cards

Many thanks to the fantastic people at the Wonderland Brewery in Brazil for getting one of these taps into my hands. I'm not 100% sure but I believe this is the first tap handle I've profiled from South America. It was quite a unique experience, as my brewery contact and I conversed entirely in Brazilian Portuguese. Even after I had purchased the tap, Wonderland followed up to make sure that I not only received the tap, but that I liked it. The answer is a resounding yes! There are so many small details that are easily recognizable to anyone familiar with Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, which the brewery is themed after. On one side of the tap is a small bottle that says drink me, some playing cards, mushrooms, and pocket watch. I consider this the "front" side of the tap (I'll explain this shortly). On the other side is a small door, a book, and a croquet mallet and ball. At the top of the tap is a sign bearing the name of the brewery, above which is a spray of red roses. In a very unique feature, there are no labels or signage that have the name of the beer variety; instead, a slot under the brewery name allows an oval-shaped card to be inserted (see image to right). These cards are artistic versions of characters from Alice in Wonderland, and each character is tied to a beer. For example, the character of Alice represents the brewery's Curiouser and Curiouser American IPA (which I will be profiling here). The side that the character card is inserted in I have designated as the back of the tap...the reason why is that the lip of the card holder can be seen when displayed. However, when looking from what I consider the front, the lip is not visible; only the character art can be seen looking "through" the center of the tap. This is clever reference to the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, titled Through the Looking-Glass. Less than a half dozen have appeared on the secondary market, and when they have, they command a price well over $100.

Editor's Note: contrary to some claims I have read, this tap is not associated in any way with Wonderland Brewing Company in Colorado. I visited the Colorado brewery last year in person and can confirm that they have no ties to the Brazilian brewery nor to this tap.

Click through to read more about Wonderland Brewery, their Curiouser and Curiouser American IPA, and to see more photos of this wondrous tap...

Wonderland Brewery was founded in 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by Siberian Anna Lewis, American Chad Lewis and Brazilian Pedro Fraga. Anna grew up in Siberia with a love of soap operas, and later dreamed of warm, tropical beaches as she worked in IT. She met Chad, who was teaching English in the Czech Republic, Spain, and Russia from 2004 to 2012. Returning to the U.S. in late 2012, Chad began to work on developing the framework of a craft beer production company overseas. He returned to Russia, and together he and Anna began thinking about how to implement the plan. It was then that they met Pedro, a master brewer, on the Beer Advocate website. Pedro had talked about brewing in Brazil, while the Lewis couple asked him to do some market research. As their relationship grew, the warm climate and beaches of Rio that Anna had always dreamed about became a reality and Chad and Anna relocated there.

The three friends started up the brewery in 2018. The name and theme of the brewery was inspired by the book Alice in Wonderland. In addition to sharing part of his name with author Lewis Carroll, and remembering the story growing up, Chad felt that it had different meanings for different people at different times in their lives. For a child, it is an adventure, while for an adult it is a revolt against society's norms, rejecting conformity to live your own lifestyle. The goal of the brewery is to offer complex and striking beers with a lot of personality. Rather than offering soft, harmless drinks, Wonderland Brewery explores flavors and aromas, giving each label a unique personality. Just as the story gives a lot of depth to its characters, in turn each character is attached to a beer variety to give the beer more depth. They started with 4 core beers, and are currently up to 9 offerings.

Wonderland Brewery made an immediate impact in the brewing world. Timeless Porter was the winner of the Platinum Medal (delivered to a single beer) of the Mondial de la Bière 2019 and rated as the best in the segment in Brazil by the social network Untappd, and was a recipe Anna developed with Chad for their wedding. The American IPA Gone Mad won a Gold Medal from the jury specializing in the Mondial de la Bière in Rio de Janeiro in 2018, in addition to being voted the 2nd best beer of the festival by the attending public. Their American Pale Ale “Curiouser and Curiouser” is rated as the second best fruity beer in Brazil by the social network Untappd and, in the same chain, Irish Red Ale “Mango Grin” is named as the best in the country in its style. Finally, "Summer Glory", American Wheat Ale, one of the brewery's latest launches, became the country's third best in the category on Untappd.

Wonderland Brewery has about 200 physical points of sale in Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Bahia, and São Paulo. In addition, their beers are sold in e-commerce chains (such as Bro's Beer, World of Beers, BeerShop) throughout Brazil. The brewery also participates in gastronomic fairs and events in Rio de Janeiro and other cities. During these fairs and events, brewery employees often dress as some of Alice in Wonderland's characters and encourage public interaction, such as getting people to try on characters' hats.

Wonderland Brewery's Curiouser and Curiouser is an American Pale Ale that brings the aromas of peach and apricot, combined with the American citrus hops Citra, Centennial and Simcoe. With medium bitterness and a coppery color, it is suitable for curious and extremely curious people who risk discovering new sensations. For this reason, it is represented by the curious Alice. It was rated as the second best fruity beer in Brazil by the social network Untappd.