Tap Handle #766: Southbound Brewing

December 28, 2020

Tap Handle #766: Southbound Brewing

Tap size: 12.25" tall by 4.5" wide

Rarity: less than 10 seen

Mounting: 3/8" ferrule on 5/16" anchor bolt

Southbound Brewing's tap ties into the brewery's music theme - the top half is made to look like the head of a violin. What makes this tap unique is that it is it appears to be resin, cast from an original wood piece. That means that the prototype was made by someone that hand carved a piece of wood, or it was possibly even cast from a real violin. The pegs are molded plastic and are fitted into holes in the resin peg box; the width of these pegs makes the tap wider than normal. The brewery's name and logo appear as an oval shaped sign at the center of the tap, and under that is a decal that reads "Savannah, GA". It does not have a place for a label; in fact, its use is a bit of a mystery. The brewery uses a different, plain looking tap for every day use, and this violin tap is very rare, so it is likely used for special events (one person speculated that it may have been used for the Savannah Music Festival). I'll be profiling the brewery's award-winning Mountain Jam Southern Lager. I've only seen a couple of these on the secondary market, with a price ranging from $80 to $150.

Click through to read more about Southbound Brewing, their Mountain Jam Southern Lager, and to see more photos of this sweet sounding tap...

Southbound Brewing Company was founded in Savannah, Georgia in 2013 by Smith Mathews and Carly Wiggins. The two friends met while attending college at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and both got jobs at Sweetwater Brewing Company in Atlanta while working toward their undergraduate degrees. Mathews started in production on the bottling line and soon worked his way into marketing and promotions. Wiggins gained her experience working in marketing, events and promotions. Their time at Sweetwater stoked their love of craft beer and led them to pursue a career in the industry. Mathews went on to attend the Seibel Institute of Technology in Chicago as well as the Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany. After receiving an international diploma in brewing, Mathews returned to Sweetwater Brewing as part of the brewing team.

Soon after, Mathews was sought out by a start-up brewery in South Carolina where he was brought on as head brewer. Wiggins soon joined Mathews in South Carolina and helped with the start-up. Although happy to be head brewer, Mathews still dreamed of opening his own brewery. Using their experience from the South Carolina startup, Mathews and Wiggins spent many nights after work writing their business plan, finding the perfect spot to open their brewery, and fundraising to make the brewery possible. The location they chose was the city of Savannah, and for the theme, they turned to music for all of their beers and branding, with the idea of having live music with beer.

In 2012 Mathews and Wiggins set up operations in a 13,000 square foot warehouse just outside of the Downtown Historic District, and began installing a 6,000 bbl system. They brewed their first batch of beer in the spring of 2013. At the time, Southbound was Southeast Georgia’s only operating production microbrewery. They distributed in the Savannah and Atlanta areas, and later in 2013 they expanded distribution to South Carolina. The warehouse also included a taproom and beer garden and is both family and dog friendly. The taproom offers 20 beers on tap in addition to non-alcoholic house made sodas. Pints, flights, 6 packs and growler fills are available for purchase and a food truck is typically on site. In addition, Southbound hosts live music shows, and allows customers to practice yoga skills or play trivia.

In 2016 Southbound began canning core beers and seasonals. In 2018 the brewery claimed a gold award in the 2018 World Beer Cup in the Other International-Style Lager beer style category for Mountain Jam, a fresh, clean, and light Southern style Lager.

Mountain Jam is Southbound Brewing's southern dry hopped lager with a refreshing taste. Citra, Amarillo and Cascade hops lend this brew its heady, citrus aroma to create a craft lager like no other. It’s light bodied, but doesn’t skimp on flavor, making it the perfect beer for soaking up the rays. Mountain Jam won a gold award in the 2018 World Beer Cup, in the Other International-Style Lager beer style category.