Tap Handle #789: Huntington Beach Beer Co. - Huntington Beach (HB) Blonde

July 16, 2022

Tap Handle #789: Huntington Beach Beer Co. - Huntington Beach (HB) Blonde

Tap size: 9.75"

Rarity: 10 or less seen, tap no longer produced, hand-made

Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

I'm usually not a fan of taps that are flat on the backside. I don't necessarily need to see the back, but when taps which are flat on the back are viewed from the side, it makes the profile look very strange. However, I will occasionally make an exception for a true museum piece, and that is the case here. This Huntington Beach Beer Co. tap bears some resemblance to other older Blonde taps such as the Blue Point Spring Fling or Elk Grove Big But Blonde (coming in a future profile). It is reminiscent of a 1940's pinup girl due to her hair styling and one-piece bathing suit. At the bottom of the tap is a blue background with sculpted white lettering indicating the brewery and beer variety. The back is flat with no detail or markings. The tap shares much in common visually to the beer label, although the label features a much more modern-looking woman in the same one-piece bathing suit. This Blonde tap was first commissioned before the brewery changed hands in the mid 2000's, but has been out of production for many years. A half dozen or so have appeared on the secondary market, usually at steep prices that reflect the rarity and subject matter ($200-$300+ range). It's been a few years since one of these last appeared.

Huntington Beach Beer Co. (HBBC) was founded in Huntington Beach, California in 1992. Located on the second floor of a building above a Baskin-Robbins, in a busy tourist area, the brewpub had large brewing tanks, exposed air ducts on the ceiling, large bay windows, brick walls, stone floors, stacks of malt bags, and small wooden tables. Outside on the balconies, patrons could watch tourists and locals on the sidewalks below, while catching glimpses of the nearby Pacific Ocean. The business ran for several years as a low-key, nano-sized microbrewery. The beer was distributed to a few accounts and also bottled during this time period, which is where classic HBBC taps, labels and coasters originate from, but poor reviews led to bottling being discontinued, and financial difficulties forced the sale of the brewery.

In 2005, Cesar Pena purchased the brewery. Pena immediately transformed the brewpub into a combination sports bar and dance club. The new atmosphere attracted young, beach-going patrons looking to party, but it also attracted trouble. In 2006, the Chief of Police revoked HBBC's permit based on the arrests of 13 patrons on suspicion of intoxication, 36 crime and information reports, 14 citations of permit violations and 7 citations of infringements of Alcoholic Beverage Control rules, from the time Pena had taken over in 2005. The brewpub was also reported to have sold alcohol to a minor.

In an appeal to the city council during hearings regarding the permit, Pena said police miscounted and misrepresented several of the violations. He said that many of the arrests occurred in front of his second-story restaurant and were reported at 201 Main St., the address of three different businesses: Huntington Beach Beer Co., Baskin Robbins and Sakal Surfboards. Pena's appeal was successful, and after he vowed to work with the police, the permit was restored. Since then, the brewpub's goings-on seem to be much less disruptive and more stable.

Pena went on to open the Black Bull Chophouse in 2007 and the San Diego Beer Co. (SDBC) in 2010 (which closed at some point but information on SDBC is scarce). Several reviewers on Yelp and Beer Advocate claim that HBBC focuses too much on the entertainment and hires employees with bad attitudes, and does not put enough effort into perfecting their craft beer or food. However, the brewery is still in business, thanks in large part to its location in the middle of a popular tourist destination, and its reputation as a packed dancing venue on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The brewery currently maintains 4 house beers on tap, along with many guest beers, wines, and a full bar.

Huntington Beach Blonde is described only as a light, refreshing, all malt ale, with a gentle hop aroma. It has been at various times referred to not only as a Blonde style, but also a Kolsch, and beer labels from the brewery's early period refer to it as a German Pilsner.