Tap Handle #847: Nimbus - Old Monkeyshine Ale ("Old Monk")

Tap size:  12"

Rarity:  10 or less seen, hand-made, brewery closed

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

This Nimbus tap is another entry from the Bill Gibson wing of the Museum. Produced in 2000 when the brewery went through a major expansion, the tap features the bust of a monkey in a white robe with a gold nimbus behind its head; the human hands are folded in prayer while holding a beer between them. Below that is the name of the brewery sculpted in raised silver letters across a black banner, and underneath the banner is a signage area for the beer variety. The backside is flat and indistinct except for the nimbus behind the head, and the name of the brewery, again carved in raised letters at about the same height as the banner, but with smaller black letters against the white background. The brewery often depicted humans with monkey heads/faces on their artwork, due to their motto "people should be more like monkeys." The beer this tap was primarily identified with was named "Old Monkeyshine Ale", but the labels I have seen have all said "Old Monk." Although the monkey does like like a religious monk, there was never an Old Monk ale produced by the brewery. I think there are 2 likely explanations for this discrepancy: 1) the name of the beer was shortened to Old Monk in order to fit on the label due to space constraints, or 2) Old Monk was a shortened nickname of Old Monkeyshine in the same way Bud is a shortened nickname for Budweiser. I have seen one of these with a "Blonde Ale" label. The lettering on the labels is metallic and hard to see if holding at the wrong angle, but flashes bright when it catches the light. To my knowledge, this tap was only cast in resin, and I have not seen any in urethane/aged resin. Because they are resin, almost all them suffer from cracking and/or peeling paint, and this one is no exception. With only about 7 appearing on the secondary market, they can be a bit hard to acquire. The first one showed up in 2005 and sold for about $30; the price later climbed, hitting a peak of $300 in 2017 for a version in great condition with no label and no paint problems. Since then, the price has dropped back down, with the last one selling in 2022 for $40; it had a label but also had peeling paint.

Nimbus Brewing Company was founded in Tucson, Arizona in 1996 by Nimbus Couzin. A dedicated home brewer from Portland, Oregon, Couzin had seen the microbrew craze take off in the Northwest in the 1980s. He abandoned his studies in physics at Purdue University in order to make a career out of his hobby. Searching for a place out West that afforded a variety of opportunities for recreation, Couzin hit upon Tucson as the ideal spot to launch his venture, and found an empty 17,000 square foot warehouse in an industrial park south of downtown Tucson. The name of the brewery came from its founder, but a Nimbus is also the halo disc you see behind a saint’s or holy person’s head in early European art, which is how it worked its way into the brewery's label art - always behind the head of a monkey. The monkey mascot came from Couzin's slogan: “people should be more like monkeys.” Couzin was able to start up the brewery with the financial backing friends in the Midwest who believed in his new career choice.

Thanks to contacts he had made while in Portland, Couzin was able to source bargain brewing equipment to get started. The 10-barrel brewhouse he obtained was the original brewhouse of Widmer Brewing in Portland, Oregon. When Widmer had expanded, the equipment had been sold to Otter Creek Brewing in Middlebury, Vermont. Thanks to expansion by Otter Creek, the equipment became available again, and was purchased by Couzin. It included some very heavy duty stainless tanks originally built for use in a nuclear power plant that was never constructed. The whirlpool was first used as a shrimp cooker on the Oregon coast, and the mash tun stairs were used on a ship. There were two 40-barrel fermenters (one of which came from Harpoon Brewing in Boston), a 14-barrel fermenter, and three 7 barrel serving tanks. There was also a full size bottling line and labeler. The first batch of beer, Palo Verde Pale Ale, was brewed and served at a beer festival in Flagstaff to rave reviews.

In 1997, the first Nimbus kegs were distributed around Tucson, with Belgian White Ale, Nut Brown Ale, and Oatmeal Stout appearing that year. The taproom was added as an afterthought; people would stop by asking for samples and would end up staying all day. Couzin decided to create a taproom area for these customers, furnishing it with couches and tables from the Salvation Army, as well as a couple of pool tables. Live music followed, and after that he started a small kitchen that served cold sandwiches and pizza. By 2000, Nimbus beers had morphed into a top-selling beer available at over 300 locations, including several chain supermarkets, Trader Joe's, restaurants, and Tucson Electric Park during spring training. It was at this time that a new partner was brought into the business: Jim Counts. Originally from Alabama, Counts had visited Tucson in the mid 1980's and loved it. He moved his family there in 1989, purchasing a Hallmark store in a no-so-great shopping center at a rock bottom price. Within a few short years, Counts had moved the card shop to a better area and turned the business around. He sold the Hallmark store for a considerable profit in the late 1990s and bought into Nimbus Brewing Company in 2000 after learning it was for sale.

Despite the well-regarded reputation of the brewery's beers within the state, its success was also a curse. The 10-barrel brewhouse was insufficient for keeping up with demand, and could not bring in enough money to pay the bills, which is why Couzin had been looking for a buyer. Counts took over as Managing Partner and Couzin became Brewmaster and General Manager. Counts recognized immediately that production needed to be increased in order for the brewery to remain viable. Three 150 bbl fermenters were installed, barely fitting under the 25 foot ceiling. Counts also bought a new 38 bbl brewhouse and 33 foot grain silo that was installed in 2001. Finally, an old 1930's Chicago bar was installed after receiving some woodwork restoration. However, the brewery was shut down for almost a week by Pima County for failing to get the proper permits for a bar at the site.

Sometime between late 2000 and early 2001, Couzin left the brewery, along with some other employees. By some reports, Couzin departed because he did not like the way Counts behaved. Others claimed that Counts had saved the brewery and Couzin, no longer the owner, chafed at being removed from making critical business decisions. Both are probably true, because Couzins and Counts engaged in multiple lawsuits with each other over the next several years. Scott Schwartz was hired as Brewmaster to replace Couzins. By 2002, annual maximum production capacity had increased to 22,500 barrels, making Nimbus the largest brewery in the state of Arizona. The only remaining equipment from the original installation was the 1950 former Coca-Cola bottling line that had been converted to bottling beers, capable of filling, labeling and palletizing over 100 cases an hour.

In 2002, to raise capital, Counts created the "Legion of Nimbus". Legion members, for a sum of $1000, received one unit of ownership in Nimbus Brewing, along with various other perks. By 2004, the brewery had garnered consistent critical acclaim in Arizona and throughout the U.S. Some of their awards included Tucson Weekly's Annual Best Brewery of Tucson from 1999-2004; winning the prestigious Oregon Brew Festival 4 years in a row with their English Strong Old Monkeyshine Ale; silver medals for Oatmeal Stout, Red, Pale, and English Strong Old Monkeyshine in the World Beer Cup; Best in Show at the Las Vegas Brewfest for Belgian White; a regional bronze medal in the United States Beer Tasting Championships for Belgian White; and a regional gold medal and silver national medal for Pale Ale at the United States Beer Tasting Championships. By the mid 2000s, Nimbus had become a go-to spot to see the best in local bluegrass, as well as a known stop for many touring blues and classic rock artists. Greats like Mountain, Savoy Brown, Guitar Shorty, Percy Strother, and Chicago’s Magic Slim graced the brewery’s stage. Counts lost money on nearly every blues show he put on, but he wanted to make sure the music he loved was alive and well in Tucson.

In 2006, Counts attempted to move the brewery to downtown Tucson as part of a high-rise condominium project. Counts and Town West Design Development Inc., the master developer of the project, made a proposal that included asking city taxpayers to give millions of dollars' worth of subsidies. Town West and Nimbus would have been in a landlord-tenant relationship rather than partners in the $40 million project. Under the proposal, Counts would receive $2.65 million in subsidies to help him build and finance his brewery and pay off a $60,000 federal tax lien. Town West couldn't make the project work financially without concessions from the city. However, a background check on Counts revealed a past conviction for driving while under the influence and an arrest for shoplifting, as well as involvement in 17 lawsuits as a plaintiff and defendant in 15 years. Concerns over this information ultimately sank the deal.

In 2009, the Nimbus American Bistro & Brewery opened as a joint project of Counts and Tucson restaurateur Bob McMahon, about 8 miles northeast of the brewery. That same year, Counts became embroiled in an acrimonious divorce with his estranged wife, Patricia, who also worked at the brewery. This put further emotional and financial stress on Counts. In 2010, McMahon, who owned the building that the Nimbus Bistro was in, pulled out of ownership of the Bistro and listed himself as strictly the landlord. Later that year, Counts was diagnosed with throat cancer. In 2011, Counts sold his majority stake in Nimbus Bistro to Phoenix businessman Brandon Williams and Tucson businessman Don Norris. Counts still maintained a 20 percent stake in the restaurant, but needed to reduce his involvement. The amount of work required to run the Bistro after McMahon had pulled out was taking him away from brewing operations at the brewery, and with the toll his divorce and throat cancer were taking on him, running the Bistro became too much for Counts to handle.

In 2012, Nimbus Brewing filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. At the same time, Counts filed for personal bankruptcy. Counts attributed the company's financial difficulties to trouble with gas meters at the brewery, and his personal bankruptcy to medical bills and litigations. He was sued by an Internet service company for nonpayment of bills totaling $16,065. Additionally, the landlord for the planned Nimbus Ice House restaurant had sued Counts in 2011. The restaurant never opened, but Counts had signed a lease and occupied the restaurant without paying rent. A judge ruled that Counts owed $72,600 to the landlord, and ordered that Counts vacate the premises. In 2014, the Nimbus Bistro closed, with no explanation given, although it may have been due to McMahon filing for bankruptcy. Williams and Norris had opened a second Nimbus American Bistro & Eatery in Scottsdale in 2012 but closed it later that same year. Nimbus Brewing was not financially or legally connected to either restaurant. Also in 2014, Counts and his wife finalized their divorce, and Counts was ordered to split the brewery business with his wife, either by buying her out or selling it and dividing the proceeds.

In 2015, Counts installed a state-of-the-art bottling system in the brewery and made attempts to bring in several potential buyers and investors, but, according to Counts, Patricia rejected them all. The final prospective investor that Counts brought in, David Mason, had offered to pay Patricia Counts $300,000 as part of a deal in which Mason would become an operating partner in the brewery. But Counts did not sign the contract because it would have eventually eroded his stake in the business. In 2018, Patricia filed a lawsuit demanding payment for her share of the business. A court-ordered receiver determined the business was saddled with crippling debt that made it impossible to continue operating. The brewery’s debts included owing vendors between $20,000 and $25,000; owing $12,000 to the state for six months of uncollected sales taxes; being $30,000 behind in rent from three to four months of arrears; and facing a $14,000 court-ordered judgment to a creditor from the 2013 bankruptcy settlement.

As a result, the receiver closed the brewery and put the business up for sale. There were 3 formal offers to purchase the brewery, but none came to fruition. The brewery and its assets were put up for auction and were purchased for a reported $550,000 by Two Brothers Brewing Company based in Warrenville, Illinois. The sale included the brewing equipment and the beer recipes. Two Brothers previously had a taproom in Scottsdale, and were looking to expand their presence in Arizona. Their taproom closed in 2019, but with the equipment from Nimbus and the local name recognition of the storied brand, Two Brothers was preparing to relaunch a new taproom and restaurant in the Phoenix area in 2020. For a time, Nimbus Pale Ale, Blonde Ale, and Old Monkeyshine Ale were brewed in Illinois and sent to Arizona for distribution. However, Covid scuttled the plans for the taproom relaunch, and by 2021, Two Brothers had phased out the Nimbus brand.

Nimbus Couzins went on to teach Physics at a couple of different universities, and also opened a coffee shop in Louisville, Kentucky in 2007 called Ray's Monkey House, which closed in 2010. After seemingly recovered from his battle with throat cancer, Jim Counts had a bad motorcycle accident in 2018, from which x-rays showed that the throat cancer had metastasized in his lung. After two years of chemotherapy, Counts passed away in 2020.

Nimbus Old Monkeyshine Ale was an exceptional example of a true, traditional-style English Pub beer. It was medium bodied and possessed a distinct, dark roasted flavor. Its sweet malty taste was derived from liberal use of seven varieties of specialty malts and a touch of brown sugar. Dark in color, it began with a slight caramel malt overtone and rounded with a relatively dry finish from its English Kent Goldings hops. The hops aroma was mildly subdued and the bitterness was just enough to balance the profile of the beer. Its wonderful malty sweetness camouflaged the 8.2% alcohol by volume content. Recommended food pairings were grilled steak marinated in Worchestershire Sauce and topped with blue cheese and bacon crumbles, a baked potato with all the fixings, and finished off with some dark chocolate mousse for dessert. Old Monkeyshine was a multiple award-winner, most notably winning the Oregon Brew Festival 4 years in a row and taking a silver medal at the World Beer Cup.

Ratebeer:  3.38 out of 5

BeerAdvocate:  86 out of 100 (very good)

Since Nimbus is no longer in business, no address or website is provided.

Source Material

Nimbus website (archived)

My Beer Pix

Tucson Weekly article #1

Tucson Weekly article #2

Tucson Weekly article #3

Tucson Weekly article #4

Real Estate Daily News

Tucson Weekly article #5

Tucson Weekly article #6

Tucson Weekly article #7

Tucson Weekly article #8