Tap Handle #627: Guns & Oil

August 15, 2016

Tap Handle #627: Guns & Oil - Maverick Lager

Tap size: 10.75"
Rarity: 10 or less seen, small scale, hand-made
Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

This tap from Guns & Oil Brewing is shaped like an oil derrick, and though it seems simple, an incredible amount of work went into making it. Each piece of metal must be cut, shaped, and welded in place. Then the top piece, which bears a label with the brewery's name and beer on it, is attached. Finally the base is attached and a hole is drilled in the bottom so that the mounting nut can be welded on. The overall effect is an incredible piece of metal artwork. Since the front and back are identical to each other, as are the two sides to each other, I have reduced the number of photos taken. The tap has only appeared on the secondary market twice that I can recall.

Click through to read more about Guns & Oil Brewing, their Maverick Lager, and to see more photos of this elaborate tap...

Guns & Oil was founded in Austin, Texas in 2013 by Cary Prewitt. Prewitt was the CEO of Black Star Hospitality, a travel agency focusing on high end sporting experiences, and he also founded the Black Star Austin Football Club soccer team. In 2011, he came up with the Guns & Oil name due to his military upbringing and the area's ties to the gas & oil industry, and decided it would be the perfect name for a brewery. He found a brewer, worked on the brand design, and attempted to raise financing over the next 2 years. However, the cost to produce the facility he wanted was around $4 million, so he turned to a brewery in New Mexico to arrange for contract brewing and bottling to get his product on the market and start raising capital.

Guns & Oil's first beer was Maverick Lager. Prewitt's brewer had been brewing a corn-based beer for over 14 years. This style of lager had been the base of American beers for generations, prior to WWII. During the war, beer moved into grains and rice because corn was needed for fuel. Brewers quickly became aware of how inexpensive it was to use grains and rice, so they never went back to corn, but Prewitt wanted to bring back the pre-prohibition style lager as the perfect beer for an oil worker. In 2014 Prewitt signed a long-term deal to build a flagship brewery in downtown Austin, in a space previously occupied by Cothron Safe & Locks. Prewitt jumped on the chance to lock down the building when it became available, with its proximity to I-35 and the Austin Convention Center. He hired an architect and an interior designer to remodel the space. He is currently in the process of obtaining building and conditional use permits for the property.

In 2016 Prewitt went on television, appearing on the "West Texas Investors Club", a show similar to "Shark Tank" where contestants appeal to a couple of good old rich boys for funding. Prewitt made a pitch to the multimillionaires to invest in Guns & Oil. He did acquire proceeds from an oil well in return for 5 percent ownership in the company. The investors told Prewitt he was the "most resourceful" entrepreneur they'd seen on the show, which began airing in 2015. Guns & Oil recently launched in the Midland and Odessa areas, and is also distributed in Austin, Houston, and Big Bend. Maverick Lager is their flagship beer, and the brewery has released a Black Lager and a Wheat Bock as seasonal offerings.

Maverick Lager is clean, crisp and like you, bolder than most, with a strong wit and a refreshing finish. The flavor profile lies between most premium domestic lagers, and hoppier craft style ales that are brewed today.