Tap Handle #798: Chicago Brewing

March 02, 2023

Tap Handle #798: Chicago Brewing - Pale Rider

Tap size: 12"

Rarity: less than 10 seen, beer retired, fragile

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

This is another addition to the Museum thanks to Mr. Bill Gibson. It features a the bust of a roughly-sculpted cowboy with a cigarette protruding from his mouth. The CB belt buckle (the initials of Chicago Brewing) is a nice touch. The base is a silver pedestal, with the name of the beer on a decal running horizontally on the top face of the pedestal, and the name of the brewery on a decal running down the shaft vertically. This is obviously modeled after actor Clint Eastwood in the feature film Pale Rider from 1985, but the poor sculpt and lack of detail is a little cringeworthy to be compared to Clint. It's still a fun addition to the collection, though. The tap dates back to the early 2000s when the brewery was winning awards at the Great American Beer Festival and had opened a second location within the Four Queens Hotel and Casino, but the beer and tap were out of production by 2005. There were a couple of other taps produced by Chicago Brewing that used the same styling, with a sculpted feature on top of the silver pedestal. One of them was called Red Rocker and looked like rocks that would be found at the famous Red Rock Amphitheatre near Morrison, Colorado; the other tap was a barrel laying on the pedestal for Old Town Brown. For some reason, the Pale Rider tap has appeared on the secondary market more than the others, but even so, the one I have is only about the sixth that I've ever seen. Half of those 6 had the cigarette broken off, which is a very fragile feature. The last one of these appeared on the secondary market back in 2019 and sold for about $135.

Chicago Brewing Company was found in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1999 by Terry Caudill. Previously the Corporate Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer, and Chief Internal Auditor for Circus Circus Enterprises, Inc., Caudill spent 11 years there before leaving in 1994 to focus on his bar/restaurant operations. While still working at Circus Circus, he had purchased his first Magoo’s Bar & Grill establishment in 1988. Over the next 8 years, Caudill expanded Magoo’s Gaming Group to 15 locations throughout Las Vegas, acquired the Loose Caboose chain of taverns and the Golden West Restaurant and Casino in Mesquite, and developed the SummerGate commercial complex. By 1999 he was looking to open a different restaurant experience and settled upon a brewery. The name Chicago Brewing was chosen due to the nature of Las Vegas itself. The city is constantly showcasing theme-based experiences like Caesers Palace, The Venetian, or the Egyptian motifs of the Luxor. Caudill envisioned his brewery and restaurant as a throwback to old Chicago, with a brick building influenced by Chicago architecture and featuring Chicago-style pizzas.

The distinctive building featured a family restaurant on the lower level, an outdoor seating area, a non-smoking bar, and upstairs, a small cigar bar. Like many places in Las Vegas, Chicago Brewing was open 24 hours a day, with food served around the clock. It didn't take long for the brewery to make its mark, taking home 2 silver medals at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) for Old Town Brown and Daisy Chain Belgian-style Abbey Ale. They continued to win a handful of silver and bronze medals over the next several years. In 2004, Caudill purchased the Four Queens Hotel & Casino, a gambling establishment on Fremont Street that dated back to 1966. In 2007, Caudill completed a $20 million renovation of the Four Queens that consisted of updating all 690 hotel rooms. It also included the addition of a smaller-scale version of the original Chicago Brewing Company restaurant, as well as a cigar bar, located within the hotel and casino.

In 2008, Caudill further expanded his empire by purchasing the historic Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel on Fremont Street. His brewery continued to win awards at the GABF, including gold in 2012 for their Cocoa for Coconuts, gold in 2015 for Wild West Tripel, and gold in 2019 for Quad Damn It!. In 2020, Chicago Brewing Company’s flagship location underwent a remodel, including the conversion of its main dining room into a nonsmoking taproom and the expansion of the small cigar bar upstairs into a much larger lounge. The outdoor area became a beer garden. The property’s ambiance changed from a restaurant-focused environment to one that felt more like that of a real brewery. Extra draught lines were added, on which more specialty beers were featured, such as King of Engelland, a New England-style hazy IPA created in partnership with Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Deryk Engelland, with half of the proceeds from each pint benefiting his Vegas Born Heroes Foundation.

Chicago Brewing continued its winning ways at the 2022 GABF by earning two medals, a gold for its Paloma Persona, and a bronze for Wild West Tripel. As these wins brought Chicago Brewing’s GABF win total to 16, it is now tied with Great Basin Brewing for the most GABF medals awarded to a Nevada brewery.

Chicago Brewing's Pale Rider was an American Style pale ale brewed using pale malts and hopped superbly with the classic domestic cascade hop which provides the spicy, tropical, fruity aromas and flavors applicable to this style. It was retired in 2005.