Tap Handle #840: Pecatonica Beer Company

October 19, 2024

Tap Handle #840: Pecatonica Beer Company - Nightfall Lager

Tap size: 12.25"

Rarity: less than 10 seen, small scale

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

Muskelager v2

When I first saw the Pecatonica Nightfall tap in 2015, it instantly went on my wish list. I managed to acquire this one the next year, which proved to be fortuitous as I didn't see another for 6 years. It features a shiny, black and silver outboard motor with the name of the brewery and beer on the top and the name of the brewery on the shaft, all in red lettering. At the base, the propeller is not visible; instead, there is a large splash of white water on top of solid blue. The large ferrule is a nice touch. There is an almost identical tap for the brewery's Muskelager beer...the main difference is the color - red motor instead of black - with yellow and green lettering of the name of the beer, and a decal of a muskellunge instead of the name of the brewery (with the name of the brewery also absent from the motor's shaft). There is a second version of the Muskelager that has the top of the motor, but a long, different shaft, with no water at the bottom; I have also seen this for the brewery's Amber beer, with the motor painted blue, and their IPA, with a motor painted green. The Nightfall tap is very hard to find; in addition to the original that I first saw and my own, I have only seen 3 others, which ranged in price from $150 for one with some wear and tear to $325 for a brand new one. The Muskelager is slightly more rare, and the version 2 taps even more so, though they are a little less interesting and more of a "toy on a stick". Due to the fact that the brewery contracts with Potosi Brewing to brew Pecatonica's beers, there probably aren't a lot of these floating around. Also, a three-sided wooden tap with a round topper began to appear in 2017, and although it's not a certainty, I believe it's highly likely that these figural taps are retired.

Pecatonica Beer Company was founded in Gratiot, Wisconsin in 2013 by a group of 10 owners, including David Mann, twins Tim and Tom Quinn, and Russ Ruegsegger. Tim attended UW-Madison where he earned a bachelor's in biochemistry before going to work in sales for a biochemical company in St. Louis. In 2001, he and his wife moved back to Wisconsin. Tim had been a homebrewer for over 20 years, using hops grown on the family farm that Tom managed. Tim was also co-owner of the Illinois-based Hypothesis Beer Company, but he and Tom wanted to start a local brewery. They enticed several of their beer-drinking friends to become partners in the brewery as a side business. They named the brewery after the Pecatonica River that flows through southern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois before joining the Rock River. Most of the owners had grown up close to the river and had a personal connection to it. The word "Pecatonica" in the Sauk language means "slow moving water," which Tim, who was patient and sought perfection in his brewing process, felt reflected his brewing style.

Pecatonica shopped around for a contract brewer, including Stevens Point Brewery and Sand Creek Brewing, but neither could offer the combination of batch size and hands-on control afforded by the hometown Minhas. Among beer geeks, Minhas did not have a good reputation, which was a concern for Pecatonica. However, Tim lived minutes away from Minhas and was able to check on the quality on a daily basis. Pecatonica officially launched their first beer at the June Concert on the Square in Monroe in 2013. Named Nightfall Lager, the beer was a dark lager that Tim had developed as a homebrewer. Positive feedback led to on-tap distribution, was well as bottle distribution, at several local venues and as far away as Madison.

Tim and Tom had purchased a small, historic three-story brick building in Warren, Illinois, a little more than five miles south of the farm. Intending it to be a taproom, the building was gutted and all of the electrical, mechanical and plumbing was replaced. The structural integrity of the building was improved and repaired where necessary. The decor included an original Blatz Beer neon from the 1940s era, an original University of Wisconsin canoe suspended from the ceiling (with crew shoes still affixed in the boat), and on the outside, an upside canoe with the name of the brewery on the side. The art deco bar once graced the DelMar Hotel in Wisconsin Dells, a hotel that was owned by Al Capone during Prohibition. Across the room from the bar was an octagon table where Capone allegedly sat when playing cards with friends. The upper level had a large open area with tables and chairs that offered a view over looking Main Street, and was capable of hosting wedding receptions or other large events.

Sometime between 2013 and 2017, Pecatonica switched contract brewers, from Minhaus Brewing to Potosi Brewing, with Potosi using some of the hops from Tom's farm to brew beer for Pecatonica. In 2017, Pecatonica completed a pilot brewery in their brewpub, capable of producing 300 gallons per year, and used it primarily to test out recipes, with tastings held in the tap room. Brewing starts on the uppermost floor, and piping brings the product down to the main floor in the fermentation room. From there, gravity takes the beer to the basement where it ages. The initial beer brewed on this system was Irish Red Ale, making it the first beer that had ever been brewed in the town of Warren's history. Pecatonica currently produces 3 year round beers and 2 seasonals on draft and in bottles.

Pecatonica Beer Company's Nightfall Lager is made with a blend of hops, traditional malts and pure Wisconsin water. The chestnut-brown Nightfall bursts with a sweet mocha aroma, though there is a touch of the lager yeast that makes its way to the nose as well. Chocolate-caramel malts dominate the flavor, with the roasty coffee note from the aroma fading into the background. A modest amount of Cascade, Centennial and Hallertau hops - some of them grown on Tom Quinn’s dairy farm - serve only to balance the malts, barely. Nightfall is exceptionally soft, velvety and quite drinkable. Recommended food pairings are steak, barbecue and other inventive cuisine.

Ratebeer: 3.2 out of 5

Beer Advocate: 79 out of 100 (okay)

(Editor's note: earlier ratings, when the beer was contract brewed by Minhaus, tended to be lower; later ratings, when the beer was made by Potosi, were rated higher and have brought the overall scores up)