The Museum Turns 13 Years Old, Part 2: Top 25 Taps Acquired

The subject of the top taps I acquire within a particular year is always among my most popular posts. In the past it was a top 10 list, but in 2020 I expanded it from a top 10 to a top 15. Last year that rose to 25 due to the number of fantastic taps I obtained. This year, despite far fewer taps acquired, I'm keeping the amount the same, which is roughly 40% of the total number of taps acquired for the year. Inclusion on the list was based primarily on scarcity and desirability; price was not necessarily a factor. This past year I profiled new acquisitions from partnerships with Red Dog Saloon and also one from Moddy Brew (Last Bite). Since those taps have already appeared on the site, in this post I'm going to focus on other taps I acquired that have not been profiled yet. These acquisitions are presented in no particular order...

#1:  Galveston Bay - Watermelon Wheat

Just like last year, I'm leading off the list with a lighthouse-themed tap. I believe this beauty is modeled after a real lighthouse, the Bolivar Point Lighthouse in Galveston, Texas - though this is what it might have looked when it was new, as the lighthouse is currently a solid rust color. However, the Bolivar Point lighthouse is currently undergoing restoration and has an amazing history. Galveston Bay Beer Company (also known as Galveston Bay Brewing) sits on Galveston Bay in Clear Lake Shores, Texas where they relocated in 2023, moving from their original location in Dickenson. The brewery's old logo features the lighthouse in front of a ship's wheel, and both elements were incorporated into the tap's design. The tap was in use up until early 2021, but then the brewery switched to a plain wooden tap and I believe this figural tap was retired, although I can't be 100% sure of that. I've only seen 1 other besides mine.

#2:  Portsmouth - Circleville Pumpkin Ale

I've been trying to track down this tap since I saw it on the manufacturer's website. Portsmouth Brewing is in Portsmouth, Ohio, in the original Portsmouth Brewery building that was built in 1843. After the original brewery closed, the building had several tenants, with the new Portsmouth Brewing reclaiming the building in 1996. While the pumpkins on the tap look decidedly wicked, it is the top of the tap that draws the eye...what is that thing? It is actually a depiction of the Circleville Water Tower in Circleville, Ohio, where a massive Pumpkin Show has been held for the last 117 years. The only other copy of this tap I've seen is currently on the secondary market at $180 and has some pretty serious damage to it.

#3 - #6:  Thirsty Frog: American Pale Ale, IPA; Frisky Frog Arabica Bold; Tiki Frog

The previous year I acquired 2 Thirsty Frog taps, the Caribbean Wheat and Red Ale varieties, which are produced for and served exclusively on Carnival Cruise Line ships. This year I added 4 more Carnival taps to the collection, with 2 of them part of the Thirsty Frog collection, 1 Frisky Frog, and 1 Tiki Frog. And like the previously mentioned taps, these 4 new taps are not available for sale, so it takes some work and/or a bit of luck to get a hold of one. I've seen 1 Frisky Frog hit the secondary market in 2019, where it sold for a whopping $250. I have never seen another Tiki Frog; in fact, until I saw the one that became mine, I didn't even know it existed.

#7:  Stella Artois - Philadelphia (Liberty Bell)

With the addition of this Liberty Bell-themed tap, my collection of the Stella Artois city taps is one step closer to completion. I have the streetcar (San Francisco) as well as the Washington Monument (Washington D.C.). This tap featuring the Liberty Bell represents Philadelphia. There are 2 more Stella city taps I'd like to obtain, and 1 that I'm not sure if I'll pursue, but at least I can cross this one off of my wish list.

#8:  Orion - The Hunter

I jumped on acquiring this tap when I first saw it because it is a hard to find import and I have a slight personal connection to Orion. The biggest brewer on Japan's Okinawa Island, Orion is very familiar to U.S. armed forces personnel stationed on the island. In fact, I spent 3 days on a layover in Okinawa as part of my return to the U.S. after being stationed in Korea, and I remember the Orion beer brand from my brief stay there. I missed out on the first Orion tap that appeared on the secondary market, which featured 2 lions on top of a mug of beer, but of the 2, I'd rather have this one. When these 2 taps were sold, the seller said "good luck finding another one" and he was right - I've never seen another of either tap.

#9:  Okanagan Spring - 1516 Lager

Okanagan Spring's 1516 Lager is one of my top 3 acquisitions of the year. This tap is so cool! It features a can of 1516 Lager being crushed by Ogopogo, a legendary lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. The legend of the creature comes from native Okanagan lore, with the first European settler sighting documented in 1872, and many other sightings since then. It is commonly referred to as "Canada's Loch Ness Monster". This tap is notoriously difficult to obtain, as the brewery does not sell them; I have only seen a couple of others in the hands of Canadian tap handle collectors.

#10:  La Debauche - "Madonna"

The second import tap on the list comes from France. I've been after La Debauche's Nevermore tap for some time, but this tap is superior in its design and appearance. I'm not sure which of their beers it belongs to as I can't find imagery that matches this tap, so I have borrowed the name I heard from another collector: "Madonna" and am considering the design behind the tap a mystery for now. I was fortunate that a friend hooked me up with this one, as they are simply impossible to find in the U.S. at this time.

#11:  Bron Yr Aur - Beaver Deceiver Cream Ale

This gorgeous Beaver Deceiver tap comes from the Bron Yr Aur Brewery, which lies a little over 3 hours northeast of me, near Yakima, Washington. The tap is just stunning in person. And like most taps on this list, it is very hard to find, although I know of a few collectors that have managed to obtain one. I'll have a post on a visit to the brewery later this year.

#12:  Quidi Vidi - Day Boil

Quidi Vidi's Day Boil tap is 1 of 3 taps in this post from the far reaches of northeastern Canada...in the case of this tap, from St. John's, Newfoundland. This tap is every bit as good as the equally hard to find Gravity Brewlabs astronaut. The beautiful and picturesque brewery is located on the water in an old fish factory, and is the third-largest brewer in Newfoundland. They've been around since 1996 but the tap is fairly new. I've only seen 1 on the secondary market, where it sold for an eye-popping $325.

#13:  Evil Czech

Unfortunately I can't tell you much about this Evil Czech tap. The most common tap from the brewery features a real bison horn, and their newer taps are plain and not figural. I don't know if this was used for a specific beer or if it was for a special occasion. The brewery, referred to as "a Viking dining hall in Mishawaka", is located in Mishawaka, Indiana in the same building that was once occupied by Mishawaka Brewing Company, one of the state’s first brewpubs. The original brewery location in Culver, Indiana closed. The owner has a fascinating backstory: born and raised in the Czech Republic, drafted by the NHL at age 18 but unable to attend any training due the cold war, gained his food science degree, emigrated to America and became an executive chef in Chicago, and now owns 3 restaurants, a brewery and a bison farm. This guy is amazing!

#14:  North Coast - Stellar IPA v2

This tap had been on my wish list for years before a fellow collector made a trade with me that allowed me to get it. I had the original Stellar IPA tap for years before I sold it in the ATH Store; it featured a circle of seals in a thin bas relief style. This version 2 tap is so much better! The detail is fabulous and it is a great add to the Museum. I have profiled 2 other North Coast taps (Pranqster and Puck the Beer), with 2 more tap profiles coming, so this is my fifth North Coast tap in the collection.

#15:  Nine Locks - Fathom DIPA

Thanks to another collector, I was excited to add this tap to the collection, as I love any tap with an old diving helmet. As I mentioned in the Quidi Vidi post above, there are 3 taps in this post from the far reaches of northeastern Canada, and this is the second. Nine Locks is located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Shaun O’Hearn, president and co-founder of Nine Locks Brewing Company, was a restaurateur for years before he discovered craft beer, but when he did he loved it so much he built a brewpub under his Halifax landmark pub and eatery. In 2014 he and his cousin founded Nine Locks as a production brewery. This is a tough tap to track down, and only 1 has appeared on the secondary market, selling for $275.

#16:  Pabst "Brewski" Skier

While this tap has appeared in numbers in the past year since its release - perhaps 12-15 or so - this is one exception in which price does help contribute to scarcity. The historical price has ranged from a low of $200 to a high of $435. This is one currently sitting in the secondary market, but the $350 price tag puts it out of reach for many collectors. Rumor has it that this is a regional tap that was produced for ski lodges in the northeastern U.S. Whether these will continue to pop up or suddenly dry up is anyone's guess.

#17:  Tito's - American Mule

As I've mentioned many times on this site, spirit taps are rare because you don't find spirits on tap - these are promotional items. With almost all spirit taps made out of acrylic or urethane, it's even more rare to find one made out of metal. That makes this Tito's tap exceptionally rare, especially when you consider that the metal had to be pressed or etched for the lettering and symbols on it to be raised. The lime wedge on top, however, is resin or urethane. Only a handful of these have appeared on the secondary market, with an early beat-up copy selling for $18 and one in better condition selling for a high of $250. The last one sold a couple of weeks ago for $225.

#18:  Doc G's

I've wanted this Doc G's tap since I first saw it in 2021. I knew it was going to be hard to get, as the brewery, located in Dubois, Pennsylvania, was only around for a few short years (2015-2018) before closing. I've only seen 2 others, although the price range was a very reasonable $40-$75.

#19:  Estrella Galicia - Premium Lager

I first saw this Estrella Galicia octopus tap in early 2023, but didn't think I would be able to get one. To my great surprise one became available and I acquired it for the Museum. Although Estrella Galicia is imported into the U.S., I believe my tap came from Spain, as it has a different connector at the base, one that you would expect to see in Europe and would not normally see in the U.S. Founded in 1906, the brewery makes several varieties of beer, although I could not find "Premium Lager" as one of their beers. Octopus is a popular dish in Galicia, so maybe that's why there's one attached to the tap, but that's just speculation on my part, as I don't see an octopus in any of their labels or marketing. Regardless, it's an amazing tap, and the last one on the secondary market sold for an impressive $250.

#20:  Old Stove

My dad came through once again with a fantastic addition to the Museum. The Old Stove Brewing is in Seattle and not far from my dad's house. Founded in 2016 as an anchor tenant in the Pike Place MarketFront, the brewery has grown and now operates 2 additional taprooms, 1 in the Queen Anne district and another in Ballard, in the former Lagunitas tap room which before that was home to Hilliard’s Beer (before Odin Brewing acquired Hilliard’s in 2016). Though the brewery doesn't sell their taps, he was able to convince them to add their tap to the Museum. The other cool thing about this tap is that it looks very similar to an antique woodstove that I've had for years. One of these did appear on the secondary market back in 2023 and sold for $175. Well done, Dad!

#21: Nine Locks - Frig Off

This is the second tap to appear on this list from Nine Locks Brewing, the second lighthouse-themed tap, and the third tap I mentioned above that comes from northeastern Canada. At first glance it would seem as if this tap would most likely be inspired by the Georges Island Lighthouse on Georges Island between Halifax and Dartmouth, due to its proximity to the brewery's location in Dartmouth. However,  the base looks all wrong for that, and the tap bears a much stronger resemblance to the Louisbourg Lighthouse towards the far east end of Nova Scotia, on the site where the first Canadian lighthouse was erected in 1734, as well as the lighthouse at Peggy's Point, which lies west of Halifax and is big tourist attraction and one of the most recognizable lighthouses in the world. I have never seen another one of these taps except at the brewery, and the name is hilarious!

#22: Kraken v2

This is the second and last spirit tap in the post. While I really love the first version of the Kraken Rum tap, this second version is pretty awesome, too. It's got a tentacle wrapped around a pier, splintering and snapping the pier in two. I'll have more to say about Kraken Rum when I create a post for the version 1 tap later this year. As far as this tap goes, I don't know why a new one was commissioned...the only thing I can say about it is that I've never seen another.

#23: Four Peaks - Grapefruit Radler

This is a tap I've been after for several years, but never found one until this past year when another collector made it available to me. Four Peaks was founded in 1995 in the historic former Borden Co. Creamery and Ice Factory on 8th Street in Tempe, Arizona, and they've won many brewing awards over the years. While I've never seen another Grapefruit Radler tap, I have seen a tap that's almost the same, with a baseball in the snake's mouth instead of a grapefruit, and the beer name was Rattle On Red Ale, which was an homage to the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team.

#24: Dixie Beer

I was pleasantly surprised to obtain this tap at a great price, as I didn't even know it existed. The brewery has a long history, going all the way back to 1907. It was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and never reopened. A new brewery was built in 2019 and this tap was created for the grand opening. The tower of the old building was completely recreated at the new brewery and this is what the tap is modeled after. The brewery was renamed to Faubourg Brewing in 2021, because the name Dixie was too closely associated with the American Confederacy, so the Dixie Beer brand no longer exists. The only other one I've seen was listed on the secondary market for $350, but when I went back to find it again, it was gone, and I can't find any sales data for it, so I have no idea what happened to it.

#25: Breckenridge - DIAle

This is probably my favorite acquisition of the year - one of my all-time favorite acquisitions in fact - and it's also a prototype tap that was never put into production. The Breckenridge DIAle blue horse tap is stunning in person; there are even little red jewels in the eyes to make them reflect the light. The DIA in DIAle on the tap stands for Denver International Airport. There is a statue of a blue horse with red crystal eyes outside as you approach the DIA, called "Blue Mustang", which is what this tap was modeled after. I have seen the statue myself when I was in Denver for the Craft Brewers Conference in 2019. The statue was given the nickname "Blucifer" by locals who thought it would be amusing, while others saw it as demonic and tied to all the Nazi conspiracy stuff at the airport (yes this is thing, I had never heard this and had to look it up for myself). It didn't help that the artist who created the statue, Luis Jiménez, was killed in 2006 when a piece of the statue broke loose and fell, slicing one of his arteries. Breckenridge Brewing has a location inside the DIA terminal and the tap was created only for that location due to the matching statue outside. The tap was commissioned in 2020 but got stopped because of Covid. The brewery never took it any further. I'll have more of the tap's story when I create a profile post for the tap in the future, and it is a great tale that has nothing to do with demonic horses or Nazis! Only a handful of these prototypes exist.

That ends another amazing year for tap acquisitions! Next up will be the ATH Awards post and then I'll give away some tap handles...