Tap Handle #862: Arsenal Cider House

12/03/2025 12:29:00 AM

Tap Handle #862: Arsenal Cider House

Tap size: 13" tall by 4.5" wide

Rarity: 50 or less seen

Mounting: internal 3/8" nut

There are lots of cool gun-themed taps in existence, but there's something special about this Arsenal tap and its tie to the Arsenal Cider House. Arsenal's name was chosen by the owners due to their proximity to the Allegheny Arsenal, which was right across the street from their home. It was a natural decision to name and theme their Cider House after the nearby arsenal. This tap is part of that theming, as an amazing replica of an American Civil War era Colt Army Model 1860. The detail is fantastic and the gun looks realistic. The Arsenal name and logo, which features 2 images of this same Colt crossing each other, is a decal attached to the bottom of the grip; you can only see it when the grip faces you. Some decals are black on white background, while others are white on a black background. This tap is not only very tall at 13", but it is also wider than normal at 4.5" thanks to the grip (it is deep instead of wide if the tap is displayed with the grip towards the front); I always note this because it could affect the tap next to it in a display. The first one appeared on the secondary market back around 2016, but it actually could be found in Arsenal's social media as far back as 2014 (these all had the black decal on white background). The price on the secondary market ranged from $75 to $150 in the early years, but recent taps have sold for $200+. This is a highly sought after tap!

Arsenal Cider House and Wine Cellar was founded by husband-and-wife team Bill and Michelle Larkin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The unusual origin story of the cidery traces back to Bill's passion for skydiving. A native of Bloomfield who graduated from Robert Morris University and spent over 20 years working in the financial sector, Bill had never been a fan of hard cider. However, after years of pursuing the adrenaline-filled hobby of skydiving, his skydiving mentor and friend, Pete Land, offered him some homemade hard cider. After a few sips, Bill was hooked and decided to pursue cidermaking himself. Before starting the cidery, Bill had been making beer and wine for private consumption for several years, and he received guidance on winemaking from Alexis Hartung, former proprietor of Country Wines and writer for Winemaker Magazine. Even after selling her business and through serious illness, Hartung helped Bill in the run-up to opening Arsenal Cider House.

The cidery was conceived in 2008, and Bill began experimenting with different styles and techniques, sometimes combining methods from beer, cider, and winemaking. What started as a hobby quickly turned into a supply and demand situation, with friends and family constantly asking where they could purchase Bill's cider experiments. Michelle, originally from Polish Hill and a graduate of Robert Morris University who had spent 20 years teaching Montessori pre-school, was initially hesitant about the venture. She was pregnant with twins at the time, but Bill convinced her it would allow her to stay home with their children, which included their son Alex and the twins, Max and Lindsey. Both Bill and Michelle quit their full-time jobs to pursue the cidery. With support and enthusiasm from their local community and neighborhood groups, Arsenal opened the doors to its flagship cidery in June 2010 in the couple's own home at 300 39th Street in Lawrenceville.

Starting on a shoestring budget, the Larkins' Lawrenceville neighborhood home underwent a massive transformation. They produced cider in the basement and converted the first floor into a tasting room, with their living room, dining room, and kitchen becoming Arsenal Cider House. The entire family played a role in the venture, with their children growing up alongside the business. Michelle played a vital role in preparing the Civil War-themed tasting room, including charring the wood planks. The cidery was named after its proximity to the historic Allegheny Arsenal, which was located just across the street. The Allegheny Arsenal, established in 1814 by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department, had served as a supply and manufacturing center during the Civil War and was the site of Pittsburgh's worst industrial accident when it exploded in 1862 while producing ammunition. The Civil War theme became central to Arsenal's identity, with historical ephemera, military-titled growlers, and cider names referencing Civil War figures and events.

Arsenal Cider House became the first cidery in Western Pennsylvania and also the first in the state to sell wine in beer kegs and growlers. The cidery pioneered innovative products that made them an early industry leader, including Hop Cider IPC (a cider made with Simcoe hops), Grierson's Ginger Hard Apple Cider, and Picket Bone Dry Hard Cider. The business offered a rotating selection of over 40 different ciders, meads, and sparkling fruit wines throughout the year, with everything produced in small batches. Arsenal experimented with unique and sometimes unexpected flavors, including Black Pepper, Celery, Coffee, Lemon, and Spicy Archibalds (which infused five different peppers into the cider). The cidery sourced its apples locally from Soergel Orchards in Wexford and emphasized using fresh, locally sourced ingredients while avoiding chemicals.

In 2014, the Larkins expanded their business with the addition of an outdoor event space behind their Lawrenceville location, which became known as the Cider Garden. The garden featured live entertainment, food trucks, and games like cornhole during the warmer months. In 2015, Arsenal opened its second location at Soergel Orchards in Wexford, Pennsylvania, situating the tasting room directly at the source of their apples, just behind the main market and yards away from where their juice was pressed. Around the same time, they also announced plans for a production facility in Penn Hills. Arsenal was producing approximately 25,000 gallons of cider at their Lawrenceville location, but the expansion to a 19,000 square foot building in Penn Hills (a former schoolhouse that later housed a laboratory equipment manufacturer) allowed them to significantly increase production capacity.

In 2017, Arsenal opened a third location at Trax Farms in Finleyville, with a grand opening featuring food trucks and live music. The site, which operated year-round, served ciders made with Trax Farm apples. The Trax Farm location featured a larger, newer interior space compared to the cozy Lawrenceville flagship. In 2020, Arsenal made its first expansion outside of Pennsylvania when Bill and Michelle opened a tasting room and micro-production facility in Ohio City, Cleveland. After being repeatedly urged by Clevelanders who were making regular trips to their Pittsburgh location, the Larkins visited Cleveland and fell in love with the city's nightlife. The Cleveland location at 4507 Lorain Avenue brought the same Civil War theme and award-winning ciders to Ohio, while also featuring local Cleveland craft beers and using local produce for some ciders.

By 2020, before the pandemic, Arsenal was distributing their ciders to approximately 500 bars and restaurants throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio, with most of their production occurring at the Penn Hills facility. A planned fourth location in Dormont presented a unique challenge, as the couple had purchased the former First Commonwealth Bank building at 2905 West Liberty Avenue in early 2020, just before the pandemic hit. Despite the timing, they persevered and opened Arsenal Cider Tap House in Dormont in 2021. The 1,400 square foot space served as a taproom offering Arsenal ciders, wines, and meads, along with local beers, spirits, and mixed drinks on tap. In contrast to the other Arsenal locations, the Dormont spot sold other Pennsylvania products in addition to their own cider. The location featured cocktails created by mixologist Erika Joyner, boozy sorbets, and food offerings similar to those found at Haversack Sandwich Co., the eatery at Arsenal's original Lawrenceville location.

Arsenal Cider House achieved remarkable success in competitions. In 2020, at the seventh annual U.S. Open Cider Championship, Arsenal was named Grand National Champion for winning two gold medals and two silver medals. The gold medals were awarded to Event Blend and Grant's Flying Pumpkin, while the silver medals went to Fighting Elleck and Grierson's Ginger. In 2024, Arsenal placed second in the U.S. Open Cider Championship, and in 2025, they reclaimed the Grand National Champion title for the second time in the competition's history, earning three gold, one silver, and four bronze medals. The 2024 competition also introduced the Thumper Award, named in memory of Arsenal's cidermaker Andy "Thumper" Rich, a pioneer in the craft cider and beer industries who passed away on December 5, 2023, after a battle with cancer.