Tap Handle #873: Elephant & Castle (v2)

Tap size:  11"

Rarity:  less than 10 seen, tap no longer produced

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

Right on the heels of the previous Elephant & Castle profile for their version 1 tap comes this one, which I refer to as their version 2 tap. It is part of the Bill Gibson wing of the Museum, as Mr. Gibson was kind enough to get it into my hands. Unlike the previous tap, which dated back to the pub chain's original ownership, this tap was produced in 2018 for FranWorks, who took over ownership of Elephant & Castle in 2012. The tap features a kind of melding between an elephant and a castle tower; the effect is basically an elephant sculpted on the front of the tower. The entire piece is grey, and interestingly there are no labels or other branding on the tap. There is, however, a good amount of detail, from the elephant's wrinkled skin to the individual bricks of the castle. Like the version 1 tap, less than 10 of these were produced, and I'm not certain if it was for a now-discontinued house beer or for something other reason. But unlike the version 1 tap, I've never seen another of this version 2.

For more about Elephant & Castle, see this post.