TapToppers — Personalized Beer Tap Handles!
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TapToppers has developed a unique, personalized beer tap handle for your home bar or kegerator. Our handles are made of clear acrylic and feature a slot that allows you to put your own personalized display item into the handle. This may be the last tap handle you will ever need! The slot is located in the center of the handle and your display item is visible from the front and the back. You can change your display item as often as you like... the possibilities are unlimited! Our handles are available in three different sizes. Get one that fits your display item, or get one of each size for the ulitimate in versatility!
Click here for specs and personalization examples!
 Manufactured by TapHandles Inc.
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Beer Taps: Historical Notes
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Beer taps are more than mere bar accessories -- they are symbols of history. Many people casually assume they were created by "some beer company" in the recent past and that the term originated with them. That assumption is incorrect. In fact, taphandles are far more than mere decorations -- they are personalized extensions of a tradition stretching back hundreds of years.
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The word "taps" first originated during the period from 1618 to 1648, otherwise known as the Thirty-Years war. It was a particular musical sequence played as a bugle call. Its purpose was simple: to stop the drinking of the troops each night and signal the beginning of "Lights Out." Upon hearing this, the soldiers were required to empty their mugs -- and quickly! At the same time, the Sergeants of the Guard or "Charges of Quarters" would quickly tap the bungs into the beer barrels to prevent further refills before the lights went out. The name "taps" therefore referred to the sounds heard immediately throughout the camp following the bugle call.
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The beer taps and extra bungs were locked up next to the barrels. A guard was posted and a chalk a line was drawn upon the floor in front of the barrels to prevent tampering until the following night (when drinking would resume). Any soldier unlucky enough to be caught on the other side of the line before then would be subject to severe discipline -- or worse! Despite this, there were soldiers who just had to have one more refill. So, to prevent closure of the barrels when taps was sounded, some took to hiding the bungs beforehand. Beer was generally dispensed from the barrels using wooden spigots, but removal posed a problem if the bungs were missing.
So, those entrusted with closing the barrels (a significant responsibility) modified the bungs so that they could be inserted directly onto the spigots to serve as handles -- and where they would remain in plain sight! When taps was sounded, the bung was removed from the spigot and placed directly in the barrel hole, stopping the beer flow and rendering the spigot unusable until the following night. This was the origin of the wooden tap handle we see in common use today.
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The "Taps" of old bore no resemblance to the slow, somber notes played at military funerals that is today called "Taps." The original melody was a quick-paced, no-nonsense sequence that told the men: "Drink Up, Now!" The origin of today's "Taps" is less clear.
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As quoted from West Point Academy: "In the British Army, a similar call known as Last Post has been sounded over soldiers' graves since 1885, but the use of Taps is unique with the United States military, since the call is sounded at funerals, wreath-laying and memorial services. Taps began as a revision to the signal for Extinguish Lights (Lights Out) at the end of the day. Up until the Civil War, the infantry call for Extinguish Lights was the one set down in Silas Casey's (1801-1882) Tactics, which had been borrowed from the French. The music for Taps was adapted by Union General Daniel Butterfield for his brigade (Third Brigade, First Division, Fifth Army Corps, Army of the Potomac) in July, 1862."
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Today's modern beer taps are as elegant and varied as can be imagined. There are many spelling variations of the term in common usage, including "bar tap," "bar tap handle," "bar taphandle," "beer handle," "beer tap handle" (most correct), "beer taphandle" and others. Their appearance can be as simple as a plain wooden or metal handle, or as complex as a piece of fine art. Craftsmanship and customization are becoming the norm and today's customized beer tap handles are designed to be seen and admired. Indeed, drinking establishments generally put their beer tap handles in plain sight for all to see. They may put the beer logo or name on each, but they may also have their own personalized appearance. One finds them in home bars as well as drinking establishments. For example, the popular "Kegerator" conversion kits allow home beer aficionados to convert a refrigerator into a self-contained beer dispensing system for a home bar, with the tap handle generally extending from either the door or the side of the refrigerator. TapToppers handles work well for these types of applications.
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Tap Toppers offers tap handles that are suitable for both commercial drinking establishments and home bars. They are perfect for horizontal sports cards, personalized bar logos, wallet-sized family, pet, baby, or wedding photos. Or, they can be used to quickly substitute a different manufacturer's logo image if the need arises, thus resolving the age-old dilemma of being compelled to use a particular tap with a particular keg. They can even be used as specialty handles for other beverages. Custom beer taphandles gives any dispensing station an intriguing look and it has been clearly shown they serve as enticements for customers to drink more -- a consideration for any commercial enterprise.
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Please see our product overview for additional information and receive a discount when purchasing one of each of our personalized tap handles.
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Copyright © 2004 by TapToppers. Patent pending.
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