Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
TAP HANDLES
TAP HANDLES. From simple open/close valves to ornate sculptures, beer taps and the handles that run them are important artifacts of the beer making industry.
At 12.01 a.m. on April 7, 1933, PROHIBITION was officially repealed in the United States. Federal regulations provided rules governing the sale of alcoholic beverages and what breweries could and could not do to provide assistance to taverns. This was designed to break the control breweries had on the distribution of beer prior to Prohibition.
Before Prohibition, tavern delivery systems used taps or faucets to deliver beer from kegs to the bar. Pulling a handle or lever activated the taps. The faucet had a knob often shaped like a ball. Although the name "ball knob" came to be commonly used, the industry officially referred to these devices as "tap markers."
In states like the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, an early requirement was established for identifying the beer being dispensed. According to Bulletin No, 19 issued on August 15, 1935, it "shall be unlawful for any retail dispenser to furnish or serve any malt or brewed beverages from any faucet, spigot or other dispensing apparatus unless the trade name of brand of the product served shall appear in full sight of the customer and in legible lettering upon such faucet, spigot or dispensing apparatus."
Tap handles, once simply objects of function, became serious marketing tools for breweries. They caught the customer's eye and clearly indicated which brewery and beer they represented. Ball knobs were manufactured from 1933 to 1957. Some experts in the field assume that each brand of beer averaged from one to three knob styles. This suggests that upwards of 8,000 knobs may have existed.
Tap handles continue to be so popular that bars located in open areas of hotel lobbies often require the handles to be removed at night to prevent them from being stolen.
