The dilemma: we had ordered a few too many tap handles.
In the beginning, it made sense to order a large number of tap handles for Sixteen Counties, our year-round beer made entirely with Maine-grown grain. It was a release to our entire 20-state footprint. Except, after a year or two, it became apparent that the beer was resonating closer to home, and specifically in cans. All of which is to say, the number of tap handles we had on hand was, to put it mildly, a bit more than necessary. So we kept them.
Six years passed.
In 2024, we announced a series of beers: Surf House, Haunted House, and Ski House. Though they were part of a cohesive series of beers, each had its own label, its own look and feel, and, we figured, could use its own tap handle.
Our warehouse crew had an idea: why not use all of these extra Sixteen Counties tap handles? And why not put stickers on them for each “House” beer. Only problem was that someone would have to put all those stickers on all those tap handles. Thus, the stickering “House Party” occurred.
Our marketing team of six, with a little help from our sales team, got together for two separate “house parties.” The process went like this:
- Turn on house music
- Unpack Sixteen Counties tap handle
- Affix “Surf House” stickers to both sides
- Re-wrap the handles
It was manual, repetitive, and a very good time.
So if you see a tap handle out at your favorite bar or restaurant and think “that looks like a sticker on there.” It sure is. We put it there. And we’re excited to have a new beer out there using existing tap handles that would otherwise have had to be thrown away. It’s one of those smaller sustainability wins that adds up to our bigger picture of being able to keep 98% of our brewery’s waste out of the landfill.
Thanks as always, for enjoying our beer!
