DaveBier Tap Handles

I keg my beer and rarely if ever bottle. So instead of designing labels for my bottles, I design tap handles for my kegerator.

I've got three black tap handles with oval facings (former Sam Adams handles spray painted black). I've applied magnetic paint to the handles, so they can accept a magnetic label.

I print my labels and then run them through a laminator (because we happen to have one in our house) with magnetic backing and cut to shape. You can print directly to magnet coated paper as well.

This allows me to switch out the magnet label easily whenever I tap a new keg.

Here are some of my recent labels. Comments and criticisms are welcome.

The original tap handles, purchased on eBay, before I painted them black and put the magnetic paint on them.

Nice job on the labels!

Where did you get the magnetic paint?

Very nice labels. I like vector art for labels MUCH more than pictures with words done in Photoshop.

I love the Elsinore logo! I've been contemplating how to design a similar label to bottle some beer for my girlfriends father. He is a Strange Brew junkie. I was going to put them in Sierra Nevada bottles so they look more like the ones in the movie.

My only question is that if you don't have room for a wafer thin mint, how in the hell do you expect to drink a dry stout!

Brilliant! Especially on the Elsinore (loved the fact that it was both in English and French!).

I'm very taken with the Hopzilla and Chicago Maroon labels... really well done!

Well done

kudos... well played indeed!

Ice9 said:

Nice job on the labels!

Where did you get the magnetic paint?

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Thanks. I picked up the magnetic paint at Lowes (you can get it at Home Depot as well). It's pretty expensive, like $20 for a quart, but we had several other projects around the house where it's come in handy.

RustOleum.com

Holy cow. Nice work man.
All the labels are unique, and yet hold the theme together very nicely!

Well done! Nice consistent sets. My fav is Hopzilla. That eye surrounded by scale staring back me as I pull a pint would definitely be memorable.

Very nice, especially fond of the Hopzombie.

Let's see some finished product pictures. I just got on ebay and found some of these after reading this thread. Great idea.

Alright guys, here's the finished product.

We'll start with the completed, painted handle with the magnetic label attached. You'll see I scratched the ferrules a little bit trying to take them off so I could paint them.





You'll also notice a hint of the handle's original green color on the bottom - this is hidden when installed on the tap.

Here are the tap handles applied to my 3-tap kegerator. This was a DIY build using PVC to make a three tap box but that's another story. I wanted to get three handles that matched and the eBay Sam handles was a terrific score. You'll notice that the middle tap has a painted ferrule (October Fest), I'll eventually get around to switching out that ferrule or keep an eye out for another handle. C'est la vie.





Here's a shot of me switching out one of the magnetic labels after tapping a new IPA.



A side note for all you graphics geeks.

You'll notice that each label has a distinct colored oval border. It also has a thick black border around it. I hand-cut each label with an Exacto knife, the black border hides any imperfections from the cut once it's applied to the black tap handle. When you look at the handle, you don't see the black border so the colored border looks crisp and sharp.


Once I've swapped out a label, I simply store it on the side of the kegerator fridge where it's easily accessible.

Nice job well done

This is awesome. I think it must be mine....

How are you printing your labels. Product numbers???

Boerderij_Kabouter said:

This is awesome. I think it must be mine....

How are you printing your labels. Product numbers???

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I print on standard white paper on a high end laser printer. I then run those printouts through a Xyron laminator onto a laminated magnet. Then cut to shape.

I'm happy to help anyone else that wants to make these.

Here's the latest label for my Camelteau Witbier. Which do you prefer?

Nice labels. I like the Mr Creosote ones the best.

madcapstudios said:

Here's the latest label for my Camelteau Witbier. Which do you prefer?

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I like this one the best.

The black text is better.

RogerMcAllen said:

The black text is better.

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Agreed the black text was easier to read

I prefer the first of the two Camelteau labels (FANTASTIC name btw). I think the white font stands out. The graphic is amazing. I thought the HopZombie was my favorite, but I think the Camelteau might now be.

Great work! Being new to the hobby, I'm very excited to getting to this point. I'm an avid DIYer (I'm also a proclaimed audiophile) so I'm looking forward to getting some projects like this going.

The work you put into these it true craftsmanship, excellent!

Amazing labels! Please keep us updated on new ones as they come out :fro:

Here's the newest label. I brewed up a simple, light pale ale. It didn't really have a strong character, but my friend said, "hey that tastes a little like Red Stripe". So I went with the Jamaican theme.

I've always really liked your work. Do you have any new tap handles to boast?

I like them all. Really nice job.

Amazing work! Mr. Creosote made me lol.

Fantastic!