Maui (Banks's) Tropical Pale Ale at the Rising Sun, Redditch

It’s nice enough to have a board of beers on display; and it’s especially helpful when the bar is crowded; but it’s even nicer to recognise the beer by its clip. I’m amazed by the lengths that some brewers will go to in order to produce a professional looking pump clip. This one looks like a plain background at first, but as you get closer you can see the embossed palm trees begin to take shape. It’s as if it’s drawing your eyes to a tropical climate. We drink with our eyes so we choose with our eyes and hope that the quality of the beer is reflected in that of the clip. Brewers will do fancy things to dress up their pumps; whether it’s lighting them up with red LEDs for eyes or flashing Rudolphs; or putting miniature Christmas hats on the tops and covering the levers with tinsel. It’s no wonder that some of them are sought after just for their appearance.