Craft beer’s explosion in popularity in recent years may have diminished the novelty of the Tides Tavern’s annual Tapmaster event. But it hasn’t changed the glory of getting your name, or nickname, on the Gig Harbor institution’s wall as a certified beer gourmand.

“It’s quite an achievement to be a tapmaster, especially if you’re the first name on the board,” said Ben Coronado, a server at the Tides for the past six years.

To earn the title and receive both the recognition of a name on the tavern’s wall and a free T-shirt, customers must drink each of the 16 craft beers on tap and complete the task by the end of February.

The contest started Feb. 1, and some Tides patrons already have run the gamut, which includes beers as diverse as 7 Seas Pale Ale from Gig Harbor, Coors Light and three of the Tides’ own labels brewed by Harmon Pub & Brewery in Tacoma.

The event started in 2004 as a way to expose beer drinkers to what was then a budding craft market, Tides general manager Kristin Bergeson said.

“We wanted to encourage the average drinker to try something different,” she said. “For someone like me who might just have a Coors Light after work, it really opens our minds.”

Ten years ago, independent beer labels were just starting to become more prevalent in stores and at bars. When the Tides looked for a brewery to start its own label, Harmon was one of the only options in the region, Bergeson said.

Now, Puget Sound abounds with craft breweries, including some, such as Georgetown Brewing Company from Seattle and Mac and Jack’s Brewery from Redmond, featured on the 2013 Tapmaster roster.

“In 2004, the microbrews and bigger, bolder, hoppier beers started making a big play,” Bergeson said. “And it’s been really cool to see the evolution.”

Coronado said Tapmaster draws both ends of the craft-beer spectrum – those who only drink microbrews, and those to whom microbrews are still new.

Some regular customers get their names on the wall year after year.

“There’s a fair amount of people who know about them, and a fair amount who don’t,” Coronado said. “But we’re still definitely trying to get people to expand their palates.”

Since Tapmaster takes place during the winter, the Tides’ current taps tend to favor darker beers. Coronado said that makes the challenge more difficult for some customers who aren’t used to a heavier, hoppier taste. But lighter options, such as an apricot cider, also are mixed into the lineup.

Bergeson said there are strategies for the best order in which to drink 16 very different beers.

“There are some seasoned veterans who have done this for years who know which beers to pair up, what to start with, what to finish with,” she said. “There’s an art to it.”

There is a four-beer maximum per day, so becoming a tapmaster doesn’t require a hangover.

“We don’t take it as a drinking game,” Coronado said. “It’s more of an experiment.”

Some dedicated participants already had earned their name on the wall after four days. Coronado was close to filling up his own Tapmaster punchcard, and he expected to be the second or third Tides employee to complete the task.

The 10th anniversary of the tap challenge shows how long the tavern has been ahead of the craft bandwagon, she said.

“We got in right at the beginning of the trend, which was cool,” Bergeson said. “And we’ve been able to maintain that, and want to continue that.”