diff --git a/hgext/fetch.py b/hgext/fetch.py
--- a/hgext/fetch.py
+++ b/hgext/fetch.py
@@ -38,7 +38,10 @@ def fetch(ui, repo, source='default', **
 
     parent, p2 = repo.dirstate.parents()
     branch = repo.dirstate.branch()
-    branchnode = repo.branchtags().get(branch)
+    try:
+        branchnode = repo.branchtip(branch)
+    except error.RepoLookupError:
+        branchnode = None
     if parent != branchnode:
         raise util.Abort(_('working dir not at branch tip '
                            '(use "hg update" to check out branch tip)'))
diff --git a/mercurial/bookmarks.py b/mercurial/bookmarks.py
--- a/mercurial/bookmarks.py
+++ b/mercurial/bookmarks.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 from mercurial.i18n import _
 from mercurial.node import hex
-from mercurial import encoding, util
+from mercurial import encoding, error, util
 import errno, os
 
 def valid(mark):
@@ -140,8 +140,8 @@ def unsetcurrent(repo):
 
 def updatecurrentbookmark(repo, oldnode, curbranch):
     try:
-        return update(repo, oldnode, repo.branchtags()[curbranch])
-    except KeyError:
+        return update(repo, oldnode, repo.branchtip(curbranch))
+    except error.RepoLookupError:
         if curbranch == "default": # no default branch!
             return update(repo, oldnode, repo.lookup("tip"))
         else:
diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -827,7 +827,7 @@ def bookmark(ui, repo, mark=None, rev=No
         if mark in marks and not force:
             raise util.Abort(_("bookmark '%s' already exists "
                                "(use -f to force)") % mark)
-        if ((mark in repo.branchtags() or mark == repo.dirstate.branch())
+        if ((mark in repo.branchmap() or mark == repo.dirstate.branch())
             and not force):
             raise util.Abort(
                 _("a bookmark cannot have the name of an existing branch"))
@@ -903,7 +903,7 @@ def branch(ui, repo, label=None, **opts)
             repo.dirstate.setbranch(label)
             ui.status(_('reset working directory to branch %s\n') % label)
         elif label:
-            if not opts.get('force') and label in repo.branchtags():
+            if not opts.get('force') and label in repo.branchmap():
                 if label not in [p.branch() for p in repo.parents()]:
                     raise util.Abort(_('a branch of the same name already'
                                        ' exists'),
diff --git a/mercurial/context.py b/mercurial/context.py
--- a/mercurial/context.py
+++ b/mercurial/context.py
@@ -78,10 +78,12 @@ class changectx(object):
             self._node = repo._tagscache.tags[changeid]
             self._rev = repo.changelog.rev(self._node)
             return
-        if changeid in repo.branchtags():
-            self._node = repo.branchtags()[changeid]
+        try:
+            self._node = repo.branchtip(changeid)
             self._rev = repo.changelog.rev(self._node)
             return
+        except error.RepoLookupError:
+            pass
 
         self._node = repo.changelog._partialmatch(changeid)
         if self._node is not None:
diff --git a/mercurial/hgweb/webcommands.py b/mercurial/hgweb/webcommands.py
--- a/mercurial/hgweb/webcommands.py
+++ b/mercurial/hgweb/webcommands.py
@@ -794,7 +794,11 @@ def graph(web, req, tmpl):
         desc = cgi.escape(templatefilters.nonempty(desc))
         user = cgi.escape(templatefilters.person(ctx.user()))
         branch = ctx.branch()
-        branch = branch, web.repo.branchtags().get(branch) == ctx.node()
+        try:
+            branchnode = web.repo.branchtip(branch)
+        except error.RepoLookupError:
+            branchnode = None
+        branch = branch, branchnode == ctx.node()
         data.append((node, vtx, edges, desc, user, age, branch, ctx.tags(),
                      ctx.bookmarks()))
 
diff --git a/mercurial/hgweb/webutil.py b/mercurial/hgweb/webutil.py
--- a/mercurial/hgweb/webutil.py
+++ b/mercurial/hgweb/webutil.py
@@ -98,16 +98,23 @@ def nodebranchdict(repo, ctx):
     branches = []
     branch = ctx.branch()
     # If this is an empty repo, ctx.node() == nullid,
-    # ctx.branch() == 'default', but branchtags() is
-    # an empty dict. Using dict.get avoids a traceback.
-    if repo.branchtags().get(branch) == ctx.node():
+    # ctx.branch() == 'default'.
+    try:
+        branchnode = repo.branchtip(branch)
+    except error.RepoLookupError:
+        branchnode = None
+    if branchnode == ctx.node():
         branches.append({"name": branch})
     return branches
 
 def nodeinbranch(repo, ctx):
     branches = []
     branch = ctx.branch()
-    if branch != 'default' and repo.branchtags().get(branch) != ctx.node():
+    try:
+        branchnode = repo.branchtip(branch)
+    except error.RepoLookupError:
+        branchnode = None
+    if branch != 'default' and branchnode != ctx.node():
         branches.append({"name": branch})
     return branches
 
diff --git a/mercurial/localrepo.py b/mercurial/localrepo.py
--- a/mercurial/localrepo.py
+++ b/mercurial/localrepo.py
@@ -507,17 +507,27 @@ class localrepository(repo.repository):
         self.updatebranchcache()
         return self._branchcache
 
+    def _branchtip(self, heads):
+        '''return the tipmost branch head in heads'''
+        tip = heads[-1]
+        for h in reversed(heads):
+            if 'close' not in self.changelog.read(h)[5]:
+                tip = h
+                break
+        return tip
+
+    def branchtip(self, branch):
+        '''return the tip node for a given branch'''
+        if branch not in self.branchmap():
+            raise error.RepoLookupError(_("unknown branch '%s'") % branch)
+        return self._branchtip(self.branchmap()[branch])
+
     def branchtags(self):
         '''return a dict where branch names map to the tipmost head of
         the branch, open heads come before closed'''
         bt = {}
         for bn, heads in self.branchmap().iteritems():
-            tip = heads[-1]
-            for h in reversed(heads):
-                if 'close' not in self.changelog.read(h)[5]:
-                    tip = h
-                    break
-            bt[bn] = tip
+            bt[bn] = self._branchtip(heads)
         return bt
 
     def _readbranchcache(self):
diff --git a/mercurial/merge.py b/mercurial/merge.py
--- a/mercurial/merge.py
+++ b/mercurial/merge.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 from node import nullid, nullrev, hex, bin
 from i18n import _
-import scmutil, util, filemerge, copies, subrepo
+import error, scmutil, util, filemerge, copies, subrepo
 import errno, os, shutil
 
 class mergestate(object):
@@ -529,8 +529,8 @@ def update(repo, node, branchmerge, forc
         if node is None:
             # tip of current branch
             try:
-                node = repo.branchtags()[wc.branch()]
-            except KeyError:
+                node = repo.branchtip(wc.branch())
+            except error.RepoLookupError:
                 if wc.branch() == "default": # no default branch!
                     node = repo.lookup("tip") # update to tip
                 else: