On Tap
Craig Beegle always wanted to own his own business.
As a former executive with Lockheed Martin, Beegle knew two things: he liked beer — as most Germans do — and he liked sports.
So after his daughter graduated from the University of Georgia, he opened the door when opportunity knocked.
Now Beegle and his wife, Elaine, own four locations of On Tap, a local sports pub featuring a lengthy list of American craft beers.
“It was one opportunity we stumbled across,” Craig Beegle said. “It’s a place that meets all of our desires. Sports have always been in what we do, and we figured this wouldn’t be a bad thing to do. So far it has been great.”
The Beegles purchased the Inverness location as well as two others in 2006.
The wide-open atmosphere and party room allows for sports teams and soccer moms to enjoy the sporty environment, and Beegle said they also get crowds of small business parties.
The Inverness location features 62 different brews on tap. With such an extensive list, On Tap provides a simple guide to beer selection with ratings, percentages and general beer information.
Manager James Vance, a brewer himself, helps make decisions about what to put on the wall of taps by keeping track of what the next big thing is in the beer industry.
“Right now the popular trend is IPAs,” Vance said. “They have been growing in popularity as people are getting more into craft beers, especially in Alabama where the craft laws have changed so much. The beer industry is getting a little bit more experimental in some ways. We are adventurous. We always have been with beer.”
Craig Beegle, Vance and other staff members try all of the beers they put on the wall, and if they don’t like the taste, the beer won’t make it. Beegle said he also wants all of his beers to have a story to make him care about them being in his sports bar.
On Tap also features beers from about eight breweries located in Alabama, which Elaine Beegle said are popular because people enjoy tasting local brews. In fact, On Tap is the biggest seller of Birmingham’s Good People in the state.
No pub would be complete without pub fare, and Elaine said On Tap is famous for its wings, burgers, Philly cheesesteaks and wraps.
“When we started out to do the food aspect of what we do,” Craig Beegle said, “we wanted to buy the best food we could buy, and also we make all our own sauces, breading and hamburgers by hand.”
On Tap is even serving up extra large wings they get from nine-pound birds in North Carolina. Elaine said the competition serves a pound of wings with about 13 on the plate. Six of On Tap’s wings are a pound.
The restaurant also dishes different gourmet burgers on pretzel buns. Everything on the menu, from the Hot Dog Fries to the piled-high sandwiches, is fresh and made-to-order with no pre-cooking.
“We want to be that craft house, and be that place where you go to get individual beers that are crafted in Alabama,” Craig Beegle said. “That is what we are trying to do here.”