On Tap adds new Galleria location
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 a part of what we do, and we figured this wouldn’t be a bad thing to do. So far it has been great.”
Their Galleria location was a last addition to the original three the Beegles’ purchased in 2006. In 2009, then-occupant Ted’s Montana Grill wanted to sell, so the Beegles’ jumped at the opportunity.
“This one is the most unique,” Beegle said. “I get families, singles and couples coming in. I get the bowling league, soccer fans and business owners. It’s the whole spectrum you would expect from Hoover, which is pretty cool.”
The location was so spacious that the Galleria On Tap features 82 beers on tap —more than any of the other locations. With such an extensive list of brews, On Tap provides an easy guide to beer selection with ratings, percentages and general beer information.
Manager James Vance, a brewer himself, makes 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, we wanted to buy the best food we could,” said Beegle. “We make all our own sauces, breading and hamburgers by hand.”
On Tap even serves extra large wings from nine-pound birds in North Carolina. 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.”