There's also a certain ceremony to the pouring process, a technique that has had punters mesmerised along bars the length and breadth of Australia since tap beer was invented. Yet, even with the most popular tap beer brands and the most masterful beer pourers manning your bar, you could still be missing a trick.
Tapping into your market
VB, Fosters, Heineken, Stella Artois; anyone who's gone to a bar has seen the bold branding of the big beers on tap handles and the even bolder branding of craft beers. It's part of what makes bars look like bars.
It's a kaleidoscope of clashing colours; bottles, labels, liquids, beer taps, bar mats and glasses all fighting each other for attention in a mishmash of colour; mirrors only serving to double the mishmash. Yet it works. It's what makes bars bars and your beer taps are an opportunity to take that mishmash to a pleasing and even quirky new level.
Pimp your taps
Yes, for a real splash of originality you can choose from a host of colourful, crazy, quirky bar tap designs and even have beer tap handles custom-made.
Sports themes, cartoon character themes, Australiana themes, surfboard-shaped, cricket bat-shaped, natural wood, motorsports, military, team mascots, you name it, tap handle designers can make it for you. All you have to do is make it creative and relevant to your bar style and atmosphere.
Avoid the skyscraper trap
Beer tap handle design is taking off with bars worldwide competing for the most eye-catching line up of handles. But it can backfire, as has happened with some bars and breweries adopting the 'skyscraper' approach, creating taller and taller tap handles to stand out.
No problem there except the taller and heavier a handle gets, the less comfortable and efficient beer pouring becomes. Keep ergonomics in mind with every design.
Do your research
Before you shop around or start diving into weird and wonderful custom designs, suss out what other bars in your area are doing. Whatever it is, do something else. Eye catching beer tap handles can help to sell beer, especially to clientele with no brand loyalty. So do your homework.
Remember, beer tap handle manufacturing is now considered to be a legitimate industry, it's no longer a quaint little cottage industry run by a few eccentrics in their garages. Which means a lot of bars and breweries are getting creative with their bar tap handles. And that means you need to be even more creative with yours.
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