Three notable beer tap handles

When asked which tap handle annoys them most, Minneapolis bartenders all had one answer: Goose Island's long-neck goose handle. While it does a swell job of displaying the brand, it's difficult for bartenders to put on and take off a tap tower. Worse, if you don't put the handle straight down, it pulls down the tap next to it, pouring two beers for the price of one.

After about 40 hours of work — from conception to building ­— on a tap handle for a University of Minnesota course on design, Kyle Armstrong wowed Fulton representatives with a layered acrylic tap handle inspired by vintage theater marquees. Armstrong's tap handle was selected and displayed at Fulton's taproom in Minneapolis.

Indeed's handles have been admired for their simplicity and styling by local bartenders, bar owners and patrons. The oak handles were chosen to mirror the oak-filled brewery that Indeed's beers are crafted in, co-owner Nathan Berndt said. In April, new wooden handles will be introduced that more prominently feature the brand. "You can see the new ones from 40 feet away in a dark bar," Berndt said.