OpenTap | A Beer App That Breaks the Mold
For nearly every beer nerd or active barhopper, they have at least one type of beer-based application on their phone. In most cases, it’s Uptappd, as it’s easily the most downloaded and widely used beer application. But there are others worth taking note of, including another big name, Taphunter. And with the influx of so many craft breweries, it’s hard to keep track of everything. This is where the OpenTap app is trying to change the game a bit. This particular application focuses on only California breweries, so we reached out to the founder to learn more about his unique perspective.
Garth Humbert, founder of OpenTap, launched the first iteration of the app in September 2016. Version two dropped in February 2019 and surpassed 5,000 downloads in July of the same year.
How did OpenTap come into being?
I’ve been a fan of craft beer for a while, but my professional skillset is design, marketing and building websites and apps—AND I’m always looking for new things to do.
My buddy Mike and I were having a beer one day and thought we’d combine our skills to build a website with information for all the local craft breweries. After that, I kept thinking of new ways to help promote the scene. We printed maps and handed them out around town. We made Drink Local T-shirts and did a pickup party at 8 Bit. We held a March Madness-style beer tournament on Instagram called The Temecula Valley Showdown. The next logical step was …
