Engineering the Pour: Underground Beer Lab Tap Handles

At Underground Beer Lab (UBL), in Syracuse NY, every detail matters from the brewing process to the pour. Their beers are built on precision, experimentation, and a deep commitment to freshness. When it came time to design their tap handles, they wanted something that reflected that same level of intention.

The Challenge

The goal was to design and manufacture a tap handle that felt like a natural extension of the UBL brand: clean, experimentational, and full of character. The tap handles needed to stand out behind the bar, as well as feel comfortable for bartenders to use night after night.

Just as importantly, it needed to leave room for the future, not just represent the current moment.

Underground Beer Lab logo

Understanding UBL

First we needed to understand Underground Beer Lab. UBL was born out of experimentation. What began as small-batch brewing and recipe testing evolved into a brewery driven by curiosity and precision.

The team behind UBL brings together backgrounds in construction, technology, medicine, and brewing. That mix of perspectives shapes their approach: thoughtful, methodical, and always pushing to refine the craft. Their obsession with freshness and willingness to experiment defines both their beer and their identity.

Their visual brand reflects this balance. Their logo is a clean geometric square with simple black typography, while their cans feature bold colors and graphic patterns. It’s a system that blends structure with experimentation.

The Think Variant Approach

At Think Variant, we approach every problem the same way, whether that’s design or an engineering challenge: human-forward and grounded in real-world use.

We spent time learning about the brewery, understanding their brand, and speaking with the designer behind their logo. Those conversations helped us translate UBL’s graphic identity into a physical object.

Back at the factory, we turned UBL’s square logo into the structure of the tap handle itself. The tap handle design is built from a stack of UBL logos, each mark in one of the brand’s vibrant colors. As the stack rises, each square gradually grows larger, leading up to the original black-and-white logo at the top.

The result is a design that feels instantly recognizable while turning the logo itself into the structure of the handle. The tap handles are colorful and have instant brand recognizability.

UBL tap handles designed by Think Variant.

Built For the Bar

The tap handle wasn’t just designed to look visually appealing. It was engineered to perform.

Each handle is lightweight, durable, and shaped to sit naturally in a bartender’s hand during long nights of service. Behind the visual design is a tool built for constant use.

We also designed the system with flexibility in mind. Each handle includes a universal connection point at the top that allows UBL to attach interchangeable toppers. This gives the brewery a way to highlight limited releases, seasonal brews, anniversaries, or special events without redesigning the entire handle. New elements can easily twist into place, keeping the experience fresh, just like their beer.

Think Variant designed tap handles for Underground Beer Lab, installed at their Syracuse NY location.

Why It Matters

Tap handles are often the first physical interaction a customer has with a brewery’s brand. Long before the beer reaches the glass, the handle behind the bar is already telling a story.

For Underground Beer Lab, these handles reinforce what the brewery stands for: precision, experimentation, and bold identity.

For Think Variant, this project represents what happens when two teams who care deeply about craft come together to turn an idea into something tangible.

At Think Variant, we don’t just make parts. We build solutions.