About Us

Beer on the Wall is a craft beer focused retail store and beer cafe with 16 rotating drafts and over 600 bottles and cans available for on-site consumption or takeaway.

Yes, really!  We combined the friendly service and social atmosphere of your favorite coffee shop with the focused selection of a specialty beer store to offer our customers a new unique experience.  Have a seat on a comfy couch and enjoy a beer while you catch up on e-mail, or grab a six-pack to enjoy at home.

New to craft beer?  Great!  Our staff is here to offer samples and guide you through the seemingly endless list of styles and breweries to find your new favorite beer.

Who We Are

Beer on the Wall is an independent small business owned and operated by Ryan Tracy and a small staff of dedicated craft beer lovers.  Beer on the Wall (BotW) was built focused on the service and presentation of beer as well as the fun and social aspects of drinking beer.  The space is filled with cozy seating, an old Nintendo, board games, and a staff capable of talking and socializing about beer for hours on end (seriously, don't get them started).  Blind tastings, events, and food pairings are constantly being planned and executed, meanwhile behind the scenes, the store also includes taps that can be dialed in for a specific style's carbonation level, LED lights to prevent beer skunking, and a quality dating system to keep old beer from ever hitting the shelves.  The taps are cleaned regularly to ensure freshness, and the beer styles are constantly rotating to provide our customers with a diverse array of flavors to help them find their favorite beer.

Our History

Beer on the Wall was a concept envisioned by owner/manager Ryan Tracy who has been an avid craft beer drinker since 2006 when he walked into Chicago's iconic Hopleaf and drank a bottle of North Coast Old Rasputin suggested to him by the bartender.  Almost 10 years later, he's the one doing the suggesting along Park Ridge's Main St. where he fell in love with a 90+ year-old building that barely had a floor on first visit.

After almost  a year of planning and 3 months of construction, Beer on the Wall opened on November 25, 2016 focused on giving beer the reverence it has long deserved.  In April 2020, Beer on the Wall opened their second location in the downtown Arlington Heights, IL serving commuters and residents alike both inside and outside as part of Arlington Alfresco (May - September).​

As of February 3, 2023 our Elmhurst location is open after 16 months of converting this former jewelry store into a fully functional Beer on the Wall! Equipped with 20 tap lines, a cask engine, games, and 500+ rotating bottles & cans you can bring home or enjoy right there in-store.

Day 1 of Construction.

Day 1 of Operations.