BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- One year after opening, Lakeview's Slice Pizza & Brew is planning to dramatically increase the "brew" part of its business.

Preliminary plans call for a new building to be built behind the restaurant to house a tap room where 25 to 30 draft beers would be available, and more bottled or canned varieties would be sold to go, Jeff Bajalieh said this week.

Jeff and brothers Chris and Jason plan to seek a license that would allow sales for both on- and off-premises consumption, Jeff said.

"It allows us to have all of the Alabama breweries' beers on tap," he said. "And you could come in and fill up a growler if you want to."

A lot of work remains to be done, but the Bajaliehs hope to have the addition built before the end of the year. The inspiration for the plan was the popular wine room at Gianmarco's Italian restaurant in Homewood.

Thanks to the passage of the Free the Hops law in 2009 and subsequent reforms, the craft brewing business in Alabama is booming, he said, and Birmingham's taste in beer is evolving.

The upscale, locally-sourced pizza joint has done very well in its first year, Bajalieh said, and the brothers are fielding inquiries about franchising in neighboring states. No franchise deals are imminent, but Slice fans closer to home may soon have an option other than the restaurant to sate their pie craving. The brothers have ordered a food truck, and Slice soon will be selling pizza at events and hot spots around town from a pizzeria on wheels.

The brothers also own Sol's Sandwich Shop & Deli on Morris Avenue downtown.

This item appeared in The Insider, a weekly column in The Birmingham News