Filling Up??With Beer

Sunoco's APlus convenience stores in Western New York are selling growlers filled with local craft brews ? and with positive results.

July 18, 2011

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Pennsylvania-based Sunoco recently rolled out its Craft Beer Exchange pilot program a Western New York.

The Buffalo News writes that empty counter space at 12 Sunoco APlus stores in In Erie and Niagara counties have been retrofitted with beer taps and kegerators, allowing the convenience stores to fill and sell growlers with small-batch draft beer on premises.

"Just during this first month, it really has been a success by word of mouth alone," said Joe McGinn, a spokesman for Sunoco. "It's clear there's interest there."

The growlers, refillable half-gallon glass jugs containing just under a six-pack of beer, are sealed after they're filled with a sticker to comply with New York State's open container laws.

So far the most popular brew is Buffalo's Flying Bison Rusty Chain, which retails for $7.99. The most expensive is Wailing Wench by Syracuse's Middle Ages Brewing Co., retailing for $16.99. The growlers themselves are $3.99, which Sunoco is giving to customers for free for the first month with the purchase of a beer fill-up, notes the news source. One APlus store sold 30 growlers on its first day.

"I don't think people expect to see beer taps at a gas station," said Kim Wilson, sales shift leader at the Tonawanda Sunoco, adding, "People come in and say, 'Woah! When did that happen?' They are really excited."

Employee training, meanwhile, is essential to the program. Sunoco staff completed a full day of classroom training with local beer distributor Try-It Distributing to learn all the ins and outs on safety and sanitation. They also visited Flying Bison Brewery for hands-on practice filling growlers.

Sunoco chose Western New York for the pilot program because it has a large concentration of APlus stores, many of which are large enough to be equipped with beer filling stations. Brand recognition, customer loyalty and the capability of local staff also played into the decision, McGinn told the news source.

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