Retail Growler Fills Begin in Arkansas

Fifteen retailers set to start selling growlers, in a win-win for retailers and brewers.

July 09, 2014

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas residents have a new option for purchasing fresh beer straight from the keg, and local brewers have a new way to compete.

Thanks to a change in the state’s liquor policy, any store with a retail beer permit can request an endorsement to begin selling reusable 32- and 64-ounce “growlers” full of tap-fresh beer. Although growlers have been around for years in Arkansas, until now, they could only be filled on-site at a microbrewery.

The new rule, which went into effect July 1, is designed to help Arkansas craft brewers expand and compete by providing more outlets for the sale of their beer. Instead of relying only on keg sales at restaurants and bars, small breweries now have another way to increase distribution without investing in expensive canning or bottling lines.

Stores are also allowed to sell beer produced out-of-state, which could give craft brew fans even more options for tasting hard-to-find beers if retailers order kegs of small-batch brews that are only available in limited supplies. Local brands and upstart brewers can also put a couple of kegs out in stores to test interest in new products.

The Road Runner gas station and convenience store is one of the first sites to start selling growlers, using an in-store set-up from The Growler Station, a California-based company with nearly 40 craft beer-filling stations in 13 states across the country. Road Runner’s eight taps offer fresh beer from local, regional and national brands.

According to the Fayetteville Flyer, the state’s Alcohol Beverage Control Division had endorsed 15 retailers to sell growlers as of yesterday.

Watch Kent and Kizer Couch talk about how they made their Bend, Oregon, convenience store a destination for craft beer through their “Growler Guys” program in the 2013 NACS “Ideas 2 Go” DVD.  And hear Kizer talk a little more  about their growler endeavor from this NACS TV clip.

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