NEWBURGH – More New Yorkers will be able to fill up their growlers as well as their cars as Sunoco enlarges its Craft Beer Exchange program to the Hudson Valley, the Times Herald-Record reports. Tap lines and kegs have been in place at select APlus stores in the western part of the state, and now customers in and around Newburgh can stop by to fill up 64-ounce jugs with craft beer.

The program rotates a dozen craft beers on tap, and also has a customized six-pack section where shoppers can create their own half-dozen bottles of beer. Currently, Sunoco has around 50 convenience stores participating in the exchanges in New York and around 12 in South Carolina.

Not every state allows the sale of beer from a tap in non-bar settings, which limits where Sunoco can put its Craft Beer Exchanges, said Joe McGinn, a company spokesman. Sales of craft beer have been up at locations with the exchange.

With more convenience stores selling bottled craft beer, the craft beer industry has been eager to expand its reach into this market, said Kevin Burns, who runs the popular TheFoamingHead.com site. “The more places that people see craft beer, the more willing they are to try it,” he said.

Newburgh Brewing Co. is one that has partnered with Sunoco for the program. The brewery even holds tastings at APlus locations that have its brews on tap. “It gives our brand some more promotion,” said its president, Paul Halayko.