Kroger is getting into the growler business, and the Short Pump store is the first of the grocery chain’s Richmond-area stores to add a station for draft beer sales.
Growlers, in case you’ve not yet tapped into this phenomenon, are reusable glass or metal containers of beer — usually 32 or 64 ounces. The refillable jugs have become a favorite among the craft beer crowd.
The only other Kroger stores in Virginia to get growler stations so far are the larger Marketplace-format stores in Suffolk and Portsmouth.
The response has been enthusiastic, so much so that the grocery chain is looking at other stores to add the stations. It’s a way to feature local beers made in limited quantities.
Short Pump Kroger’s growler station has eight taps offering a mix of local, regional and national brews.
In-store growler stations are hardly new to the grocery store business. For example, the Whole Foods grocery in West Broad Village does a brisk growler business.
With the craft brewing explosion of the past few years, growler shops are ever more plentiful. One of the more recent openings was Growlers to Go, with 56 taps, at 1017 N. Boulevard.
Originally posted: http://www.richmond.com/business/local/metro-business/article_7a52a9c6-b009-11e4-9255-0bc57dacbdf8.html
