JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. -- Craft beer and growlers just got a boost in the small town of Jonesborough, Tenn., where town leaders voted Monday to allow beer sampling in convenience stores before making a purchase.
The change to the local beer law came at the request of the owners of Roadrunner convenience stores, who asked for the ability to offer a maximum of three 2-oz. samples of its craft-beer selections, according to a WJHL report.
Roadrunner Markets, operated by Mountain Empire Oil, Johnson City, Tenn., is including Chuggernaut growler stations in its newer stores, including the site in Jonesborough.
On its website, the c-store chain encourages sampling of the frequently changed lineup of beers: "Visit here often to see our ever-expanding list of some of the best beers on tap. With this wide variety of brews, why wouldn't you want to sample them all?"
The Jonesborough law change, which drew opposition from some residents and was approved by a slim 2-1 vote, comes at a time when growlers--32-oz. and 64-oz. bottles filled from beer taps--are gaining favor with consumers and from manufacturers.
Also this week, Plug In & Pour announced it is growing its beer-vending-machine business with a focus on convenience stores. The Alpharetta, Ga.-based manufacturer signed a deal with Lake Forest, Calif.-based iPourIt, which will supply its brew-dispensing hardware to Plug In & Pour.
While iPourIt makes self-serve beer and wine systems specifically for restaurants, hotels and sports venues, Plug In & Pour is targeting the c-store industry.
This opens “another potential revenue stream” from convenience stores, iPourIt cofounder and CEO Joseph McCarthy told the Orange County Business Journal. “That’s their target market. They’ve created the [overall] system, and we make it self-service.”
Plug in & Pour sells two stand-alone beer vending machines—with six or 12 taps. McCarthy said the company will sign separate software deals with retailers that install the vending machine; iPourIt earns monthly payments on the amount of beer a location sells.
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