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900 per week – that’s approximately how many growlers they’re filling every seven days at the Growler Guys located out of a Shell Station/convenience store in Bend, Oregon. Kizer and Kent Couch are the Growler Guys and they have thirty working taps that they’re changing up constantly. Think about that – the pumps outside only offer three grades of gas – (four if you include diesel) yet there are thirty working taps inside serving up some of the freshest beer from some of the best brewers in America!
The state’s clearly in the throes of a growler-to-go mania. Oregon-based KTVZ is reporting that many of the Growler Guy’s regulars, who used to come in and fill-up their 64 oz growlers weekly, are now coming by for a fill-up “two to five times a week” (yikes!) They add that the growler craze is spreading far beyond the beer-to-go sector to include an “emerging sector for growler accessories.”
More than half the taps at the Growler Guys feature Bend’s finest breweries – places like Boneyard Beer and Good Life Brewing Company are well-represented and ktvz.com is reporting that the Growler Guys are already talking expansion to keep up with demand:
The Growler Guys owners, Kizer and Kent Couch, plan to branch out beyond the Shell station/convenience store at Northeast 27th Street and U.S. Highway 20 and open a second location on the north side of Bend by February.
The expansion won’t stop there, they said.
Kaiser Couch…said he hopes to have six, total, in Central Oregon and would like to see The Growler Guys also expand into other parts of the state and even into Boise, Idaho, through franchise and licensing agreement.
It’s exciting what’s happening with The Growler Guys and businesses like theirs have started showing up all over the country. From the APlus convenience stores in Buffalo, NY to Sunoco’s Craft Beer Exchange in South Carolina, growlers-to-go at gas stations are becoming more common.
Gas station convenience stores will continue to tap into the growlers-to-go market. It’s a perfect combination of access, convenience and serious beer and it’s a trend that’s not going away!
