There you were, shoving your cart through the aisles all sober and innocent—then, there they were: 12 flowing taps of craft beer in aisle seven. No, it’s not a hallucination. Beer on tap is a growing trend in local grocery stores. Soon you’ll be trading your six-packs for 64-ounce growlers of just-tapped beer.
Or will you? The 32- and 64-ounce growlers require a commitment to drinking that a six-pack doesn’t. Unlike the 72 ounces of beer in a six-pack, once you crack into a growler, you’ll need to drink it before it goes flat in 36 hours. But the growler’s sharable size makes it the ideal gift for dinner parties hosted by beer geeks—and growlers have other charms, too, like the fact that their contents are fresher than the beer you’ll find in bottles.
According to Joshua M. Bernstein, whose book, Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World’s Craft Brewing Revolution, tracks the modern American craft beer revolution, “Growlers offer drinkers the opportunity to drink super-fresh draft beer at home—beer that’s typically only available at bars or breweries.”
For an updated list of what beers might be on tap at your grocery store, visit beermenus.com. Otherwise, here’s where you can fill ’er up:
DeCicco Family Market (Ardsley)
This small, local chain can boast that its location in Ardsley was the first of Westchester’s grocery stores to offer taps and growler service. There you’ll find 12 taps slinging well-priced 32- and 64-ounce growlers. Don’t forget to check out DeCicco’s own branded beers made by Brooklyn’s Sixpoint Craft Ales brewery and Westchester’s Captain Lawrence Brewing Company. 21 Center St (914) 813-2009; deciccos.com
DeCicco Family Market (Brewster, NY)
Unlike all others, this amiable supermarket includes a licensed bar onsite where you can sample before you commit. Look for 12 taps concentrating on American and craft brewed beers, plus six taps devoted to cask wines and one even devoted to kombucha. 50 Independent Way (845) 278-0836; deciccos.com
Whole Foods Market (Yonkers)
Westchester’s second Whole Foods offers six taps devoted to American brews. You’ll find both 32- and 64-ounce bottles available, and, as an added bonus, these growlers have fancy, gasket-sealed swing tops. One Ridge Hill Blvd (914) 378-8090; wholefoodsmarket.com
The Beer Necessities (New Rochelle)
Along with over 500 bottles and cans of craft and microbrewed beers, you’ll find a wide variety of beer drinking vessels, like steins and boots. They’re perfect for filling from your growler—which, of course, you’ve loaded onsite from 15 taps. 11 Quaker Ridge Rd (914) 278-9050; facebook.com/beernecessities
Steinmann Deli/Gomer St. Growlers (Yorktown Heights)
Here, you can hit the four taps pouring American craft beer as late as midnight Monday to Saturday nights and 11 pm on Sunday. 2712 Gomer St (914) 962-9217
Green Growler Grocery (Croton-on-Hudson)
This store carries 59 canned and bottled beers and eight beers on tap. Do browse the shop’s wide selection of home brew equipment, which includes malt, hops, and various other beer flavorings. 368 S Riverside Ave (914) 862-0961; thegreengrowler.com
