Growler Filling Station: Where Will You Fill Up?

So craft beers are all the rage these days and as we’ve mentioned in other articles recently, this town is filling up with beer options! From Foothills, Small Batch Beer Co. and Hoots now brewing their own beer (Yes, Hoots is FINALLY serving up its own beer!) to Stella Brew, City Beverage and the new Grapes & Grains offering the finest supplies of craft beers in bottles but also on tap for you to enjoy at home!

What is a Beer Growler?

It is a glass bottle or jug (generally with a handle) that comes in two sizes – 32 ounces or 64 ounces. It comes empty so you can fill it up with whatever beer you choose at your store of choice. The growler will cost you a few bucks empty (prices vary by store) and then you pay for the beer that goes inside each time too. Note: some stores only allow their growlers for filling so be sure you ask before you pick your store of choice as this may limit you down the road. And, let’s not forget that this is a more eco-friendly option as you are not creating new waste with all those individual bottles and cans. It’s the new recycling model for beer lovers: Refill, reuse, recycle!

These growlers and the growler fill stations (stores) to fill them have been popping up all over town in the past couple months and we felt it was time to create a list of where you can find your next tasty, hoppilicious beer sip. Thanks to the many fans who helped us put together this list!

Growler Filling Station Locations in Winston-Salem, NC

Stella Brew – Ardmore

Carries a variety of craft beers from around the country. They specialize in offering more unique and hard-to-get beers from specialty brewers across the U.S. and often from NC-based breweries. Beers on tap rotate as kegs run out and they use social media to communicate what’s new every day.

1305 S Hawthorne Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27103
336-725-9300
www.stellabrew.com

City Beverage – Downtown

Just walk into the back room and you will find a bar and some tasty beers that you can sample before you commit to filling up your growler. They feature Growler Fill Wednesday where there is always something new and unique opened up that day so get it while it’s fresh and in-stock! Sign up for their email list to find out the weekly Wednesday special.

915 Burke St, Winston-Salem 27101
336-722-2774
www.citybeverage.com

Foothills Brewing – Downtown

They only fill their own beers but I’m not complaining when the local WSNC beer is this delicious! And we recently learned that Foothills beers are also GMO-free, so cheers to a healthier, local option in your glass!

638 W. 4th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-777-3348
www.foothillsbrewing.com

Whole Foods – Miller Street

Near Ardmore and Buena Vista and Downtown, this whole paycheck retailer will not clean you out for beer! In fact, their prices are very competitive. They have 5 taps and the beers are mostly GMO-free and/or local, as you would expect from this healthier grocery store. Their facebook page shares the tap list as it is updated each week.

41 Miller St, Winston-Salem, NC 27104
336-722-9233
Whole Foods WS on Facebook

Hoots Roller Bar & Beer Co. – West End Millworks

In the new West End Millworks building near Hanes Park, this Kickstarter-funded bar has started brewing and serving up its own beer in June 2014! They are just getting their sea legs under them with brewing larger batches of beer so the beer is good. But we expect big things from this local gem with time and experience.

840 Manly St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-608-6026
www.hootspublic.com

Small Batch Beer Company – Downtown

The focus here is just what the name says: small batches of beers made with locally grown, seasonal ingredients. So in fall expect Pumpkin beer, Winter look for Krankies Coffee-Filled Stouts and Cranberry ales, for Spring try flowery and hoppy IPAs and for summer lots of citrusy libations. But, do not worry you can always find their top selling Limonhead IPA, Hefe-Vice Hefeweizen and Percolator Mocha Stout.

They were also started with the help of the locals via a Kickstarter campaign and you can see these Winston-Salem supporters’ names on the wall as you walk into the bar! In fact, we supported both Small Batch and Hoots so look for “MyWinston-Salem.com” on the wall. Small Batch fills all growlers – outside as well as its own and all sizes (32 oz. and 64 oz.)

241 West 5th St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-893-6395
www.smallbatchws.com

Corks Caps & Taps – Downtown

One of the newest bars in downtown Winston-Salem, they not only have 24 beer on tap but also 16 wines on tap! This is the first of its kind in WS and we are excited to start tasting our way through their offerings. Many of the keg beers are available to fill up your growler and all can be enjoyed by the glass on-site as well. This venture is owned and operated by the former owners of Westbend Vineyards.

626 W. Fourth St, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-893-6887
www.corkscapstaps.com

Grapes & Grain – Clemmons

Located in the same shopping center as Lowe’s in Clemmons, this small shop has 5-6 taps and has been known to also showcase some unique brews. Seems like their Facebook page may be the best way to keep current on their kegs.

2535 Lewsiville-Clemmons Rd, Clemmons, NC 27012
336-766-4004
www.grapesgrains.net

Lowes Foods – All Local Stores

Called The Beer Den and located at Lowe’s Foods in Winston-Salem, Clemmons and Lewisville. They feature 8-9 taps and you can try before you buy and get your grocery shopping done to boot.

www.lowesfoods.com/the-beer-den

River Ridge Taphouse – Clemmons

We don’t know much about this one and their website does not mention that they fill growlers but we have heard from several MyWinston-Salem.com readers that they do indeed have a growler filling station. If anyone knows how many taps, let us know!

1480 River Ridge Dr, Clemmons, NC 27012
336-893-6887
www.riverridgetaphouse.com

Facebook: Triad Growler Follower

Okay, so it’s not really a store or anywhere you can actually fill up the bottle. But, it is a great resource for finding out what’s on tap around town, prices and more local news. Like Triad Growler Follower on Facebook to stay current on the beer flow.

Where Do you Growl?

While we have put together this helpful list, it is now your turn. Get out there and start tasting all the new beers available around town and support these local retailers. But, do not stop there. Let us know in the comments section below which store is your favorite? Which has the best prices? What beer do you enjoy most? We love beer and since you do too, why not share?