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Updated 01/14/2012 06:20 PM

Gas stations now serving beer on tap

By: Amanda Kelley

If you're looking for your favorite beer on tap, you may have to look no further than your nearest Sunoco gas station. Our Amanda Kelley has more on the new craft beer service.

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WATERTOWN, N.Y. -- Grab your gas, grab your growler and go. It’s a new way to buy beer at many Sunoco gas stations across the state.

Watertown resident James Brady said, "I'll tell you, it took me by surprise at first."

Select craft beers are now on tap, giving those 21 and older a convenient way to purchase their favorite brews.

Fort Drum resident Justin Bathras said, "It's pretty good to grab beer and then grab your gas and go back home."

Fort Drum resident Cooper Butts said, "I guess it could be a good idea. I don't see why it wouldn't be."

But for law enforcement, they say this new convenience is a concern.

Jefferson County Sheriff John Burns said, "To me, it doesn't seem that it would be too awful hard to distract a cashier and for underage kids to be able get beer out of there without being noticed. It is a big concern and we are going to monitor it."

Growlers come with a safety strip around the cap, so when you take them in your car, there's no problems if you're pulled over. But bringing them back for refills could cause some issues.

Burns said, "At some point, you have that back in your car and you're driving to the store to either get it refilled or buy another one and you were to be stopped and if that seal is off there, that's certainly going to give a police officer reasonable cause to believe you were consuming alcohol inside your vehicle."

It also raises some concerns about drinking and driving, but many customers are confident this won't be an issue.

Butts said, "People are going to do the responsible thing regardless. Whether you're buying it there or you're buying it out of the freezer, you're still going to put it in your car and take it home."

Some even see grabbing a growler as a way to go green.

Brady said, "You've got a refillable container, so it's not going into the landfill. I don't think it's a bad idea."

Something to consider filling up the next time you fill your tank.

To find the nearest Sunoco Craft Beer location to you head on over to http://craftbeerexchange.wordpress.com/locations/.