Mega Star co-owners Michael and Patty Barnes hold growlers in 64- and 32-ounce sizes, which can both be filled at the new Craft Beer Menu part of the store.On tap
SPF 50/50 (Red Hare Brewing Company of Marietta, Ga.): It has grapefruit juice in it and pairs well with poultry, steak, salads and tangy cheeses.Hibiscus Gose (Boulevard Brewing Company of Kansas City, Mo.): This sour beer is steeped with dried hibiscus flowers and has a vibrant pink hue. It is a tangy, sweet and sour ale with citrus flavor. It pairs with snapper, halibut, Thai food and mild cheeses.Pineapple Sculpin (Ballast Point Brewing Company of San Diego, Calif.): An IPA with flavors of apricot, mango, lemon and fresh pineapple, it pairs well with mango sticky rice, buttermilk crumb cake and bay blue cheese.Bibo Pils (Creature Comforts Brewing Company of Athens, Ga.): This is a true pilsner with ingredients from five different countries. It is dry, crisp and refreshing with slight fruity notes. Food pairings are wings, sushi, Thai food and pound cake.Tropicalia (Creature Comforts Brewing Company of Athens, Ga.): Ripe passion fruit and citrus flavor give way to a subtle bitterness in this IPA. It pairs well with steak, bacon, barbecue and mellow cheeses.Whabbit Wheat (Red Hare Brewing Company of Marietta, Ga.): A lightly hopped wheat ale loaded with apricots and peaches, it pairs well with salads, seafood, earthy and nutty cheeses, and pastries.Mosaic (Terrapin Brewing Company of Athens, Ga.): Like a fine piece of art, Mosaic Red Rye IPA is masterfully created by using 100 percent Mosaic hops throughout the brew. Good food pairings are steak, bacon, barbecue and mellow cheeses.ChickBock (Chattanooga Brewing Company): This German style dark lager is technically a dunkler bock. It features a medium body and is relatively low in hops. Pair it with hearty spiced foods, roasted meats and barbecue.
Mega Star convenience store in Ringgold is branching out to offer lots of craft beers. Patrons can choose from the selection of bottles – even opting to build their own six-pack – or get their growlers filled from the taps of available drafts.
“We can do three one-ounce samples per day per customer,” noted Michael Barnes, who helps run the family-owned business.
He said Mega Star is the sole convenience store in the area pouring craft beer into growlers.
“People are excited,” he said. “It’s something new. We are a modern gas station that’s willing to do things creatively. We try to be more than a gas station. We want to bring people in. We have to think outside the box. We are a filling station: to fill you up with beer and snacks.”
Barnes said he first noticed craft beers in local grocery stores and told his father-in-law, Randy Black, who also operates the store along with his daughter, Patty Black Barnes, that it was time to begin selling it at Mega Star. The family runs seven stores.
“The craft beer market keeps growing,” said Barnes. “It’s not just a trend. Families are going into business for a lifetime making craft beers. Craft beer is a $19 billion business right now and keeps growing too. As of 2012 there were 29 breweries in Georgia.”
He believes that in the next 15 years there will be a hometown brewery in Ringgold.
In the meantime, his goal is to find different types of beer and bring them in to sell in the store.
“I visited Stone Brewery in San Diego, California,” he said. “It’s like a medieval castle type atmosphere. Stone Brewery brewed 76 new beers last year.”
One of the beers now on tap at Mega Star is Athens, Georgia’s Tropicalia. Commonly revered as one of the best IPAs out there, Mega Star can’t keep it in stock in cans. Barnes said the store typically runs out of cases within a few days.
“I’m adventurous in trying beer,” said Barnes, who personally prefers to drink browns and stout beers. “Because I’m willing to know the beer and enjoy it myself, I talk to customers.”
He stocks 50 different types of craft beer at Mega Star for customers to try out.
“One of my favorite breweries is the Burnt Hickory Brewery in Kennesaw,” he said. “I have on tap Red Hare SPF 50/50 of Marietta, Georgia. It’s an IPA radler that has grapefruit infused in the beer. This is the year of fruit beer. My wife likes Founders Rubaeus Pure Raspberry Ale. I tried it and I can drink it. It’s so different than average beer.”
Another on tap beer at Mega Star is Boulevard Brewing Company’s Hibiscus Gose. It is brewed with dried hibiscus flowers. Barnes calls it an introductory sour beer. Aside from the unusual flavor, he said he wanted to get it in because he has cousins living in Kansas City, Missouri, where the brewery is located.
Barnes said his father-in-law prefers Cigar City Brewing’s Florida Cracker Belgian Wheat Ale, also available in the store.
“I tapped Whabbit Wheat – it’s Red Hare’s Belgian wheat version – and my father-in-law loves it,” he added.
The beer isn’t the only thing Barnes loves about working at Mega Star, though he says it’s definitely a perk.
“Adding the growler station gave our employees a boost of confidence,” he said. “Good business for me is being kind and honest. It’s very hands-on and being part of the community. We are a caring family that wants to offer craft beers to the people. Now people don’t have to drive to Chattanooga. They can get good craft beer in their community.”
Email Katie Ward at kward@timesfreepress.com.