As winter has come to an end, and we are finally able to escape our homes and hideouts for some sunshine and fun, Price Chopper would like to kick off the warm weather by inviting you to join us at the Growler station. There’s lots of fun to be had this time of year, why not let your taste buds in on it too? Growler_1200x628 Join us for a tasting of the following beers to bring home with you this spring!   May 12th  & May 13th magic hatFar from your average IPA, Big Hundo is an Imperial IPA filled with hops for the ultimate taste of bitterness! Topped off with a heady aroma and dark golden body Big Hundo is the perfect way to hop into your weekend! Sample and enjoy this beer at our Growler Stations the following days:   founders logoFounders Rübæus is a Fruit/Vegetable beer known for its unique raspberry taste guaranteed to bring flavor! The use of fresh raspberries at all stages of the brewing process make this beer a necessity for the upcoming spring months! Sample and enjoy this beer at our Growler Stations the following days:   May 19th & May 20th paradox breweryParadox Beaver Bite IPA brings the perfect blend of malt and hops creating this tasty Northeast Style IPA. Brewed by Paradox Brewing Company in Schroon Lake, NY Beaver Bite provides a close to home option with a bit of pine character. Sample and enjoy this beer at our Growler Stations the following days:   May 26th & May 27th St Lawrence Brewing logoEffortless Grapefruit IPA, appropriately named for the drinking experience it provides, comes from the Saint Lawrence Brewing Company. Effortless Grapefruit IPA is a smooth, hoppy beer combined with a natural grapefruit taste making it the ideal spring time refreshment! Come and sample this beer on the following days at our Growler Stations:   Cheers. As always, please enjoy responsibly! — Written by Jon Waiksnoris, Marketing Intern Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern  Happy June everybody! Even though the official start of summer is not for a few more weeks we have been enjoying the warmer weather. Obviously the best way to take advantage of the great weather we’ve been having is to grill at every given opportunity. The only thing that makes a perfectly grilled steak taste better, is pairing it with a good beer. Check out the featured selections at the Growler station this month! Our friends from Magic Hat are back with their Art Hop Ale. The Art Hop Ale for 2016 is an imperial blonde ale featuring blood orange and sage. The Art Hop Ale features art on the label designed by Zelde Grimm who won a contest run by the non-profit SEABA. MagicHatLogoTry Magic Hat Art Hop Ale: Friday June 10th, 2016     Saturday June 11th, 2016     Next up is Switchback Brewing Co.  from Vermont. Switchback Brewing is no stranger to the Growler station. Make sure to stop by and try their pale ale if you have not already filled up your growler with this brew yet! Try Switchback Brewing Co. Pale Ale:interrobang-design-_switchback-brewing-co Friday June 17th, 2016     Saturday June 18th, 2016     Last, but not least for the month of June is Davidson Brother’s and their I-87 IPA. An American style IPA with 5 different hop varieties, the I-87 is a refreshing and drinkable brew. davidson brewingTry Davidson Brother’s I-87 IPA: Friday June 24th, 2016     Saturday June 25th, 2016 Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there! Please enjoy responsibly, see you next month! Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern  May has always been my favorite month. It always felt like the true start of spring, with typically warmer days, but since we live in the Northeast there is always the chance it may snow. May is the end of the spring semester for college students and then there’s the unofficial kick off to summer with Memorial Day Weekend. To help get you in the mood for summertime we have a great line up of craft beers to try at the Growler Station, including a debut from New Belgium brewery! davidson brewingFirst up in the month of May is a Capital Region favorite Davidson Brewery featuring their American Bright Ale. A light and refreshing beer perfect for a hot summer day (or a nice day in May!) Try Davidson Brewery’s American Bright Ale: Friday May 6th, 2016 Saturday May 7th, 2016 To continue the theme of getting you ready for summer, Samuel Adams will be featuring their Summer Ale.  A popular American Wheat ale, the Samuel Adams Summer Ale is light, refreshing, and features hints of lemon.SamuelAdamsLogo-575 Try Samuel Adam’s Summer Ale: Friday May 13th, 2016 Saturday May 14th, 2016 For the third tasting in May we once again will be featuring Samuel Adams brewery. Instead of the Summer Ale, we will be featuring their Rebel IPA. Part of their line of west-coast style IPAs, the Rebel IPA is a complex beer featuring a variety of hops while maintaining a malty sweetness. Try Samuel Adam’s Rebel IPA: Friday May 20th, 2016 Saturday May 21st, 2016 To help you kick off your Memorial Day weekend we have a Growler Station debut! We will be featuring two beers by New Belgium brewery from Colorado! With their recent expansion to Asheville, NC, they’ve expanded their beer production and distribution to the Eastern United States. For their first tasting at the Growler Station we will be featuring their flagship Fat Tire, an amber ale and one of my personal favorites, as well as their summer seasonal, The Heavy Melon. The Fat Tire is a medium bodied Amber Ale. Featuring a balance of flavors between the bitter hops and malty sweetness. New Belgium’s summer seasonal Heavy Melon is a watermelon lime ale featuring crisp fruity flavors and just a hint of bitterness. Try New Belgium’s Fat Tire and Heavy Melon:New_Belgium_Brewing_Company_logo Thursday May 26th, 2016 Friday May 27th, 2016 Saturday May 28th, 2016  Everyone have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend! Please enjoy responsibly. Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern Get your growlers ready! The April tasting schedule features brewers from around the country and we will be featuring everything from fruity IPAs to tasty stouts.  First up is local favorite Davidson Brother’s Brewing Company with their IPA. The bestselling ale at the brewpub in Glens Falls, NY this medium bodied bitter beer, is has a dry finish and a hoppy aroma. Try Davidson Brother’s IPA Friday April 1st, 2016   Saturday April 2nd, 2016     Next up is a favorite out of Boston, Samuel Adams! They are getting you ready for summer, with a sampling of their Summer Ale! An American wheat ale with hints of lemon, it will get you primed for any summer barbeque! Try Samuel Adams Summer Ale:SamuelAdamsLogo-575 Friday April 8th, 2016     Saturday April 9th, 2016     There are many different methods of brewing beer, one method that seems to be increasing in popularity is, beer aged in bourbon barrels.  Which brings us to the next craft beer being featured in the month of April, Founder’s Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) which is aged in a bourbon barrel for a year before it makes its way to be bottled. An imperial stout with plenty of coffee and chocolate flavors the KBS is sure to please. Try Founder’s KBS: foundersFriday April 15th, 2016     Saturday April 16th, 2016     The fourth brewery being featured this month is The Brooklyn Brewery out of you guessed it Brooklyn, NY. The Brooklyn Brewery is featuring their Brooklyn Summer, an English Pale Ale that is light and refreshing. A summer ale that is light and refreshing that pairs great with seafood and salads! Try Brooklyn Summer Ale: Friday April 22nd, 2016     Saturday April 23rd, 2016     The last tasting for the month of is April 21st Amendment Brewery from San Francisco, CA with their Hell or High Watermelon Wheat. Brewed with real watermelon the Hell or High Watermelon Wheat is a crisp, dry, and refreshing summer ale. 21st Amendment Try 21st Amendment Brewery’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat: Friday April 29th, 2016     Saturday April 30th, 2016     We hope you enjoy the April line-up and it gets you ready for a relaxing summer full of grilling! Please enjoy responsibly.   Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern  Happy New Year! We hope that everyone had a happy and safe New Year’s celebration and that you are looking forward to 2016 as much as we are here at Price Chopper and Market 32. As part of 2016 we will continue to have craft beer tastings every month at all of our locations with Growler Stations. This month features breweries that call the Greater Capitol Region home and even feature ingredients from other local businesses. Learn more about the breweries being featured this month below! First up in 2016 is Brown’s Brewing Company, featuring their Uncommon brownsPorter. The Uncommon Porter features a blend of different coffee flavors from local coffee shop Uncommon Grounds which is based out of Saratoga Springs, NY. One of my personal favorite brews from Brown’s, the Uncommon Porter features caramel, chocolate, and just a hint of vanilla. Try Brown’s Brewing Company Uncommon Porter: Friday January 8th, 2016 Saturday January 9th, 2016 Since it is the beginning of a new year it is only fitting that a new beer should be featured this month! New from Founders Brewing out of Grand foundersRapids, Michigan (they are the one exception to the local brewers featured this month!) is the Azacca IPA. As the name implies this beer is made with Azacca hops which are named for the Haitian God of Agriculture. Azacca hops feature citrus and tropical tones. Try Founders’ Azacca IPA: Friday January 15th, 2016 Saturday January 16th, 2016 Shmaltz Brewery from Clifton Park, NY is the next brewery being featured this month! A year-round offering, the Slingshot American Craft lager features a citrusy aroma and is a light straw color. Brewed in the style of an American Pale lager, it is brewed without any “cereal” elements such as rice or corn. Try Shmaltz Brewery’s Slingshot American Craft:shmaltz-brewing-logo Friday January 22nd, 2016 Saturday January 23rd, 2016 New from the Olde Saratoga Brewing Company is the PB&J stout. A twist saratogaon their classic Oatmeal Stout the PB&J stout, is in fused with peanut butter and raspberry jam! Try Olde Saratoga Brewing Company’s PB&J Stout: Thursday January 28th, 2016 Friday January 29th, 2016 Saturday January 30th, 2016 To finish up the first month of the New Year, Davidson Brothers Brewing Company will be sampling their Coffee Stout. Featuring a caramel, chocolate, and coffee aromas, the Coffee Stout is a lighter and tasty stout. davidson brewingFor those who usually only drink lighter colored beers, don’t let the dark color of this brew fool you, the Coffee Stout is the perfect introduction to darker beers. Try Davidson Brothers’ Coffee Stout: Saturday January 30th, 2016 Sunday January 31st, 2016   Follow us on Twitter @PriceChopper and @market32bypc for updates and changes to the schedule. Please enjoy responsibly! Written by Sara Lilkas, Marketing Intern  October has always been one of my favorite months. Fall is now in full swing, the days are getting chiller, the leaves are changing, and there are two more beers to try at Price Chopper and Market 32! There’s a great line up with a different tasting event each weekend in October! So make sure your growlers are empty! You won’t want to miss out on any of these brews! First up is a Capitol Region favorite, Nine Pin Cider. Brewed in Albany, NY Nine Pin selects all of their apples from orchards in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley area. Nine Pin will be featured at the following locations on the 2nd and 3rd of October at these locations: October 2nd, 2015 4-7pm October 3rd, 2015 4-7pm On October 9th and 10th we will be featuring the Peroni Brewery from Italy and has been in existence since 1846. The original recipe is still used to this day and is features fruity and floral notes. Peroni will be featured at tastings at the following locations: October 9th, Peroni_Logo2015 5-7pm October 10th, 2015 2-4pm Peak Organic Brewing Company is next to be on tap. Brewed in Maine, their IPA is brewed with three different varieties of hops that provide citrus and floral notes instead of the bittering hops typically found in IPAs. To try Pale Organic Brewing Company’s IPA stop by one of the following stores: October 15th, 2015 October 16th, 2015download October 18th, 2015 brewery-ommegang-85412382 Ommegang Is back with their first ever American-style IPA! Currently the Nirvana IPA is only available in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut and we have a special tasting for one day only! Stop by the stores listed below to try this brew which is produced at Ommegang’s sister brewery in Kanas City, October 17th, 2015 Magic-Hat-Wilhelm-Scream-Pumpkin-Ale Now you can’t have beer tastings in October without at least one pumpkin beer. This month’s pumpkin variety is brought to you by Magic Hat featuring Wilhelm Scream. Wilhelm Scream includes pumpkin, cinnamon, and caramel malts to feature all the best of what fall has to offer. Try it October 23rd and 24th at these locations: October 23rd, 2015 4-6pm October 24th, 2015 11am-2pm Follow Price Chopper and Market 32 on Twitter for the dates and times of tastings later this month! Written by: Kevin Schulke, Senior Category Manager Beer & Wine You know it is something special when you get your own T-H-E proceeding the name and the people at Goose Island Brewing knew this was a very special beer when they named it “The Ogden.” After all this Belgian Tripel was named after William B. Ogden and not only was he the 1st to open a Brewery in Chicago, he became their 1st Mayor. He also served as a Trustee to the Chicago Land Company which sliced a channel creating an Island in the Chicago River later named Goose Island and the namesake of the of the now well know Brewery. the ogdenWilliam was not done after a stint in business and public service, he went into the Railroad Business and led a campaign to connect the East and West Coasts with a Railroad Line this effort was completed in 1869 in a town called Ogden Flats Utah and that is where they drove the “Golden Spike” on May 10th . It was the culmination of of a long and difficult project. The name Belgian Tripel refers to the use of up to 3 times the malt of the standard Trappist brewing style. This Belgian style Tripel is gold in color with a dense creamy head. The aromas and flavors are of Tropical Fruits with banana characteristics, there is a sweetness from the hops and higher alcohol, true to the Tripel standard of 9 percent alcohol. We will have a very limited supply of THE OGDEN at our Growler Stations beginning at 10 am on August 8th, please don’t wait too long for when our barrels are poured, it is gone. This is beer is truly fitting to be a reward after a long or difficult personal effort whether it is after a hard day working in the yard or after you just drove your own “golden spike”. Join us on August 8th from 10 AM-Noon at the following locations to taste The Ogden and don’t forget to bring your growler to take home this special brew! Locations with Growler Stations: Market 32, Clifton Park, NY (Shoppers World) Market Bistro, Latham, NY Bethlehem (Slingerlands), NY Malta, NY Route 50 (Saratoga, NY) Market 32, Wilton, NY