Saving the World, Growler by Growler

Beer is good. But when beer does good, it’s even better. Beer for a good cause is just one of the promises that the makers of Hydro Flask take seriously; customers get to choose which charities the company benefits. Another promise is that Hydro Flask will keep your beer consistently cold—and as carbonated as any growler—for up to 24 hours. Oh, and Hydro Flask also promises you won’t be consuming any harmful chemicals like BPA when you sip on your favorite Stout.

Hydro Flask is a company that makes beverage bottles—from 12-ounce single-serves to 64-ounce growler-sized vessels, with several sizes in between. Made from food-grade 18/8 stainless steel, these reusable containers also feature double-wall vacuum insulation that ensures your cold beer stays cold for as long as 24 hours, without any ice.

The brainchild of Travis Rosbach, Hydro Flask was the result of his being fed up with beverage bottles that promised so much but, once purchased, failed epically. “From plastics that leached harmful BPA to temperature fluctuations that would make mercury ashamed,” Rosbach says about other bottles on the Hydro Flask website. “If the hot tea I put in them didn’t scald my hands when I picked them up, then the ice-cold water I took to the beach made the bottles sweat and collect more sand than a sunbather’s bikini bottom.”

Rosbach decided to channel his frustrations into building a better bottle. Once he started listing what he wanted in his reusable container, that turned out to be a tall order. “It had to keep hot liquids hot and cold liquids cold. Period,” he says. “It should be BPA free, lightweight, durable, sweat proof, freeze proof, recyclable and come with an unconditional lifetime warranty.”

A few years, a bunch of tweaks and several prototypes later, the Hyrdo Flask was born. Not content with just one type, though, and knowing that his bottles could also keep contents hot for 12 hours, Rosbach created larger Hydro Flasks for everything from soups to beer. He says it was his passion for the latter that inspired the Hydro Flask growler—because he wanted to enjoy fresh, cold beer while camping, hiking and participating in other outdoor activities. He discovered that his stainless-steel version of a growler worked better than the traditional glass ones.

“Since brown glass bottles are better than clear glass bottles for keeping nasty light rays out, it goes without saying that a stainless-steel bottle will be great since there will be no light penetration at all,” he says. “They also won’t shatter when dropped, which does tend to happen when one drinks beer!”

Just like a regular growler, the stainless-steel Hydro Flask provides a great way for breweries to brand their beers. Rosbach says breweries’ logos can either be engraved or silk-screened on the Hydro Flasks—making for a true standout at parties and other gatherings, and a durable one at that.

And yes, Hydro Flask donates 5 percent of gross revenues to different charities, making it an even better way to transport good beer: for a good cause. “We have a program called fivepercentback.org. This organization was started by Hydro Flask,” Rosbach says, further explaining that other businesses also are involved in the organization. “After a purchase, all you need to do is go to fivepercentback.org, input the serial number from your Hydro Flask bottle and select a charity that resonates with you to invoke positive change.”

Recipients are as wide ranging as National Pubic Radio, Autism Service Dogs of America, Adopt-A-Classroom, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Now that’s change we all can embrace. Get details at hydroflask.com. ■