Questions about shipping growlers....help please

I'm not sure what the "rules" are, but I can tell you what I've been told and done myself. Swing-tops > screw-on caps. Electrical tape around the seal/seams. Bag it, and bag it again. I wrap mine in bubble wrap, place inside a styrofoam box/cooler. Pack newspaper around it. Tape that cooler shut with electrical tape along seams. Then box that in larger box, packed with newspaper. If you have the space inside your foam cooler, wrap a towel around the growler to absorb any possible leakage

 

Electrical tape around the cap is your best friend. As is bubble wrap, and lots of it.
Boxing with two boxes is a good idea too, you can pad the inner box and keep it really safe.
And put the growler in a garbage bag in case it leaks.

 

That wasn't the intention of the styrofoam cooler. Just greater protection than an inner cardboard box. I have the added benefit of regularly having cold things overnighted to me at work, so I have a huge amount of foam coolers sitting around. I'm sure anyone would be happy to receive a still chilled growler, but that's not the ultimate goal.

 

I never packed a growler, but packed plenty of delicate and breakables for shipping. I've never had much luck getting electrical tape stick to anything. It's fine to tape several layers around the cap (I usually use Scotch clear packaging tape, but it's not essential), but styrofoam is better sealed with duct tape. It's not easy to find disposable styrofoam coolers just the right size, but it's possible. If you can't get the cooler, I've just used cut up cardboard boxes, crumpled newspapers and "peanuts" as filler, then double box for shipping. The key is that the two external boxes not be snug one inside the other, but have a layer of packing material between them (well crumpled paper does the trick, but any packing will do). You actually want things to be slightly loose, not completely immobilized. This way if content is bumped it has a little "give" to shift rather than go into compression. But not too loose, just enough to nudge a bit.

 

that is just a bad bad idea. growlers have such a limited shelflife i barely see the point. i mean, it is essentially a big bottle of open beer you need to consume immediately... they are flat in less than 24 hours.

 

Box within a box, more padding / packing material than you think necessary, and if using a screw top growler I recommend rubberized splicing tape. Only tape that I've ever used that creates a watertight seal if your screw tap happens to come 1/4 turn off.

I've shipped a lot of growlers of all sizes, and by far the easiest way is to convert a 12bottle sytro shipper by cutting out the middle of a 4 bottle group. It will hold it absolutely tight, and you can fit extras in without fear of them breaking the growler.

Cheers!

 

I've not experienced any issues and typically people are shipping swing top sealed growlers as I have seen

 

In the entire time I've been in growling at the moon (both here and on FB) and with trades all over the country, I've only ever had 2 flat growler come (and 1 break) in transit.

Anyplace that does counterpressure growler fills has created a vessel that is no worse than most small breweries bottled offerings.

Don't ship in the middle of the summer or winter, make sure it doesn't sit in a warehouse over the weekend, and ensure you get a bottom filled or counterpressure filled growler (fills from the tap without tubing will not hold up).

Cheers!

 

I always tape my growlers with electrical tape, wrap in bubble wrap, and place in a small box/cardboard tube. I set that entire thing inside of the big box (which in my case is usually filled with other bottles) and pack all empty space or "voids" with newspaper/packing peanuts. Shipped growlers to Minnesota, North Dakota, Florida, and Massachusetts so far with no problems.

I usually also try to keep the growlers upright in the box (i.e. the label above the caps of the growlers).

Good luck shipping!

 

Went to school in Champaign, back in the burbs. Miss places like Blind Pig, Crane Alley, Radio Marias...

Cheers!

 

by open, you mean, closed, and by consume immediately, you mean, consume or now or whenever you want, just like every standard retail beer available?

 

I have never had this happen with 24 growlers shipped and 24 received. Plumbers tape around cap, double boxed with plentiful padding, wrapped in plastic bag just in case, and good to go. I try to send counter pressure filled if possible, but regular filled works just fine. And screw top works just fine too, despite others insistence that swing top is better.

 

If I were running a Growler BIF I would make the requirements crystal clear to all who want to participate. Some ideas:

Request that participants have successfully shipped a growler before, although I can't think of an easy way to validate this.

Post packing recommendations, and set minimum requirements such as tape, box/cooler within a box, trash bag, etc.

Require growlers to ship out within X days of being filled, refrigerated until shipped.


Also, I noticed you're about 3 months into BA (which could mean nothing or everything). If this is your first time running a BIF you might think about starting with bottles/cans first as they come with less risk. Not a sermon, just a thought. Good luck!

 

I've wrapped the growler threads with Teflon sealing tape on the last few screw top growlers I've mailed. Works like a charm. Just make sure you wrap the threads before you hand the growler over so they seal on foam with the tape in place.

 

Someone should ask retai-

Oh wait.