Growler Deposits

I think this is where there is going to be issues. You're going to get dirty growlers back and then have to go back and forth with the customer about giving them their deposit and potentially lose the customer.

I'd suggest just accepting any growler and deal with cleaning it or don't do the deposit thing, just sell the glass.

And no 16oz growlers unless the cost to fill is exactly half that of a 32 oz growler.

 

Well, not to get too nerdy, but...

The crowlers come on a non-standard pallet that takes up a slightly larger footprint than a standard 48x40 inch pallet. You can't unstack them, so you have to park the pallet. And you're limited to certain quantities.https://www.ball.com/na/solutions/markets-capabilities/capabilities/beyond-beverage-cans/crowler . Plus, they're easily damaged, with no real protection.

With growlers, they come in cases, which keeps them clean and relatively safe. You can strip down the pallet, and stack them somewhere. And you can buy smaller quantities, from 12 cases up: https://egrandstand.com/1-2-gallon-amber-growler-64-oz.html

 

My biggest problem with growlers is the trouble of bothering to take them back to the brewery. I do a lot of my brewery visits after work or on a whim, so I'm usually not looking to grab a growler for a specific brewery when I'm heading out. Most breweries around here sell 750 ml crowlers (I get the impression that they've surpassed growler sales at most breweries), and I prefer that option to a 64 oz. growler every time* (keeps better, stronger carbonation levels, more reasonable size, no deposits or empty containers to clean and store and return), even though the per ounce price is higher. Your proposed program sounds decent for people who already purchase growlers (and a lot of breweries have similar policies already) but wouldn't attract a crowler fan like myself to regress to the growler format.

* Well, almost every time. If I'm going to a party in the next couple of days, I may grab a growler; that's about the only situation I think they fit well. I always prefer professionally cleaned and counterpressure-filled growlers, not my own growler refilled from the tap.

What's your objection to doing crowlers, exactly?

 

And also a lot more handling, especially for not huge stores....

 

I don't plan good.

 

More likely but probably still wouldn't do it. I'd still have to bring them all back eventually, and that creates a psychological barrier for me (seems not worth the trouble).

If you accepted any growler (not just your own) as a trade-in, that would motivate me more. I always keep a clean empty growler in my trunk just in case, but that would be from whatever brewery I happened to grab.

 

You saw my closet?

 

LOL

 

I’m partial to Crowlers over Growlers, I’ve got half a shelf dedicated to old jugs. I like Crowlers are smaller, travel better and last longer, even if they might be a bit more expensive. 64 oz Growlers never excited me much, and a place like Heist in Charlotte use 32 oz Crowlers anyway over some 25 oz cans. I can buy multiples so I can have variety and not have to chug them in a few days.

 

I've got a shit-ton of growlers I will never get back to the respective breweries. Thrown many out as a matter of fact. Price I pay for taking my wife's vehicle sometimes and not mine which always has a re-usable thermos-style growler in it.
Go with crowlers. Cleanliness, freshness and convenience demands it.

 

Just a thought... maybe the customer pays the deposit and swaps out the growler every time they get one filled. Might eliminate the haggling over cleanliness, and you could have growlers prepped and filled with popular brews during busy times.

Also, if you're basing the return refund on growlers with your logo, is it a problem when someone gives their growler to someone else? Do you care who gets the deposit back? Maybe you explained that and I missed it.

Interesting idea. I'd certainly try it if a local place offered the program.

 

I would use the buy back option if I was a local to the area. It would come in handy if I wasn’t planning to visit the brewery or buy a growler then found myself at the brewery wanting a growler fill. However, most of the time I bring a growler to a brewery when I plan a visit.

Crowlers are nice because if you aren’t local you’ll end up having to buy yet another growler to fill the garage up with. For instance, i was just on a family vacation and was able to get some Crowler fills from a brewery I may never visit again because it’s 10 hours from my house. Thus, a buy back option doesn’t do me any good.

 

Am I off here: you want to pass the inconvenience of growlers onto the customer, because crowlers are too inconvenient for you?

 

I’d be surprised if a straight yes or no poll shows customers would prefer Crowlers over Growlers. And from your standpoint you don’t have to even think about sterilizing used jugs, besides without the proper system Growlers lifespan is short, and the 64 oz unwieldy, and recapping is useless imo.