Hey guys just looking for some feedback about a recent trade mishap. I traded for a 2l growler of HF Abner and when it arrived(a few days later than promised), it was not a 2l swing top HF growler, but another brewery's screwtop growler. The growler had leaked pretty badly and the box smelled nasty. My question is when you trade for a growler from a brewery, don't you expect it to be their glass unless otherwise specified? The trade was essentially $4$, so I factored in the cost of a HF growler to what I should send in return as well. The other trader says I should have specified that it came in HF glass. Thoughts?
It should have been in a HF growler unless specified otherwise, IMHO. Particularly since it was in a non-HF growler, if it leaked the other trader should make it right.
Did he specify where he was getting the fill from ? (If HF is brewery only then id absoultely say it should be a HF growler) Ive sent out 2 growlers ( psuedo sue), both of which I was sure to tell people these come from a liquor store (in WI) that does growler fills. Here in MN it is illegal for breweries to fill a growler which isnt theirs so I guess we dont have any other option. There was a post similar to this about specifying vintages. Ill go with this ; while sometimes things may seem to be blatantly obvious, don't just assume. You know what they say about assuming.
Yeah, he said he was making the trip to Hill Farmstead to get it. It's brewery only. I totally agree about making assumptions and I try not to, but this one was a real surprise. If it was another brewery's swingtop, it would not be a problem really, but it was a cheaper style growler. One that probably shouldn't be shipped from NY to CA(especially if it arrives 4 days after the brewery's suggested drink by date which was stamped on the growler tag).
I wouldnt say you should expect it in the brewery's growler but the style of growler should 100% be discussed. As an example of what I mean, I personally would not send out or agree to receive a screwtop growler, but I would be more willing to send or accept a swing top. Edit: I see you posted same time saying basically the same thing.
Much more important than the growler glass is the condition in which it comes. If it leaks, It's incumbent on the sender to make it right. This is a risk we take when trading growlers but I believe the risk is undertaken by the sender. If it arrives and is fresh, full and delicious - who cares what glass it comes in? But if it arrives not full, degraded, flat, etc., the sender should make it right.
I think it depends on the extent of the leak and how flat is the beer now (although I got Abner in 750ml swing top that was pretty flat). I got a 2L screw top growler of Alpine Bad Boy. My partner really tapped the heck out of the cap, bagged it a bunch of times and it still leaked. However, it wasn't a significant volume loss and carbonation was still very good. That said, the OP said the it "leaked pretty badly", which I'm assuming flat beer and significant loss of volume. The other trader should really make good on it. It seems to be a poor packing job. OP was the cap well-taped and growler was placed into a bag (trash bag)? Lastly, I do agree too that if you want brewery-specific growler, make sure your trade partner knows. I personally just want to have the growler to be of good quality to hold carb and beer, and that it's well-packed for shipment.
It was packed fine as far as I can tell. But there is about 2.5 inches of headspace. I'll be cracking it this afternoon so I'll see what it tastes like. Yeah I just want a high quality growler. Don't care about the name on the outside.
If it was well-packed and you still have carbonation, then I don't think the other trader needs to ship you a replacement. Sometimes growlers aren't filled to the brim (I can't recall how it is with HF fills) so maybe not all that 2.5" was due to leakage. I know when my Bad Boy growler arrived, the box smelled delicious because of the leak.
Oh definitely. If it tastes fine and is carbed fine, no harm no foul. I brought it up more for the discussion about expectations for growler types when trading. Especially since glass cost was involved with the trade in my case.
I have considerable experience shipping HF growler fills so here is my take: If the cost of a new HF growler was included in the $4$ amount of the trade, a HF swing top growler absolutely should be expected, otherwise the sending is basically cheating you out of $10. When I setup trades I always factor in the cost of new glass, and make that clear to the other party. In cases where I have used other growlers I have on hand (whether swing tops or screw tops), I always mention that up front, and if the trader wants new HF growlers we just factor that in. HF generally fills to the top and caps on foam, so it there was 2inches of head space then there was likely leakage. Anyway, if the cost of the glass was included, the growlers should at minimum be of the same style/quality of the brewery in question. In this case I would say without hesitation the trader owes you something for $10 he took you for.
Trading growlers is far riskier than bottles. Hopefully people who trade growlers are diligent in how they are filled to minimize problems. But to me given inherent risk of growler trading I don't think sender is on the hook for a growler that arrives in less than perfect shape. Now if the growler broke or it was a bad packing job with bottles the sender is definitely on the hook. Hopefully in trades like this, good faith and advocacy prevails and trading partners work something out.
I guess I would personally assume if im trading for a growler from a BREWERY, I would expect to get a growler from said brewery..
