Growler Bar

The first thing I look for is price. If I'm taking a growler away I don't expect to pay almost the same that I'd pay for the equivalent in pints at the bar. Too many places overcharge, and the prices aren't always clear, so I tend to stick to brewpubs.

Filling is another issue. If the barkeep can't fill the growler properly the first time, I never go back. I don't want a growler of beer that'll clearly be under carbonated as it's been overly roughed up in filling - I've even been handed growlers that were half-full under a massive amount of foam !!!

 

One of the most important things for me is selection. Obviously we're not talking whalez here, but I'm also not going to go into a growler bar and fill one up with a beer I wouldn't actively seek out normally. If you can't see beer nerds coming into your bar for a pint of the beer, they definitely won't be coming in for a growler. Obviously I know that like price, this is partially out of your hands, but you should be able to get some great stuff.

 

Price is at the top of the list. If it's not economically beneficial to grab a growler over a six pack, no dice.

A very close second would fall onto customer service and knowledge, i.e. a group of friendly, social beer geeks.

Edit: Another great addition is the willingness to fill 'foreign' growlers (assuming that's legal for your locale).

 

My Local spot has 16 taps available for fills with the cheapest prices BY FAR in the area. 10 dollar 64oz fill of Alpha King? Sign me up. There are alot of places where I live hoping on the craft beer train, however their fill prices are insane. Why would i want to pay double for a 64oz growler then i would for a 6pack? F outtta here.

 

I'm jelly, all we can do is fill at breweries

 

Price is definitely key. My local spot has a counter-pressure system and yet still has awesome prices. I plan on getting a 32oz fill of La Folie for $9.50 tonight if they still have some left. When a 22oz bottle is atleast $16, and it's a beer I haven't tried before, it makes a ton of sense. They have to add value because the growler concept is at a natural disadvantage to bottles/cans.

 

My local bottle shop has me spoiled with filling growlers with a counter pressurized growler filler! My unopened filled growlers last for weeks.....if I want them to! It makes it nice to get a special beer on draft that you want to save for a special occasion. I don't go anywhere else because of this system. I also find myself filling 32oz growlers mostly, which cost between $6-$8 - not bad for 2 pints.

 

The best growler fill stations I've been to have the following characteristics:

Clean taps with easy to read, up to date taplists (online too)
Competitive prices and wide variety (most local places have 20+ taps with many rotating styles, and include cider/kombucha/sangria)
Staff is knowledgable about breweries, beer styles, glassware, and ready to offer samples
CO2 purge before fill, cap on foam

 

Growler.... bar?
- Confused Mass. beer drinker.

 

variety...something i can't normally get or haven't tried yet....I went to a few Growler bars when i was in Atlanta...I loved it!! Wish they had growler bars up here in NJ.....It's strickly a growler store, 20-30 beers on tap..

 

To me the most important thing is selection. I am really only interested in beers that I cant easily pick up in a 6/4 pk.

If I walk into a place and they have growlers of Flower Power, Prima Pils, SNPA..........Not so excited.

Now if they were to have some offerings from Carton, Other Half, Peekskill..........now I'm making a purchase.

 

Check all the beers every couple of days. Especially the hoppy ones. I bought a 32oz of ruinten once and had to drain pour it because it was just bad.. Please check and regulate you are not selling soured or past prime beers.

 

Reasonable pricing, correctly filled and my own rule is that I will never buy a growler of a beer that I can buy in bottles in the area.

 

Growler Guys are pretty awesome. We have a whole bunch of gas stations/c-stores that have counter pressure fills. Bale Breaker's winter warmer a few months back...from a Chevron? Hell yes!

 

If the beers on the growler menu can be easily bought in bottle format then I would never fill up a growler with that beer.

 

Does counter pressure work on all growlers (such as stainless) or just on the simple glass ones?

 

You have to be able to see through the glass to fill with a counter pressure system. So, no a stainless growler will not work.