Stupid Growler Question

Beer from a growler WILL go flat pretty quickly, especially screw-tops. I usually only get 2 sessions out of one growler. The first one is delightful. If I wait >12 hrs for the next one, it is usually significantly less carbonated. Ways to counter this include getting a vacuum pump for negative pressure in the growler, or transferring the leftover contents into a smaller 32 oz growler after your first session. Overall though, I usually just get growlers when I know I'm drinking with 1-2 other people so that we ideally finish it in the first session.

 

I'm not an expert but I had the same problem at Christmas. I was home in Pa and got a growler filled of Mad Elf, I saw how they did it which was basically pouring it strait into the growler from the tap. Filled it up, then I paid quite a bit for it. I hoped it would last, but it didn't last more than a day. So now I know, that I have to drink it that night. Kinda makes me realize why I see the "brewers hate growlers" articles. On the other hand, it's great when someone like stone fills my growler. Seems to last days.

 

Screw cap's generally have about a week worth of life when properly refrigerated. I've even had some go for 3 weeks, untouched. BUT if proper refrigeration isn't taken immediately and its unscrewed and left put in the sun, than you may have a problemo. Bit from everything you said even with someone unscrewing it, because my gf by accident unscrewed a limited Growler of mine, it still went 4 days of freshness after that dreaded day... sounds like funny work or funny brew tap my friend

 

Once you open the cap, you're committed. You almost need to plan on having multiple people to help you drink it. Unless you have a half growler ( 32 oz) which is way more convenient for a 1 person show. Also, I've have had an unopened growler in the fridge that lasted 2 months before. Both times, I opened it, and it was as if it was poured hours ago. The key was not to open it even once.

 

stupid growlers need the most love!

 

Even after opened (as long as it is recapped tightly) it should last 2/3 days. I've popped many open, had a few pours, recapped, and refrigerated to finish the next day. There is just as much carb the next day as the first.

 

I agree with this..I have found that some caps from different brewers are different..Example, Kuhnhenns caps "seem" almost like they really seal the growler back up and at times its difficult to re open when all of the others I have are relatively easy

 

If it was open after being filled and before you got to it I don't think counter pressure would make a difference since that co2 would have been released anyways. I've had growlers that were sealed properly last weeks in my fridge and retain carbonation. I've also gotten some where the lid isn't 100% snug and it lost carbonation in a day. I'd say check the lid for sure, but the fact it was open well before you got to it could be the culprit this time around.

 

I've found that counter pressure filled growlers last quite a bit longer than the screw tops, however, the plastic screw tops with the plastic baffle in the cap work better that the metal screw tops with just the rubber ring in the cap.

 

I've tried going to Lowe's or Home Depot and buying these heat wraps. Different shapes and sizes, wrapt it around the cap and bottle and heat with blow dryer or heat gun. I think it works, or it's just the will to believe that it works.

 

Pulling a vacuum will cause the CO2 to come out of solution more. The vacuum will have less O2 in the headspace over the beer, which is a plus - that is why the vacuuvin works for wine with no carbonation.

 

That person, whoever he or she is, does not love you.

 

So, let me preface this by saying I've never tried this idea with a screw-top growler but I've done it with the Tap-A-Draft homebrew kegging system which uses screw-type lids with plastic bottles... I take Press-and-Seal and put it pull it taught over the bottle-top before screwing the lid on... This really helped seal and hold in the carbonation. I think it would work too with growler, if you had a small piece to put on right after they fill it... Not the most convenient thing in the world but it should help prolong the carbonation.

 

Beers in properly filled growlers don't go flat quickly, if at all.

Given what you've said, I'd say the problem arises from the fill and the growler was not carefully filled, so you lost most of the carbonation during the filling process, just as a vigorous pour from a bottle straight into the bottom of the glass creates a large head, costing you some carbonation. So I'm betting that if you'd sampled the beer immediately after bringing it home it would have already been mostly as flat as when you opened it.

What I see happening here is the person who filled the growler, not knowing any better or not caring, set the growler under the tap and let the beer poor, creating a lot of foam. They then waited for the foam to go away and added more beer, repeating the process until your growler was full of beer with lots of lost carbonation. The 11 am opening would not have cost you much carbonation if the growler was recapped because it was a small headspace to be repressurized before no more carbonation was being lost.

 

Arizona just recently passed a growler law which allows ANY bar that wants to fill growlers. For that matter, anyone with a liquor license including package beer to go so there are 5 grocery stores with growlers to go in Tucson right now already after only a few months of that new law. I have never seen any contraption to provide vacuum or CO2 to a growler - if someone here knows of that kind of device please post links!

In my experience the critical factor is the head space and how it was filled. If filled up into the neck of the growler with beer and not foam, that growler will retain carbonation for a few days in the fridge unopened. only 3-4 hours after it is opened. If you fill the growler by letting all the foam out, then putting more beer in you have already screwed the growler out of its carbonation. A wide diameter flexy tube run from the tap to the bottom helps cut down on the initial foaming, but some beers/taps just don't do it adequately. The Perla taps seem to work better, IMHO.

 

Metal screw caps will last much longer than that. I do not know why anyone would want to age a growler for an extended period of time given the risks and the fact that one of the reasons why I prefer draft is freshness, but with a good seal and minimal airspace and at least a tube and bottom-up fill, you should be good for weeks if not months. If a growler's counter-pressured, it's basically the same as a regular bottling. If it's just tap without tube, I would drink ASAP regardless of screw or fliptop.

OP, whoever opened your beer to check what it is did you a major disservice. Was it someone in your house or an employee where you bought it?

 

I routinely leave growlers for a week or 2 before opening and never have a problem. It's when it's opened and poured out that you get issues going flat - there's that much more headspace available for the co2 to come out of solution and fill it up. That said, 24 hours later I usually have scent carbonation left, 48 hours or more and you're looking at flatness. I this k part of the problem with the open is that besides someone opening it to begin with, FBS isn't a highly carbonated beer to begin with as is the Mad Elf someone else mentioned. Less carbonation to begin with obviously equals less after opening.