Aging beer in growlers

Depends, how was it filled and what type of growler are we talking?

 

Short answer: no.

Long answer: it depends almost entirely on how it was filled and how it's sealed.

 

If it's counter pressure filled and completely sterile, then wrapped to hell with stretch and seal, give it a try.

 

What's the point in aging in a growler? You tie up the growler while the beer is aging and you run the risk of having a flat beer. Just buy the same beer in bottles or cans.

 

Not everything is available in cans/bottles, and you can buy an extra growler for $3

There isn't any reason a counter-pressure filled growler would run any more risk of being flat than a standard bottle.

 

Seals tend to not be as good, in my experience. I mean, what kind of growler is going to maintain as well as a cork or a cap? Flip-tops suck and screws aren't that great, even if you take a pipe wrench to it.

 

This. Although swing tops, if made well enough, can properly seal a beer for a decade+.

 

What's wrong with swing-tops?
Swing top growlers that have been filled properly age like anything else. I have swing-tops filled from a keg of Event Horizon from 2010 and swing-tops of homebrew that are older that that and every one that I've opened have been just dandy.
Screw-on capped growlers, not so much, but even those are fine for a year + if you use a piece of teflon tape.

 

Maybe RR's just suck, but I've had them go flat in days. The whole "filled properly" thing seems to be more of an issue, it's hard to get the rubber gasket aligned right, or something...

Anyway, it's clear that it can work, I didn't deny that (or didn't mean to), it's just that they won't always work, and you need to be careful.

 

Just seal them if you want to save them. Nothing gets around stretch and seal.

 

Swing tops are clearly the best option, but even their seal can be spotty sometimes. Long term growler aging is simply more of a gamble.

 

I would not recommend this at all. If it is your regular growler fill from your brewery it MUST be drank fresh. When I asked a Certified beer judge he said "Threat it like milk, its only going to keep for a short while". Soon after that you will find that it developed "off flavors" (For more on "off flavors" google the beer judge certification study material). The reason the "off flavors" develop is because of the air in the growler, its bad for the beer. The reason why you can age the large 3 liter bottles that you see from Stone brewery for example is because they actually spray CO2 and top off the bottle before sealing the pop top. So those are age-able. I've made the mistake once before I was educated of leaving a growler that I had filled in the fridge for over a month. When I opened it my 2L of Oaked Arrogant Bastard tasted like butter...literally. It was undrinkable (even if you love butter lol). I later learned that it was one of the "off flavors". Good tasting!

 

Personal experience or can you cite a source?

 

I literally had some 2014 bklyn chocolate I had forgot about yesterday. Got it in January I believe, flat and traded like chocolate wine. Drainpour(though I drank a glass first).

 

The growler should seal well enough for you to age it at least a year in my experience. I will agree that there could be issues if it was filled sloppy or if you have a bad cap.

 

Did you trade for that EH by chance? I think I know who you got it from!

 

I've gone 4+ Months with a metal screw top type growlers without any issues. I say go for it.

 

I opened an 8 month old growler of Fathead's Four Roses BA Hippy Sippy and it was magical. Was not counter pressure filled or anything special, just filled from a faucet with tubing and capped on foam.

 

Could you take a freshly filled growler, use a bottle filler to fill smaller bottles, then cap? This allows you to age that random beer that may not be available in bottles or cans. I've never tried this, but seems possible. Thoughts?