This is an interesting find... My cousin is in Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada)and this really puts packaging in a different perspective. Fancy growlers or plastic 2 litre single use jug? It's no different then a juice or milk jug. I asked him to get me all the fresh IPAs! I don't see a need for the fancy glass growlers when this works and it's a very cheap alternative. I haven't seen anyone using these in my local market but I am going to talk to some brewers I know now considering the apple orchard up the street packages their cider in the exact same container. The only thing similar I've seen was when in Saint John (New Brunswick, Canada) at the Gahan House Brewery had single use plastic growlers, 50 cent deposit. Thoughts? Anything similar in your home market and are they different? Price, and or deposits? https://garrison-brewing.myshopify.com/products/one-way-growler
This is only my opinion Fuck no Plastic is a plague and if people dont clean then out properly before they attempt to recycles it is essentially trash that'll end up in a landfill. Aluminum crowlers and glass growlers are here for a reason
There's a brewery here in Seattle (Big Time) that will happily fill plastic containers in lieu of a glass growler. However, Crowlers are the future. I have so many glass growlers that I haven't used in years.
No to plastic. For anything where other materials are an option. Go crowler or glass and feel better about your environmental footprint.
Of those two options, I can't imagine someone going with a crowler and feeling better about their environmental footprint.
Neither would bother me, but it feels like debating the merits of VHS vs. DVD. One's clearly a better choice...but why would you settle for either when crowlers exist?
Glass all day. I don't drink beer out of plastic containers, and I would never buy beer packaged in plastic containers. (Well, except for malt liquor that one time...)
Here in WA the laws are pretty lax as to what can be filled. Basically, any sealable container can be used as a growler. Nalgene-type bottles are a popular choice for taking to the park: https://nalgene.com/# . I haven't seen him in a few years now, but there used to be a guy who brought in the same 1 gallon milk jug for a fill of IPA every work day at a local brewery. I don't think glass vs plastic is a big deal. If your local laws allow, use what ya got. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
I don't see a reason to pay a deposit for a single use plastic container. I would clean and bring my own glass growler. Cheers.
Past, present, future, whatever. They definitely have more of a marketshare at this point than growlers.
I still see a fair number of growlers being filled in my area, although more of the 32oz variety than the half-gallons. Just top of my head, I think about half of the breweries here have crowlers available.
I don't keep a growler with me all the time, so crowlers definitely help with impulse purchases when there's something I want. I do like the 32 oz growlers, and I even have a 16 oz glass one. Still need to plan ahead and make sure it's with me, though.
I see this as a cheaper alternative for smaller breweries as well as the consumer. No fancy tools or equipment. I was recently in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and a smaller brewer their charged a 1.50$ crowler deposit which I was rather surprised.
I'd rather pay extra and reduce the production and use of plastic. If I have enough money to enjoy craft beer then I have enough money to spend an extra couple of bucks on a glass growler.
I own one glass w/screw cap from Willoughby Brewing Co.(RIP) many moons ago that is now filled with caps. Once I bought a 64 oz. stainless steel swing top from Cellar Rats Brewing (RIP) that was the only vessel I ever needed. Swing top keeps things as carbonated as possible unlike a screw cap and no light to penetrate the product. I very rarely get fills, easier to buy single serve product unless I'm sharing.
Do either of you see interest in crowlers slipping in your area at this point? Over here it feels like the novelty and some of that interest wore off a long time ago... but I have an extremely limited perspective on it and don't really know.
I think Crowler's are great too especially while traveling. I always travel with my growlers in tow too.
Yeah, I'd be surprised too. A crowler to my way of thinking is just a large can and is not reusable. A deposit connotes reusable. I think that money is better described as paying for the empty can. On second thought, if you take it back to the brewery and buy another crowler of beer, if there is no charge this time, then calling it a deposit makes sense. And the Brewery gets the responsibility of recycling it.I To the OP's question, I have not seen plastic in use in breweries during my travels.
Fair point about aluminum vs glass. I was comparing either of those to a plastic jug from the OP. Glass Aluminum Plastic In order of enviro choice
Well, at least in my town, it seemed that stores and some bars that tend to feature out-of-town beers were more focused on crowlers. I think we have 14 breweries, with a couple more coming by fall, and I think only 6-7 of them have crowler machines. Stones Throw has a 16oz machine, and they mostly use it to stock their fridge with cans. Whole Foods has (maybe had, I haven't been in since pre-covid) a good deal on crowlers. A big issue, especially for the smaller breweries, is where to store the empty cans. You've gotta buy a whole pallet, which is 10 layers high, and storage is a pain, as is the crowlers getting damaged in shipping and storage.
It does? It did before the 1970s, when states starting enacting mandatory deposit laws (inc., IIRC, Michigan) but almost all deposits charged these days* in the US are for "one-way" bottles and cans. * Straub being notable for being the last brewery charging deposit on true returnable bottles, washing and re-using their own bottles in-house.
Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking.... living in the past probably. (And I should know because Michigan is one of the 10-cent deposit states.) Is Straub still using the returnable bottles today? My brother has 20+ cases of empties in his basement that he needs to clear out. He lives in Virginia, but the full cases came from a friend from PA who used to visit and would bring a case each time. He never took the empties.
'Pears so. RETURNABLE BOTTLES IIRC, the deposit's pretty high these days - $5 or so (same as a gallon of gas) - to incentivize people to return them. Imagine, some people don't . So it might be worth a trip to PA for your brother (unless he's gotta rent a van), especially considering he'll be able to buy some Straub beer. Unless he's gotta rent U-Haul. (Yeah, yeah. Get ready for the tired Seinfeld meme/video clip.)
What’s old is new, as material shortages occur look for more re-useable packaging to return. We could be back to returnable bottles before you know it. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...s-to-return-empty-ones-report-says/ar-AAYiYgz
It isn't packaged in a cider jug. Besides, I drink bottled beer when I have the choice. (Preferably seven-ounce brown bottles. )
In Ontario, deposits are required for all beer containers, either 10c to 20c. So maybe the higher deposit is a profit center? Minimum deposits are also required in some states, and almost none of those containers are washed and reused. In the best case, the glass, plastic, and aluminum are crushed and recycled.
I say no to plastic. I hate it. I do collect vintage plastic stuff but that’s already been made. I have a few glass growlers, not used one in quite some time. I don’t like crowlers, beer never seems to be as good as from a can/bottle. I recently read that most plastic gets burned as it’s too complicated and $$$ to sort all the different numbers and a lot of plastic is not really recyclable into anything worth using. Most glass also gets crushed and spread on land fills. Do crowlers get tossed if they have a paper label? What about cans? I tear off the plastic wrap but not paper. As much as I try I still feel it’s fruitless since as a species we are too ignorant and self centered to care enough. Like the OP talked about, plastic jug is cheap and that’s all most people care about. Resources are scarce and getting harder and more expensive as this current war has shown us. If we can’t figure out that some small inconveniences are ok we will be doomed in the long run( probable a short long run). Enjoy
Virtue signaling aside, I say no plastic because I really can’t imagine the beer retains freshness as well or offers the same experience after being stored in plastic. Cheers.
At the end of the day this seems like the most sustainable option that still maintains maximum enjoyment. Because let’s be honest, it’s a pain in the ass to sit there and peel labels, if you can even get them off. Thank God for $.10 deposit. Cheers.
They used to sell them with Breather Caps in England for Real Ale ( Early 90s ), but anything past 36 hours a crap shoot. They were supposed to be very re-usable & saw no evidence to contrary
