I'm looking to buy a good growler that I can ship between two parties, something stainless steel and can hold freshness a little longer than the normal screw top glass ones. I've seen ones advertised that keep things cold for 24 hours and can hold freshness upwards of 25-30 days. Does anyone have any recommendations on what they have had success with or what to stay away from?
Check out the stainless steel growler from Northern Brewer http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/hydroflask-growler.html
The method of filling the growler is the most important factor IMHO. Clean and sanitize, prechill, purge with CO2, then bottom fill slowly and cap on foam. I'd be skeptical of any claims that a more expensive growler will keep beer fresher longer than a properly filled inexpensive one.
A screw cap growler can not keep beer as long as a bail top no matter how you fill it. I think if you can find a stainless double wall bail top growler "your in like Flynn"!
so something like a swing top vs. a nalgeen bottle type lid? Have you seen anything like that out there? I'm having trouble finding one like that that is double walled, I can find a regular one but I want something with insulation.
So long as its sealed and not messed with and you ship it 2nd day and its padded. You don't need more than what is provided. I traveled with a growler and let it sit a week. Came out fine. Personal preference. I hate the metal screw tops and prefer the plastic tops and sealed with electrical tape.
I think this is the same thing for about half the cost. http://www.amazon.com/Lifeline-7500...e=UTF8&qid=1383233252&sr=8-2&keywords=growler
I heard good stuff about these guys, and they got massive support on Kickstarter: http://drinktanks.com/ A bit on the pricey side though.
Looked but cannot find, and I was talking a standard brown growler screw lid, I believe the other nalgene style screw lids on double wall stainless growlers work just fine.
I can't speak more highly of the Lifeline 7500. I ordered one from a local brewery that has their logo and my named engraved. It looks amazing, has solid construction and durability, and lives up to my expectations. Shortly after receiving it, I "tested" it by having it filled and leaving it on the counter for a little over 12 hours. A friend and I popped it and the beer was still cold and had excellent carbonation. We emptied about half of it and I threw it in the fridge for about five days. Even after having opened it, the carbonation held well and was more than drinkable. I've only used it a handful of times (typically emptying it within 24 hours), but it's a top-notch growler that does its job well. If you're simply worried about freshness, I'd endorse the 7500. I don't think it would be a problem to fill, seal, and ship and still have fresh, drinkable beer after being tossed back in the refrigerator. There has been some talk lately about swing tops being better than screw tops, but in my experience, the opposite has been true. A friend has a swing top, double-walled, insulated growler that he picked up from a brewery in Nashville, and it doesn't keep the beer as well as the 7500 (screw top) does. In my opinion, swing top insulated growlers are an attempt to fix a problem that doesn't really exist ... and they don't even meet that objective. My experience with both is limited, and I assume there is some personal preference here, but I'm happy to stick with the 7500 over anything else I've tried.
The vacuum seal is for insulation between the two walls. Has nothing to do with the beer, only the ability to keep hot/cool.
I love that growler with the keg cap, but I can't justify paying $120 for it. It would seem to me that a bladder with a spigot might be the cheapest and easiest way to preserve beer for an extended period. Are there any solutions out there like this or does this create problems I'm not thinking of?
Well for what its worth I have personally tested it, and will use nothing but bail top if I plan on hanging on to it for at least 3 weeks. I have actually had one in a bail top for a month and took it to a party and nobody was the wiser. I have tried to do screw top for a week and it lost considerable carbonation, wont do it again.
I use nothing but vacuum sealed double walled stainless growlers now. I can't speak highly enough of them. I will say I've never shipped one. My biggest issue with them is the fills they receive from bars/breweries/etc. Unless the person is experienced filling them you are guaranteed to be short filled.
