Growler Bar

I am going to be the weird one here but these involve service. First, the sniff test. Does the person filling my growler care that the growler is clean? Second, free replacement caps (the good ones, not the cheap paper backed ones) AKA does the person filling my growler care that the growler will stay fresh the longest?

 

Here are my priorities with a growler filling place:

1. If it is legal to fill a growler that doesn't bear your mark on it and you refuse to, I will go to the end of the earth to destroy your business any way I can. The last thing in this world I need is another normal boring 64 oz growler. I find these places run by the scum of the earth also think that a reasonable price for a normal 64 oz glass growler is roughly the cost of a bud light 6 pack. If you all know any of these places (ones where it's illegal to fill other growlers exempted), I recommend bringing in one of your growlers you don't care about (we all have a couple) full of gasoline and molotov cocktailing the place.

2. Up to date tap list easily checked from my phone.

3. Price - A 64 growler should always be ~20% cheaper per oz than the same beer in six pack. If I want to buy a six pack, I can drink one every day for the next 6 days/weeks with absolutely no concern about the six pack going bad. A growler, I have roughly 48 hours from the first time I crack it to finish it. Some beers, this isn't a big issue, other things like high alcohol specialty releases (the best things to get in growlers since bottle/can availability is limited or nonexistent), knocking bad 4-5 pints in a couple days may not be what I'm going for.

4. One of my favorite things I've ever seen from a growler spot was to partner with a small brewery, make their own Rye IPA and be the exclusive distributor of that beer (Rye 75 from Party Town in Florence, KY). They also sold it dirt freakin cheap, something like $5.99 for 64 oz. This would make me stop into that place even if I wasn't sure I wanted a growler, because a great beer cheap is almost better than sex.

5. If you have a very esoteric variety of beer, be happy to give out a few 2 oz samples. I have no problem paying $19.99 for the right beer, but if I get home and it sucks, I'm going to be annoyed that I couldn't avoid it and buy something else with a quick taste at the growler spot.

 

Price is top priority unless its a tap only beer. Too many times a six pack is $11 and the same beer in a 64oz growler is $15 or more. Its very rare anymore I see a growler at a better price than the 4/6 pack. This is why I have pretty much stopped buying growlers. The WF near me has 8 taps and most of the time there is a 12-15$ fill and then it goes on up to $40 fills with most in the $18-32 range. Ten fidy growlers for more than double the four pack price, really?

Enjoy

 

I was at Thristy Dog around Xmas , their 12 dogs is Christmas is my favorite Xmas ale. They had a 12 month old barrel aged 12 dogs on tap. I coughed up the $5 for a sample( glad I did, it was amazing)
I said I'd like to take home a growler. She said $50 . I'll have a growler of Scottish Ale please. $15

 

What about brewpubs that only serve by the growler, and you had to drink it on premises (glasses made available so patrons can pour their own drinks). Plus, you wouldn't have to pay a deposit on the growlers, and hopefully have a better value than buying a pitcher.

I think that would have a cool old fashioned tavern style feel to it. No music playing, but a stage so others can bring in their own instruments and play.

 

I only buy growlers if i cant buy it in bottles. Period.

 

With a counter-pressure system, you CAN fill a stainless steel growler, but it takes some practice. Since I can't see the beer filling, I can gauge it by the coolness of the steel as it feels as well as by the sound as it nears the top (gotta get in close for that).

I imagine some places with c-p systems won't fill a steel (or ceramic) growler, but we do it all the time. It just takes a little longer.

 

Per #5 - providing samples is not allowed in all states. In NY we cannot by law. We'd like it to be different, and with the way that NYS has been making it easier for craft breweries to provide on-premises bars, who know?

 

It's your growler, it's up to you to make sure it's clean. If you can't take care of your own stuff, don't expect someone else to take care of it for you. And, if the cap is all beat to hell, sure toss a new one on, but you don't get a new cap with every fill. Sure, they're only about a dime each, but at a busy place, it would add up quick.

Quick story: one of my locals had a guy who came in every afternoon, like clockwork, to have an IPA, and get a growler fill of IPA. And every single day, his growler wouldn't have a cap. Gets a new cap on Monday, doesn't have a cap on Tuesday. This goes on for months. Finally the boss says, "look, just start charging him for the new cap". So they do. Dude gets pissed, stops buying his daily pint. Still came everyday for his growler, and new cap. Every day, a new cap. He musta thought they were like bottle caps, one use and done. Or else he had a hell of a stash of the things somewhere.

 

There's been some chatter about the WALCB starting to crack down on the samples too. It's illegal to give alcohol away in WA, but samples have never been an issue. We recently had the Washington Brewers Open House, and only 2 of the 5 open breweries in town gave samples with the tours, the others were afraid getting on the wrong side of LCB.

 

I make at least one growler run a week. To be honest, they never stick around long in my fridge so counter-pressure fills aren't a big concern for me. I think it's a nice add-value, especially if you are hitting up a bunch of breweries and want them to hold more than a few days.

But to answer the question: I like the experience of picking up a beer I probably can't get in a bottle or can, or at least not easily. I don't factor in cost differences. I also like supporting a brewery directly and cutting out the middle men. There is also something to be said about the conversations you have in line. You and everyone else all have one certain thing in common—a love of craft beer.

 

Just picked up a 32oz Founders Breakfast Stout for $5 filled with the counter pressure system!

 

same here in CT

 

My top priority is an up to date list online and in the store. One place near me keeps a chalkboard up to date and has a webcam pointed at it streaming online. Update in one spot and done.

 

A good fill...if it's not, then it's not worth drinking...end of story.