Growler bottles from beer stores

The only way I've seen it, is that you buy the bottle, and it's yours, you drink it and clean it and bring it back for a refill, use it for a vase or target practice

 

The only place I think I've seen returnable growlers is in NYC. I have a small collection of 32 & 64 oz. growlers from various places but usually just use 2 of the 32 oz. for regular fills.

 

I've never seen a returnable Growler in my life.

 

My experience has been you fill it you own it. But that's always been at the brewery. I've never experienced the pleasure of buying a growler second at a lquor store. They may have a different rule for taking one home fresh from somewhere other than the brewery depending on state?

 

I witnessed a comical exchange while waiting for growler fills at Tired Hands some time ago:

Woman: I'm just bringing this growler back to you.
Employee: That's yours to keep ma'am.
Woman: I don't want it. It just keeps rolling around in my car making noise
Employee: We will take it back but someone paid money for it at some point
Woman: Fine, I guess I'll keep it.

 

"Don't fill that up with beer! It's dirty and stinking! I want to give you this disgusting growler back and get a new clean one for the new beer, for no extra charge."

 

I'm up to 3 growlers and 1 crowler. Price has varied from 3.50-7, 1 from a brewery, 1 from a discount home store and the other 2 from bottle shops. Picked up the crowler today and paid $12 for the crowler itself and ab 8-bit fill. Killed 2 birds in 1 stop: trying a new IPA and getting a crowler. Crowler is going to be my go to: less to fill it and none to waste!

 

crowlers are refillable?

 

I did see, not long ago, here on BA, a brewery I believe, that took your growler back and gave you a new one every time.
I also know of a local brewery that will take any growler for trade on one of theirs.
Other than these two instances, I have always seen, you bought it, you own it.

 

Stupid me.... Misinformed. I've got 3 64oz and a 32oz and was calling the 32oz the crowler (all refillable glass) Thank you for preventing me from looking stupid more than just this time

 

I get growlers from the brewery. In most cases they are $5 a pop then you own them and are free to fill them with no charge save the beer. However, I have bought a Berkshire growler filled, off the shelf, as one would purchase any regular bottle and I paid a $1.50 deposit which should be honored if I decide to return it. Which I won't because they are usually 5 dollars.
Having said all that...your situation is new to me. Sounds strange if the growler was already filled and sold like any other bottle. This wasn't a brewery but a regular package store?

 

Never heard of return for depo$it. My local go-to shop charges $5 for it but will swap them for a sanitized one every time you go back for a refill. You can even change the size (32/64/128) for each refill since they all cost the same. Only exception is growlers from other stores/breweries but they'll still clean it a fill it.

 

Oregon checking in, never heard of deposit growlers. Always been once you buy them they're yours.

 

For what it's worth, I've seen both (but many more you-fill-you-buy growlers then growlers for rent).

 

All 4 places that do growler fills in my hometown (2 bars, 2 liquor stores) do returnable growlers. To be honest, I'd never heard of having to buy your own!

 

Here in Massachusetts we have growlers in bottle shops with a $1.50 deposit but you have to buy the growler bottle at a brewery if you do not already own that brewery's growler. However there is an addendum to the new state budget that would allow breweries to fill any bottle up to 100 oz. regardless of where it came from.

 

I've only come across returnable growlers on the east coast, and rarely there still. Too bad, as I prefer not to own a billion fungible bottles.