Growler Preservation

If they did crowlers you would be fine.

 

What kind of growler do you have? I've had a Brauler that lasted twice that time.

 

As long as it's filled right - flushed with CO2, capped on foam - you should be OK for that time. It may not be completely optimal as it was fresh from the keg, but should be drinkable. I personally do an extra twist on caps when I get a griowler filled, I've had them stay good for a long time.
If they don't flush and cap right, it won't last long.

 

Bottles might not be a bad idea, just treat it as gently as you would a home brew, and cap it on foam(not liquid!) for best preservation. Regular growlers sadly do not have an excellent seal; even if they do everything right, the CO2 will slowly escape, usually within a week. Flip-top growlers are far and away a better, if more expensive, option, but I've never attempted to have one keep for more than a month, much less four.

 

This...

Flip top growlers are also worth the $ spent...they do last much longer...

 

I did not know you could get them to last that long. The best I could do is about 3-4 days max.

Cheers!

 

Congratulations.
Oxygen, light and heat are the enemies of packaged beer.
Sophisticated breweries go to great lengths to minimize all three as best they can. Growlers are just about the least sophisticated beer package going. More than a few respected brewers would just as soon not have their beer put into a growler by someone somewhere they have no control over. Garrett has written about this.

Keg beer with few exceptions is not pasteurized so you really don't want to be lazy about keeping it cold. Below 40 if you can. As said previously, minimize oxygen exposure when filling by capping on foam. Purge the growler with CO2 if possible right before filling. And don't forget to thoroughly clean the empty bottle. Beer is food.

If the beer is fresh, respectable abv and preferably well hopped you should be able to get 6-7 weeks unopened freshness without too much trouble. Growlers are meant to be consumed quickly but it can be done.

If you have electric tape handy a few wraps at the edge of the cap where it meets the bottle is insurance against leaks and oxygen uptake.
Good luck.

 

Explain what you're trying to do, have them fill that sucker, tighten the cap as tight as possible, give it a few wraps with electrical tape, stash it in the fridge. Should be OK.

 

Firstly, Congrats!

Second, what @billandsuz says is correct...

Therefore, definitely do not re-bottle the growler, because the process of transferring the beer from a growler to a bottle will expose the beer to a lot of extra unnecessary oxygen and increase staling reactions exponentially. Also with rebottling you run risks of contaminating the beer with something leftover in the bottle, residual cleaning agents, or dirt/bacteria floating around in the air during re-bottling. It's a low risk, but it's not necessary to risk it.

I think @JrGtr has the correct answer and it happens to also be the easiest!

 

You didn't mention the style of the beer, which will have a big impact on how the beer will taste in January regardless of how you preserve it. If it's a hop-forward beer not even Jesus himself can save it so it tastes as fresh as it did on tap.

Sounds like you've got a good plan, though. I might suggest an extreme alternative to electrical tape - waxing the growler. You only plan on sitting on this for a few months, so it's likely much too extreme, but I've done it before...

I waxed a growler of an imperial stout in 2010, put in a paper bag and put in the garage fridge. I wish I could say I intended to do this for science, but life just got in the way, and I forgot about it for years, but eventually I opened it in 2015. It had held up remarkably well. It wasn't as good as fresh, but it was still incredibly drinkable.

 

Buy a sixtel. It's only 40 pints. (if they package at all)

She's worth it, right? Plus maybe an excuse for a kegerator if you don't have one.

 

+4 (whatever the count is) to the electrical tape advice.

just be sure to fold the over the end of the tape where it would last leave the roll. think of it as a "pull here to open" tab. tape that has been stuck together for a few weeks with a little condensation on it can be a real PIA to get off.

 

Agree and do the same here, if they're the typical generic growlers that look like this ...



If I know it won't be consumed right away, I'll take it another step further and seal the cap by wrapping it tightly with either electrical tape or a thinner textured Duct Tape before leaving the establishment (or as soon as I get home). As long as it's filled correctly, that's the most important thing. With a proper fill and wrapping the cap, I've cracked that type of growler 3-4 weeks later with no problems at all with nice carbonation. I'm sure there's people here who have gone longer before opening so only speaking from past experience.

I could be wrong, but her being a craft beer fan and going that many months without beer, if it's a little flat (even after taking all the precautions), I don't think she's going to complain. If anything, you did your best and you're a good husband for taking this into consideration!

CONGRATS to you and your wife, that's exciting news!!

 

Sounds like the extra twist / tape / cold is best option as suggested.

But as others have asked - what's the style? And also what's their method for growler fill?

 

Yup, if it's filled correctly, it will easily last months. Just remember even if it is preserved perfectly in a growler, the beer itself is still getting old. Good luck to you and your wife!

 

I was going to suggest the same thing. If you're going to all that trouble with a growler, get a small keg and rent/borrow a CO2 tank. Then have a congratulatory party!

 

Those Stanley ones are not all that expensive, and if the beer is above 7% you can expect many styles of beer to remain quite drinkable - especially stouts. Don't bother with a fresh hop IPA,..

 

If the growler is poured rapidly into the vessel, it will take on oxygen like the titanic took on water...so be forewarned, that oxidization, no matter how much it was sealed will creep up.

I personally reject the premise that good beer belongs in portable jugs for storage. I taste the stale character in a growler the same day.

I think you ought to try all the suggestions, but if the beer is bad, just reduce it and add some molasses/brown sugar, catsup for a beer bbq sauce...then smoke some ribs until your first born turns 1...they'll fall off the bone