i have a 2L growler of Abner that I got filled two weeks ago today and was wondering what everyone's experience is with them holding up. I haven't opened it yet and was thinking maybe it would last until thanksgiving? Input is greatly appreciated.
In my experiences, their growlers do not hold carb as gracefully as others. Your first pour should be fine on Thanksgiving, but once you open it after that long, the next pours will be dramatically flatter than the previous. Plan on killing it that night.
It will be good right up until it isn't. Too many variables - some people talk about growlers going for months and being perfect, others are flat days after filling. Sometimes the same fill from the same place will last differently. Growlers are my least favorite format, so I avoid them anyway. If I do get one, I drink it within a day or two. The only thing worse than the growler format is having a bad growler.
The longest I've had a HF growler go was 16 days. No noticeable drop off. Naturally they were kept cold 100% of the time.
I've pushed two weeks and without drop-off. Usually I take a soft mallet and tap the caps for a tighter seal and wrap with electric tape if I know I'm not going to be able to drink within a week. Agree with the above, prepare to crush it all in one night.
I obviously plan to finish it in one sitting with friends and relatives, but I remain concerned about its life. I guess if the moment is right before thanksgiving(maybe over the weekend), I'll crack it. Definitely finishing it when I open it.
Depends on the lid, too - I've found the swingtops to be more reliably long-lived than the standard 2L screwcap. The longest I've ever held on to them was 4 weeks and they're usually fine... but as mentioned above, YMMV.
On Friday night I cracked a 2L Everett swing top growler that was filled on 7/2 (4.5 months old). I kept it refrigerated since purchase. It was incredible and the carbonation level was on point. You would've thought it had been filled yesterday. This is a porter and obviously not an IPA, but still wanted to throw it out there.
I kept the 25 oz swing top HF growler full of abner for about 6 weeks once (saving it to share w a friend) and when opened it was absolutely delicious.
Man, you guys are making this hard! Seems like close to a 50/50 split. For reference, it is a swing top branded HF 2L growler. It has been under refrigeration the entire time I have had it, first on ice after filling at the brewery, and since in the fridge part of beer meister. I have never touched the top in any way whatsoever.
Thanksgiving is not very far away. I think we can probably all agree it won't change dramatically in the next four days. My experience is they are a little better fresh but don't seem to change much between a week and three weeks or so and are still very good. Drink it on thanksgiving and enjoy.
I personally opened a swing top 2L of works of life that was 16 days old today and it was perfect. I will echo the swing tops > screw tops.
Unrelated to the HF growlers themselves, but I have friends who have opened growlers of all types, re-sealed them, and shared them with me 2+ days later as if it's the most normal thing in the world. Then I wait for them to use the bathroom so I can pour most of the flatness down the drain. JUST STOP DOING THIS, NON-BA FRIENDS!@#$! End rant.
Just opened a (constantly refrigerated, obviously) 2L Double Citra from mid-September at a "Friendsgiving" party. I won't say there had been zero dropoff over the fresh-from-the-taps version, but it was still excellent and a big hit. No carb issues, still hazy, juicy, really nice. The only problem I've ever had with an HF growler was almost entirely my fault: I had cycled a 750 through Tree House a few times without stripping the tags, and a loose bit of elastic ended up between the gasket and the lip of the bottle. I'm not one of those people who feels a great sense of history or accomplishment by loading up on tags, so now I'm just more careful about cutting them off.
I have one growler of each size that I keep the tags on, the rest I keep clean. It's easier for me to spot them 'in line' at Tree House so I can prep to pick them up that way.
