Illinois growler Laws

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by stevea3, Jan 27, 2014.

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  1. stevea3

    stevea3 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2011 Illinois

    Does anyone know the law regarding growlers in Illinois? Specifically, does the surgeon general government warning have to be on the growler? I know they're considered open containers and need to be sealed but I was recently given a blank ceramic growler from Portland Growler Co and the first brewery I went to filled it but the second brewery I went to told me no because it didn't have the warning on there.
     
    #1 stevea3, Jan 27, 2014
  2. JakeT469

    JakeT469 Initiate (0) Jan 13, 2012 Colorado

    Buy a new growler. They're like $4-$5
     
    #2 JakeT469, Jan 28, 2014
  3. Thorpe429

    Thorpe429 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,705) Aug 18, 2008 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah

    Did you read his post?
     
    #3 Thorpe429, Jan 28, 2014
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  4. eclosson22

    eclosson22 Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2011 Illinois

    Some breweries will have a sticker or tag they will put on for growlers that aren't their own, others will just say no. The growler laws in Illinois kinda suck and are somewhat vague and convoluted. Best bet is to call before you go somewhere or be prepared to pay the extra $$ for a new growler if its something you really want.
     
    #4 eclosson22, Jan 28, 2014
  5. beergurujr

    beergurujr Initiate (0) Oct 27, 2003 Illinois

    Growler laws are dumb here. No growlers at bars and beer shops.
     
    #5 beergurujr, Jan 28, 2014
  6. eclosson22

    eclosson22 Initiate (0) Jan 15, 2011 Illinois

    Yeah, that's the one I really hate. I've actually been trying to do some research on that one and see if anyone has made a push to get it changed. I'd love to open a taproom/bottle shop in the burbs, but growler fills would be a necessity.
     
    #6 eclosson22, Jan 28, 2014
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  7. beergurujr

    beergurujr Initiate (0) Oct 27, 2003 Illinois

    Vav looked into it. Not do-able, realistically. The big beer distributor lobby would have to push it. They're the guys who got bar/beer store growlering outlawed in IL back in the 1990's. It had been legal before then.
     
    #7 beergurujr, Jan 28, 2014
  8. eerickson7

    eerickson7 Initiate (0) May 29, 2008 Missouri

    Maybe Chicago laws are different than the rest of the state, or maybe nobody knows what the law is. But my experiences in Illinois are all over the map.

    In Chicago, they have to seal a little piece of plastic on with a hair dryer to "seal" it.

    At one So. Ill. brewery, they only fill their own, claiming it's the law.

    At another, they fill any growlers. Neither one of the So. Ill. breweries do the weird hair dryer "seal". Nobody has required any type of gov't warning stickers.
     
    #8 eerickson7, Jan 28, 2014
  9. Infinite1

    Infinite1 Initiate (0) Jul 2, 2010 Illinois

    I remember a local "store" was going to have growler fills in the back. That got shut down quick
     
    #9 Infinite1, Jan 28, 2014
  10. beergurujr

    beergurujr Initiate (0) Oct 27, 2003 Illinois

    Several licensees both liquor stores and bars, have tried this. All got fined and threatened with losing their licenses, by the state liquor commission.
     
    #10 beergurujr, Jan 28, 2014
  11. Infinite1

    Infinite1 Initiate (0) Jul 2, 2010 Illinois

    I take it there is no way of rallying against this
     
    #11 Infinite1, Jan 28, 2014
  12. JRBecks

    JRBecks Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2012 Illinois

    A quick semi-off topic question...Does the Lincoln Park GI fill other breweries growlers??
     
    #12 JRBecks, Jan 28, 2014
  13. stevea3

    stevea3 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2011 Illinois

    Yeah, I know they're inexpensive but I'm not interested in buying yet another growler. I already have close to a dozen and the whole point of a blank one was to get it filled anywhere.

    It does seem like no one actually knows what the laws are - or the law isn't really being followed. Most of the breweries/brew pubs in Chicago will fill growlers with other brewery logos on them(as long as they are clean) and they heat seal them because it's my understanding a filled growler is considered an open container. The government warning was a new one to me though so thought I'd check to see if anyone had heard of that before.

    I did find government warning stickers on http://www.williamsbrewing.com/default.aspx (work safe) so that should make my growler compliant.
     
    #13 stevea3, Jan 28, 2014
  14. stevea3

    stevea3 Initiate (0) Jan 23, 2011 Illinois

    I have been told they will as long as it's clean but haven't tried it myself.
     
    #14 stevea3, Jan 28, 2014
  15. JRBecks

    JRBecks Initiate (0) Apr 3, 2012 Illinois

    cool thanks for the info
     
    #15 JRBecks, Jan 28, 2014
  16. JakeT469

    JakeT469 Initiate (0) Jan 13, 2012 Colorado

    Yeah I read his post. I was being a smart ass. Whats your point?
     
    #16 JakeT469, Jan 29, 2014
  17. beergurujr

    beergurujr Initiate (0) Oct 27, 2003 Illinois

    Not really. About as much chance happening as lowering the drinking age to 18.
     
    #17 beergurujr, Jan 29, 2014
  18. nickMB

    nickMB Savant (1,130) Nov 17, 2009 Illinois
    Trader

    actually, there is some murmuring about the Illinois brewers guild taking some action to revise growler laws but its in its infancy.
     
    #18 nickMB, Jan 29, 2014
  19. Vav

    Vav Savant (1,049) Jul 27, 2008 Illinois

    #19 Vav, Apr 8, 2014
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  20. nickMB

    nickMB Savant (1,130) Nov 17, 2009 Illinois
    Trader

    #20 nickMB, Apr 8, 2014
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