Beer Growlers

My first beer growlers

Less than a year ago, my brother-in-law brought a glass jug to our house; I asked what it was and he said, "It's a beer growler."  I didn't think anything of it until April of this year when, at a pot-luck beer event I held, someone brought a beer growler.  I asked what it was and he said, "It's a beer growler."  I asked how he got it and he said that he got it filled at a local brewery.  

Beer growler that was a birthday gift

After getting into beer this year, I finally purchased my first beer growler(s) three months ago.  So what is a beer growler?  It is a jug (typically, two liters) that can be taken to a brewery and filled up.  It is called a growler, because, as the story goes, people would tote their beer growler with them and the carbon dioxide coming out of the jug would emit a growling sound.  Thus, it's called a growler. (If you are interested in finding out more about beer growlers, here is an interesting historic perspective.)

Typically, the pricing for the amount of beer one acquires is cheaper than what one would pay for the same amount of beer purchased in bottles (or cans).  Now, the major drawback to filling up a beer growler is that it is best consumed within a day or two of its filling.  While there might be some people out there who are strict to follow this requirement, I will consume the beer even several days following its filling. 

I have since purchased another growler at a brewery that has a very lovely IPA and also received a growler of a local brewery as a birthday gift from my brother-in-law.  So, at this present date, I now have three 2-liter growlers (from different breweries) and a 1-liter growler.  I may decide to get a plain growler, since it can be used to fill up at multiple breweries.  However, at this time, according to California state law, beer growlers of one brewery are not permitted to be filled up at other breweries.  

I am glad to have discovered beer growlers and look forward to further growler fills!