A growler is a jug or bottle that is used in storing and transporting and storing beer. It can either be stainless steel, ceramic, or glass growler. Growlers are good for storing beer that has completed fermentation and the bottle conditioning process; this is because by then, its pressure will be stabilized.
If you have a growler and think of carbonating beer in it, please, you cannot carbonate beer in a growler because it doesn’t have as much strength as beer bottles. It is very dangerous to carbonate beer in a growler.
What is the purpose of a growler?
The major purpose of a growler is to aid the transportation percent of the beer. Beer is an airtight jug that helps you move draft beer from one place to another without hampering its quality.
Can you condition the beer in a growler?
You cannot condition the beer in a growler. Normal beer bottles are produced in a way that they can easily withstand the pressure that growlers cannot withstand. The glass growler is thinner than that of a regular beer bottle. If you attempt conditioning beer in a growler, you are at a big risk of exploding on yourself.
How long does beer stay carbonated in a growler?
It takes about three days for beer to stay carbonated in a growler. After that period, it starts to degrade because of UV light and too much oxygen intake.
How do you seal a growler of beer?
Insert your filler tube inside your growler, then open the faucet fully so you can start filling your growler with beer. A lot of growlers have a fill line that is printed on them so you can monitor how much you can fill them up to.
After filling your growler, place the cap on it and secure it tightly so you can maintain much carbonation in the beer. Some homebrewers place a seal over the cap.
To seal a growler of beer, fill the growler to allow the foam to push out the top. Then, cap on the foam and tighten the cap very well before using electrical tape to seal it properly. This will help it to remain fresh. Tape up any screw cap growler you get from a brewery.
After sealing your growler of beer, wipe down the outside of your growler, so you can keep it clean. You can also rinse it off with cold water before you wipe it.
After consuming your growler of beer, how should you clean it? First of all, rinse it with hot water before it can dry with it facing upside down. You can use a growler collar to help you place your growler upright while it dries. If you take your time to rinse your growler a few minutes after consuming the beer in it, then you don’t need to clean it thoroughly again before filling it. But if you allow your growler to stay for long without rinsing it after emptying the beer in it, you will need to clean and sanitize it very well. Avoid using oil-based soaps to wash your growler; instead, use a detergent specially made for cleaning growlers, or you can use bar glassware to clean it. Don’t forget to clean inside your growler cap too.
After cleaning your growler, always store your empty growlers in a cool, dry place with the cap removed so that water won’t get trapped in it, preventing the multiplication of bacteria.
Can growlers be used for homebrew?
You can use growlers for homebrew. Just make sure you observe good sanitation methods when using it. Also, be very mindful of the kind of growler you are using. You will also need to use a strong capping method.
Can you pour bottled beer into a growler?
You can pour bottled beer into a growler but make sure you keep it pressurized, so it doesn’t ruin the taste or flavor of the beer.
Does beer in a growler go flat?
Beer in a growler can go flat. A growler of beer can stay fresh for about ten days if you don’t leave it open. But as soon as you open your beer, it will go flat after at most three days. If you fill a growler with a complete counter-pressure system, your beer will remain fresh for several months.
Can you do secondary fermentation in a growler?
Secondary fermentation involves transferring your beer from the fermentation bucket to a different container that is usually a glass carboy and allowing it to remain there for several days or months. Some kinds of beer don’t need to undergo secondary fermentation, but some do. You can do secondary fermentation in a growler.
What’s the difference between a growler and a Crowler?
A growler is a 32 or 64-ounce airtight container made of either glass, stainless steel, or ceramic that works like a keg. You can buy a growler and fill it at a brewery. The growler helps to preserve the flavor of your beer until it is opened. A crowler is simply a growler that is in the form of a can. It is a 32-ounce aluminum container that helps to keep your beer fresh until you are ready to consume it. You open it the same way you crack open a regular beer can. The filling process of the crowler helps to remove the oxygen completely from the container, but it doesn’t work like that for a growler.
The technical process of filling a crowler is more complicated than that of a growler. For filling the crowler, the bartender takes the sanitized can that has been purged of all the oxygen in it so that when beer is poured in it, it will remain fresh. The bartender will fill the crowler with the beer of your choice before using a machine to apply a lid on it, then pressure-lock it on the can. As soon as your crowler is locked, you can take it home for consumption.
Some of the differences between a growler and a crowler is that:
A growler is made of glass, but a crowler is made of aluminum.
With a crowler, you don’t have to bother about drinking an adulterated beer because you don’t clean it and reuse it like a growler. But you will have to bother about the growth of bacteria or leftover residue if you are using a growler.
Crowlers are more portable and convenient to use than growlers. You don’t have to bother to carry a heavy jug with you to a brewery to get it filled after consuming the beer in it.
It is illegal in many areas to carry your glass growler with you to public places like campgrounds, hiking trails, pools, festival events, or parks. Since crowlers are more acceptable, you can put your favorite beer in them and carry them with you when you go to those public places, as long as alcohol consumption is legal in those places.
Aluminum crowlers allow you to ship your beer and keep it fresh and carbonated until it gets to its destination. But it is not always easy to ship your glass growlers. That is why aluminum crowlers are gaining more popularity than glass growlers.
One distinguishing feature of a crowler is that they help keep your beer fresher and longer than a growler. It takes only three days for a glass growler to keep carbonated beer fresh. After that, it starts to degrade as a result of the intake of oxygen and UV light. As long as you prevent your crowler cans from too much jostling and store them in a temperate area, you can easily transport them. Crowlers are not immune to heat like other beer containers, so avoid exposing them to heat because if you do, your beer will spoil faster. If you are thinking of switching to using a crowler, and you don’t know if you can purchase a crowler in your country, check your state’s laws to confirm that, or you can ask a bartender you are friends with to confirm that for you.
Glass Growlers and Aluminum Crowlers: How They Work
If you are using a glass growler as a homebrewer, you will need to fill it with any beer you like before you seal it with a counter-filled pressure so it can trap in the flavor and preserve the carbonation. This will help keep the beer fresh.
For a crowler, you will need to use an aluminum can that is sanitized and purged of carbon dioxide. It undergoes purging because it will help to enhance the taste and carbonation of the beer. Your crowler is filled with beer before a lid is applied to it.
Growler Vs. Crowler: Size
A crowler only comes in one size, which is 32 ounces of beer so that it can give you double pints of your regular beer, but a growler comes in two sizes, and they are 32 and 64 ounces so that they can give you twice the size of a crowler beer.
Growler Vs. Crowler: Container Upkeep
You need to be cleaning your growlers often because if you don’t, you will have to deal with the buildup of bacteria in them. To properly maintain your growler, ensure you store cold until the period when you would be free to clean it, so you don’t have to battle with the growth of bacteria. It would be best if you rinsed your growler with hot water thrice to keep it clean before air-drying it upside down so that water will not remain in it and trigger the growth of bacteria. Also, remove the cap of your growler so that the air in your growler doesn’t remain stagnant. But you don’t need to carry out all these processes for your crowler because it is made for single use. You can recycle your crowler after consuming the beer in it. Using a crowler will save you the stress of always washing your beer container.
Growler Vs. Crowler: Where Can They Go?
As regards shipping of growlers and Crowlers, the crowler can easily be shipped, and they have less oxygen intake and zero UV light penetration. Growlers cannot be shipped like Crowlers, especially if they are made of glass.
Growler vs. Crowler: How Much is a Growler or Crowler Worth?
Crowlers are less expensive than growlers. Some breweries sell crowlers for free or for a small amount of money, but those types are usually used once. Growlers are more expensive than Crowlers.
Conclusion
A growler helps you to store beer in it and also allows you to transport it easily from one place to another. It would be best if you did not try to carbonate beer in a growler because it is not good, and it doesn’t have as much strength as beer bottles. Also, avoid conditioning beer in a growler because if you try doing it, it just ends up exploding on you.
After opening your growler, you can only consume it within three days; if it extends beyond that period, it starts to degrade due to excessive oxygen intake and UV light exposure.
If you are a homebrewer, make sure you seal your growler properly after filling it with beer; after sealing it, wipe the external part very well to keep it clean. Your growler beer can go flat, so ensure you store it properly after sealing. Avoid exposing it to heat.
A growler is different from a crowler. While a growler comes in either a 32 or 64-ounce container, a crowler comes in only a 32-ounce container. Growlers can either be in glass, ceramic or stainless steel, but a crowler comes in only aluminum cans. You can only use a crowler once then discard or recycle it afterward, but a glass growler is reusable. You are at more risk of consuming a contaminated drink if you use a glass growler, but you have zero risks of consuming a contaminated drink if you use a crowler because if you don’t wash your glass growler properly, you may have to deal with the growth of bacteria. You can easily ship your crowler to another state, and it will still be fresh and safe for consumption, but it is not easy to ship a glass growler. Crowlers are gaining more popularity because of the several benefits attached to using them.
Always make sure you seal your growler of beer correctly and maintain good hygiene when doing it.