64 fluid ounce Growler style beer bottle in brown glass with a screw top cap

A growler (US) () is a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel

bottle A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal ...

used to transport

draft beer Draught beer, also spelt draft, is beer served from a cask or keg rather than from a bottle or can. Draught beer served from a pressurised keg is also known as Name Until Joseph Bramah patented the beer engine in 1785, beer was served ...

. They are commonly sold at

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

and brewpubs as a means to sell

take-out A take-out (US, Canada, Philippines) or takeaway (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) is a prepared meal or other food items purchased at a restaurant or fast food outlet with the intent to eat elsewhere. A concept found in many ancient cultures, take ...

craft beer. Rarely, beers are bottled in growlers for retail sale. The significant growth of

craft breweries Craft beer is beer manufactured by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer than larger "macro" breweries and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, ne ...

and the growing popularity of

home brewing Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...

has also led to an emerging market for the sale of collectible growlers. Some U.S.

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday US usage, however, "grocery store" is a synon ...

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, bakkal, bodega, corner store, corner shop, superette or mini-mart is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lotter ...

s, bars and restaurants have growler filling stations. A crowler (

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of "canned growler") is a fillable and machine-sealable beer can. The selected beer is poured into the can body and then a pop-top is sealed over it at a canning station. Though not reusable like a growler bottle, a crowler is easier to transport. They are typically a quart (32 US oz/946 mL or 40 imp oz/1136 mL) or litre (33.8 US oz/35.2 imp oz) in size.

Overview

Composition

Growlers are generally made of glass and have either a screw-on cap or a hinged porcelain gasket

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

, which can maintain freshness for a week or more. A properly sealed growler will hold

carbonation Carbonation is the chemical reaction of carbon dioxide to give carbonates, bicarbonates, and carbonic acid. In chemistry, the term is sometimes used in place of carboxylation, which refers to the formation of carboxylic acids. In inorganic che ...

indefinitely and store beer like any other sanitized bottle. Some growler caps are equipped with valves to allow replacement of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

lost while racking. The modern glass growler was first introduced by Charlie and Ernie Otto of Otto Brothers' Brewing Company in Wilson, Wyoming, in 1989. The two most popular colors for growlers are amber (a brownish hue) or clear (often called "flint"). Clear growlers are often 25% to 35% more per unit than their amber counterparts. Glass handles are the most common type of handle for growlers, although metal handles, with more ornate designs, can also be found. Some growlers do not have handles; this is especially common with growlers smaller than 64 U.S. fl oz that have Grolsch-style flip-tops.

Use

Growlers can be refilled for between $5 and $30 in the United States. Their initial purchase can carry a significant (sometimes non-compulsory) deposit. In

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

, Viet Nam the Habeco Beer Hanoi company stores, Bia Ơi, charges a 100,000 VNĐ deposit for both one and two liter stainless steel

Bia_hơi Bia hơi or Bia tươi (literally "fresh beer"), is a type of draught beer popular in Vietnam. Bia hơi is available primarily in northern Vietnam. It is mostly to be found in small bars and on street corners.J. Wills Burke ''Origines: the street ...

growlers. Instead of being refilled, the growlers are exchanged for prefilled chilled ones.

Sizes

While is the most popular growler size, growlers are commonly found in 32 U.S. fl oz (1 US Quart, sometimes known as a "howler", which may be short for "half growler"), 128 U.S. fl oz (1 US Gallon), , and 2-litre sizes as well.

Etymology

The term may date from the late 19th century when fresh beer was carried from the local pub to one's home by means of a small

galvanized Galvanization ( also spelled galvanisation) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are coated by submerging them in a bath o ...

bucket A bucket is typically a watertight, vertical Cylinder (geometry), cylinder or Truncation (geometry), truncated Cone (geometry), cone or square, with an open top and a flat bottom that is attached to a semicircular carrying handle (grip), handle ...

. It is claimed the sound that the carbon dioxide made when it escaped from the lid as the beer sloshed around sounded like a growl.

Overview

Composition

Use

Sizes

Etymology

See also

References

Further reading