The surest way to become the hero of any summertime shindig is to bear gifts of the sweet, sweet barley nectar that is craft beer. As a beer snob with an altruistic bent, I relish sharing rare brews with friends. However, many of my favorite pours are limited to the taps at their respective breweries. Fortunately, my beer growler lets me tote the choicest of taproom treasures right to any kitchen or back patio (even for those of you opting for nonalcoholic beer).
What is a beer growler?
In its simplest form, a beer growler is a jug with an airtight seal to keep beer fresh and carbonated. Although the explosive growth of craft breweries in recent years has spurred growlers’ popularity, the device’s history stretches back to 19th-century England. Thirsty patrons carried beer from the pub in metal pails, and the bubbles colliding with the metal reminded bibulous Brits of an animal’s growl. While metallic buckets sufficed for Victorian tipplers, today you’ll find growlers boasting pressurized taps, vacuum-insulated walls and temperature and pressure gauges.
Growlers replicate the taste and texture of draught beer by keeping beer fresh, cold and perfectly carbonated. They also preserve delicate lupulin aromas, so beer enjoyed at home tastes and smells as exquisite as suds from a brewery. “Growlers minimize oxidation and light exposure, two banes to beer’s flavor profile,” says Jessica Michalec, of Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas. “With a growler, drinkers get crisper and more refreshing beer.” Growlers, designed for years of reuse, are also easier on the environment than cans and bottles, and you’ll likely save money with growlers after the initial investment. Liquid ounce per liquid ounce, growlers offer better value than cans and bottles.
Below, we have outlined criteria for choosing the best beer growler,pro tips for getting the most out of your growler and a list of excellent growlers on the market.
How long does beer last in a growler?
Refrigerating your growler is key to keeping your beer tasting fresh and staying carbonated for a longer stretch. “Growlers definitely need to be refrigerated,” says Patrick Watson, owner of Smith & Vine in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. “Unfortunately, the life expectancy of a growler is about two to three days at most. Beer simply becomes flat.” There are ways to help extend the life of your growler in addition to refrigeration, though, including choosing the right growler, proper cleaning and storage when not in use and sealing the growler well.
Simple glass jugs can also keep beverages cold for short spells, but you should refrigerate them if you intend to enjoy the beer beyond the window of a few hours. Many premium growlers boast vacuum-sealed walls that keep liquid contents cold for longer periods even without refrigeration. If you put hot beverages — say, a mulled wine or hot cider — in vacuum-insulated growlers, the contents will likewise stay toasty for hours. To avoid tainted flavors, clean the growler thoroughly if the vessel holds anything other than beer.
What to look for in growler
Size
Growlers come in a range of sizes, but Michalec recommends 64-ounce growlers, approximately the same amount of liquid as a six-pack of standard cans: “64 ounces is the ideal size because you can consume this amount easily in 12 hours, the window when the beer is freshest.” If you want a larger growler, choose one with a C02 canister attachment and a tap that does not release carbonation.
Price
Like a Timex watch, even inexpensive growlers fulfill their appointed job just fine. The most affordable growlers —?simple glass jugs with screw tops — cost around $20. Simple growlers keep beer fresh, carbonated and cold as long as the lid seals tightly.
On the premium end of the spectrum, you’ll find growlers costing over $500 — vessels embellished with fancy gauges, high-tech bells and whistles, and designs worthy of NASA engineering teams. There are countless excellent growlers in the middle of the price spectrum too.
Material
Daniel Gadala-Maria, the head brewer of Finback Brewery in Queens, New York, advises against any growlers made of translucent material. “Sunlight is the enemy of beer,” Gadala-Maria says. “When sunlight hits hops compounds, you get skunking — beer that tastes the way a skunk smells.”For sunlight protection, stainless steel and ceramic are the gold standard. Dark-hued glass offers some UV-protection, but avoid growlers with clear glass.
Pressure and carbonation
Make sure any growler you purchase has a reliable seal. Growlers with screw tops maintain ideal carbonation levels for a day or two, depending on how frequently you open them and how long you leave them open. Premium growlers, spruced up with CO2 cartridge attachments and professional taps, keep beer effervescent for weeks. Primo growlers also let you adjust the CO2 levels in the vessel to tinker with the texture of your pours. Maintain the pressure at 10-12 PSI for lighter beers like Pilsners or Helles and slightly higher for robust brews like stouts or barrel-chested IPAs.
Growlers with CO2 canister attachments also let you attach nitrogen canisters, a gas that infuses finer bubble into brews. “Nitrogenized beers get tiny, silky bubbles — the reason the head of Guinness is so velvety,” Gadala-Maria says. “However, nitrogen exerts much more pressure than CO2 and requires a very strong, cold vessel to contain it.” If you choose to infuse beers with nitrogen, opt for a growler with metallic walls and a sturdy seal.
Here then are our picks for the best growlers you can get to make sure you are drinking the freshest, best-tasting craft beer.
Best beer growlers
The goldilocks of growlers, the Stanley Classic Easy Pour has no high-tech frills like pressure and temperature gauges, but this vessel nails it for design, practicality and value. The walls are vacuum sealed, so the precious contents stay chilled and scintillatingly bubbly.?
As a health-conscious beer swiller — an oxymoron, perhaps — I appreciate Stanley’s commitment to BPA-free materials. With thick glass and a sturdy stainless steel lid, the handsome design is worthy of the great beers you’ll carry home in this vessel.?
With a matte-finished shell reminiscent of a Hydro Flask, the Razorri Stainless Steel Growler is comely enough to be the showpiece of your kitchen. The professional tap, similar to a draught faucet, prevents excess carbonation from escaping when you pour. Insert a CO2 or nitrogen cartridge in the Razorri to keep beer bubbly for weeks. When the growler is not in use, lock the tap to keep bubbles as securely guarded as Fort Knox. The large top handle allows easy transportation, making this a top-notch companion for camping trips or beach days.?
Honey, I shrunk the keg. The TMCraft Mini Keg Growler looks like a shiny new keg, but it holds 128 liquid ounces instead of a standard American keg’s nearly 2,000 liquid ounces.?The TMCraft Mini Growler has an attachment for CO2 or nitrogen cartridges, and the regulator gauge conveniently indicates how much pressure is in the vessel.?
The tap on this growler, beautifully designed and made with stainless steel, is exceptional, spilling forth suds crowned with luxurious heads. The only bone to pick is the difficulty cleaning entails. TMCraft recommends washing by hand with a keg-cleaning solution rather than the dishwasher.?
The Cartier of beer gadgets, the GrowlerWerks uKeg is for those who take craft beer as seriously as Walter White takes chemical engineering. The GrowlerWerks uKeg is popular among homebrewers, as users can tinker with C02 levels with unrivaled precision. Alternatively, you can insert nitrogen canisters to crown pours with a silky head worthy of a pint of Guinness at McSorley’s Old Ale House.?
The GrowlerWerks uKeg also works well for keeping kombucha or cider carbonated to delightful perfection. The stainless steel vessel, as sleek and eye-catching as Johnny Cash’s Cadillac, keeps beverages sparkling fresh for weeks even with frequent use.?
A throwback to the growlers of simpler times, the Cornucopia Amber Glass Growlers are the most affordable growlers on our list. The jugs, which come in a set of two, are made of thick amber-colored glass, and the hefty screw tap ensures against leakage and carbonation loss. While glass is not as effective as metal or ceramic for protecting beer from the scourge of sunlight, Cornucopia’s glass is dark enough to block out most sunlight.?
Unlike the space-age insulating material of some growlers on this list, glass won’t keep beer cold for long. Store these puppies in the fridge for a few hours before pouring. The solid glass handles lend easy portability, and the jugs are handy for storing or toting whatever liquid your heart desires. I recently filled mine up with honey from a local apiary.?
Best cartridges
The DrinkTanks CO2 cartridges check the two most important boxes in this product category: They’re easy to install, and they are affordable. Simply screw the head of the cartridge onto the nozzle of your growler and — presto! — beers stay ethereally bubbly for weeks.?
Nitrogen is pricier than CO2, but nitrogen’s small, dense bubbles make stouts and porters as sumptuous as malted milkshakes. The Keg Smith N2 cartridges, in packs of five, 10 or 30, are easy to install and remove. Tinker with infusing nitrogen into coffee — the gas makes cold brews as creamy as a splash of milk — or even tea.
