growler

[James Harbeck]

A couple of local brew pubs sell beer in
two-quart (1.89-litre) glass jugs (with a $4
deposit) called growlers. I looked in the OED to
see if I could get a good history of this usage,
but it only has it defined rather loosely as "a
vessel in which beer is fetched" and gives an
1888 quote: "The employment by hands in a number
of factories of boys and girls, under ten and
thirteen years, to fetch beer for them, or in
other words to rush the growler."

I've managed to find something of a history for
it at
http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/384/ :

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The Growler: Beer-to-Go!


Photo of BeerAdvocate, author of: The Growler:
Beer-to-Go!What the hell is the growler? And,
where did the name come from?

Feature Article by email Alström Bros / 07-31-2002

First published in: Boston's Weekly Dig

What the hell is a growler? We're not talking
about the USS Growler, a small iceberg, a
four-wheeled hansom cab from England, a sexual
offender or any of the other slang phrases
associated with the word - there are many. We're
talking about that which carries fresh beer from
a brewery to your house. Now there are many
speculations as to the origins of the growler, so
let's take a moment and explore some of these.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, fresh beer was
carried from the local pub to one's home by means
of a small-galvanized pail. Rumor has it that
when the beer sloshed around the pail, it created
a rumbling sound as the CO2 escaped through the
lid, thus the term "growler" was coined.

Before World War II, city kids used to bring
covered buckets of draft beer from a local bar or
brewery to workers at lunchtime or to their
parents at dinnertime, a practice called "rushing
the growler."

In the 50s and 60s, waxed cardboard containers
with lids were used to take home beer - it's said
that they were round and resembled take-out
Chinese soup containers. And in many US states,
it used to be (and still is) illegal for "liquor
stores" to be open on Sunday. So if you wanted
beer on Sunday you went to a bar and bought some
of these "containers" of draft beer. However by
the late 60s many bars had switched to plastic
and eventually they were allowed to sell packaged
beer after hours. Soon after, many states allowed
Sunday sales at liquor stores and the concept of
the growler soon died.

In the early 80s, Newman Brewing in Albany, NY
used to sell soft plastic gallon containers of
their beer. Apparently if you brought the empty
back to the brewery, they'd replenish it with
more beer.

A claim to the modern day growler states that in
1989, Charlie Otto and his father were discussing
the dilemma facing the Otto Brothers Brewery.
They wanted to offer "beer-to-go" for their local
customers, but they were not yet in a position to
bottle. Father Otto suggested the use of
"growlers," which were used in his younger days,
but Charlie recognized the need for an updated
package type. He purchased a small silkscreen
machine, and set it up on his patio. Soon he was
silk-screening his logo on half-gallon glass
bottles that resembled moonshine jugs. The
modern-day "growler" was introduced.

George Bulvas III, brewmaster at Water Street
Lake County Brewery, WI, suggests that growlers
are named for the buckets of beer once given to
factory workers before their stomachs began to
"growl" from hunger.

Whatever. Nowadays, a growler is simply a glass
jug that carries a half-gallon of beer. However,
some can get rather extravagant holding upwards
of two liters with a clampdown ceramic top and a
metal handle/grips (German-style). You can even
buy specially designed cooling packs complete
with carrying straps for your growlers, but we'd
probably pummel you to the ground for looking
like a complete dork.

Growlers are filled straight from the tap, sealed
with a twist-cap, often with a plastic wrap over
this if filled ahead of time, and are sometimes
labeled. Filled prices range anywhere from around
$4 to $15 or more. A deposit must be paid, often
included in the price, and chances are if you
bring back your washed growler, you can get a
refill for a cheaper price. Just note that you
must always refrigerate growlers. Doing so will
give them a shelf-life of 7-10 days, or around
2-3 days once opened - if you're lucky.

Almost all brewpubs sell growlers these days, as
do many breweries. And regardless of its true
origin the growler is a great way to take home
some fresh brew from a local brewery or brewpub.

Respect beer.
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Does anyone have any other info on it?

James Harbeck.

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