Carbing in growler bottle

[fimpster]

To be clear I know that most growlers are not made to hold pressure and that bottling/carbing in them is a bad idea, and I have never tried it before.

However, twice in the past year I have picked up growlers of Rouge Dead Guy from Total Wine. They are not growler fills from a tap, these are packaged and sealed growlers sold right next to the six-packs. I now have 2 of these empty and they look just like regular growlers to me, but are these somehow different and able to hold pressure?

 

[zachattack]

Were they stored cold at the liquor store? Or are they swing-top growlers?

 

[j1n]

They could have been filled and capped with carbonated beer the same as they do with bottles.

Rogue Dead guy isnt bottle conditioned. There is no sediment in the bottles at all.

 

[dnslater]

I'm assuming during bottle priming the pressure builds up to much higher than the 12 psi or so in kegged beer, because the CO2 let out by the fermentation first compresses in the head of the beer, especially at room temperature, prior to being absorbed into the liquid. I'm guessing the CO2 in the headspace could be 20-30 psi at times during priming?

 

[fimpster]

Were they stored cold at the liquor store? Or are they swing-top growlers?

They are normal screw top growlers, but they had a tamper-proof seal around the cap. They were not in a cold case, just on the shelf with all the other Rogue six-packs and bomber bottles.

 

[jeff62217]

I saw some at my local costco, rogue american amber ale growlers for 11 or 12 bucks.. They were screw top also, and I remember almost pulling the trigger but wondering if I'd be buying flat beer.

I've also used my clamp-top bridgeport growler for bottle conditioning on the rare occasions I run out of bottles and have less than a gallon of beer left yet to bottle. Two batches have carbed up just fine.

 

[j1n]

I saw some at my local costco, rogue american amber ale growlers for 11 or 12 bucks.. They were screw top also, and I remember almost pulling the trigger but wondering if I'd be buying flat beer.

I've also used my clamp-top bridgeport growler for bottle conditioning on the rare occasions I run out of bottles and have less than a gallon of beer left yet to bottle. Two batches have carbed up just fine.

highly doubt it would be flat. Those twist top on growlers can be used multiple times but i think they are meant to be replaced after so many uses.

im a fan of the flip top ones though and mainly try and stick to those.

 

[fimpster]

Yeah, these Dead Guy growers were definitely not flat. If I get a growler fill from the local tap room, the beer is flat after 24-36 hours even with the cap or flip top on tightly. The Dead Guy growers were just like opening a bottle. That's why I think they had some pressure, and wondering if it would be safe to carb in them.

 

[j1n]

Yeah, these Dead Guy growers were definitely not flat. If I get a growler fill from the local tap room, the beer is flat after 24-36 hours even with the cap or flip top on tightly. The Dead Guy growers were just like opening a bottle. That's why I think they had some pressure, and wondering if it would be safe to carb in them.

If the beer is flat after that long then you need to replace the gasket on the flip top or get a new cap. It should hold the carbonation as good as a bottle.

 

[alexdagrate]

They use special counter-fillers to put carb'd beer in there. Don't carb in growlers, ever.

I've done it and gotten away with it, and I've also had 64 ounces of beer and shattered glass all over the place. Not worth it.

 

[Dolomieu]

I have cut one of these open to try and make a three wick candle out of. I was shocked at how thin they were is some spots. The above posts hold good wisdom and advice.

 

[Tombstone0]

I wouldn't even recommend bottling in a swing top growler either. Sure the glass is thicker and I did it for a little while. I got away with it for several brews then boom! Beer and glass all over my basement.

 

[number40fan]

A friend gave me two of them that he had. I put a Belgian Tripel in one and an Irish Red in the other. The Belgian started hissing out of the cap at three weeks and the Red was fine. I didn't want to waste any $$$ on new caps so I just used the old ones. Both were kept in small coolers to contain any explosion, just in case. Told him to go ahead and fridge both and tape the cap on the hisser. No call to let me know of any problems and I'll tell him to drink them this weekend.

 

[Qhrumphf]

This comes up every once in a while, with the same old argument every time.

Bottom line is, the Brewer's Association recommends that even counter pressure filled growlers (ie beer already carbonated) be kept cold, as there's no defined standard for growler pressure ratings, and if you take cold carbonated beer in a growler and warm it up, the pressure could still be dangerous.

But I've heard of warm growlers like that sitting out warm without issue, and if they started bursting they'd probably be pulled pretty quickly.

Beyond that, the physics regarding bottle conditioning and pressure are debated. I don't know enough about it to say one way or the other, outside of "not worth the risk".

 

[JINKS]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/bottling-growler-q-489858/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/growler-carbonating-461429/