Bottling with 64oz growlers

[Buckeye_Brewer1]

Hello,

Found a guy on Facebook selling 12 - 64oz twist cap growlers. I typically make 5 gallon batches due to the pain of bottling but might make 10 if I can cut down the number of bottles by using large growlers. Should I have any concern bottling with 64oz twist cap growlers?

 

[Sailingeric]

Don't do it. They are not made to hold the pressure.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, if by "bottling" you mean carbonating inside a twist-top growler, that's not a recommended practice...

Cheers!

 

[Stillraining]

.

 

[derekcw83]

Your question is a little confusing. Are you making 5 gallon batches split into 5 1 gallon fermenters? Wanting to make 10 fermenters instead? We assume you mean bottling in 10 growlers instead of a bunch of bottles. Unless you can get your hands on the 64 Swing top bottles, the twist caps cannot hold the pressure as another said. But I have also considered bumping my 32 oz swing top to a few 64 oz swing tops, because usually, between a few guys, downing a half gallon is pretty common. Would save time and energy bottling a few from the batch in those instead.

 

[derekcw83]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beer-Growle...175524?hash=item5d67aa5864:g:6RIAAOSwdzVXsZs6

 

[popsicleian]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beer-Growle...175524?hash=item5d67aa5864:g:6RIAAOSwdzVXsZs6

Do you have personal experience carbonating in one of these?

 

[Dolomieu]

Hello,

Found a guy on Facebook selling 12 - 64oz twist cap growlers. I typically make 5 gallon batches due to the pain of bottling but might make 10 if I can cut down the number of bottles by using large growlers. Should I have any concern bottling with 64oz twist cap growlers?

Hey man, i'm originally from NW Ohio, so hello! your going to get some back and forth on this. I would like to share this bit of info.

I have cut growlers before, for projects. Quality can vary greatly as can the wall thickness of the growler. Having seen this with my own eyes I would be hesitant to attempt carbing beer up in one. Filling growlers from a keg does not have the same force as carbing beer in one.

While carbing in bottle or growler it stands to reason that the pressure in the head space will be greater than that of a filled growler or already carbed beer. The gas will dissolve while it is being created to some extent, meaning you aren't probably going to have the full potential pressure created sitting in the head space. Though it will most likely be higher. Possible high enough to blow the growler. If you really want a definitive answer, just try it. I'd put it in a rubber made container or something in case it does blow.

Kegs really are the way to go if you have the bottling blues.

 

[derek8307]

Do you have personal experience carbonating in one of these?

No I don't, but I have been contemplating trying for a while. And that appears like a good start. Worth a try I suppose. Looks like a 32oz flip top on steroids

 

[jojacques]

Don't mean to be an ass, but I have a Twist-cap Growler at home that I used to carbonate my Black IIPA, and the beer was perfectly carbonated...

 

[normonster]

I use these to bottle carb my one gallon batches. They work perfectly...Can't recall exactly but I think it's just 2oz of corn sugar and I get like 2.5 Vol CO2. I highly recommend them and they're on sale for $10 a pop. If you buy six they'll ship free and fast.

Never tried twisties and wouldn't do it.

Cheers.

 

[TurnipGreen]

I regularly bottle condition 2 or three growlers out of a 5 gallon batch. I use a plastic cap that is supposed to hold pressure a little better than the metal ones. I also use a couple of the fancy flip top growlers. I get it that they are not meant to hold pressure but most 12 oz bottles aren't made to hold more that 3 parts co2 and most of my growlers are thicker than most of my 12 oz bottles.

Either way, I've been doing it for close to ten years. I do try to use the growlers up first because I have had a couple lose carbonation. I would not recomend them for a beer you are going to age.

That said, there's gonna be a lot of people on this forum say it's a really bad idea, maybe it is? But I've been getting away with it. And yes it is awesome to clean less bottles.

 

[jwelch1103]

I use these to bottle carb my one gallon batches. They work perfectly...Can't recall exactly but I think it's just 2oz of corn sugar and I get like 2.5 Vol CO2. I highly recommend them and they're on sale for $10 a pop. If you buy six they'll ship free and fast.

Never tried twisties and wouldn't do it.

Cheers.

Thanks for posting. I make 12 gallon batches and these will be perfect for the remainder after filling two corny kegs. Just ordered six of these.

 

[derekcw83]

I use these to bottle carb my one gallon batches. They work perfectly...Can't recall exactly but I think it's just 2oz of corn sugar and I get like 2.5 Vol CO2. I highly recommend them and they're on sale for $10 a pop. If you buy six they'll ship free and fast.

Never tried twisties and wouldn't do it.

Cheers.

You da man, thank you

 

[Buckeye_Brewer1]

Thanks for the input, I would be using them for bottle carbonation so I'll stick to flip top or regular bottles. I found a guy selling a bunch of EZ flip cap growlers so I'm going to go that route. My main goal was to reduce the number off bottles that need to be cleaned.

 

[55x11]

Thanks for the input, I would be using them for bottle carbonation so I'll stick to flip top or regular bottles. I found a guy selling a bunch of EZ flip cap growlers so I'm going to go that route. My main goal was to reduce the number off bottles that need to be cleaned.

Honestly, I am a bit skeptical about fermenting in glass growlers. They are not designed to hold high pressure, so if you do it - make sure not to overcarb. Otherwise it's like bomb, and a bigger one than 12 oz bottle!

The screw caps also may never be air tight - so once fermentation is complete, they may slowly go flat. I think they do sell more airtight, special screw caps for that specific purpose (long-term storage of carbonated beer).

A friend of mine ferments in steel growlers without incidents - I would go that route.

 

[GHBWNY]

Hello,

Found a guy on Facebook selling 12 - 64oz twist cap growlers. I typically make 5 gallon batches due to the pain of bottling but might make 10 if I can cut down the number of bottles by using large growlers. Should I have any concern bottling with 64oz twist cap growlers?

You and your beer are probably better off not considering it if you have the choice. Growlers are meant strictly for transporting already-carbed beer and therefore little to no pressure is exerted on them. They are not intended to be a conditioning/carbing vessel. That said, you are free to do what you want. I asked this same question in a thread a couple years ago and someone replied, "If you do end up using them for bottling, send pics of your growler bombs", which I never sent because I opted not to condition in them.

 

[normonster]

Thanks for posting. I make 12 gallon batches and these will be perfect for the remainder after filling two corny kegs. Just ordered six of these.

Right on. They seem to work great. Despite what 2x4 says up there, I have successfully carbed at least 40 fliptop growlers without incident. The notion that they'll create bottle bombs is false. Any pressure in excess of what the fliptop can hold down simply escapes between the rubber top and the glass lip.

They're also great for one gallon batches. I regularly ferment 1.25 gallon and then transfer to (2) 2L growlers. Great way to experiment with smaller batches and not end up with 10 gallon of it (I also have a 10 gallon three-tier system).

 

[55x11]

Right on. They seem to work great. Despite what 2x4 says up there, I have successfully carbed at least 40 fliptop growlers without incident. The notion that they'll create bottle bombs is false. Any pressure in excess of what the fliptop can hold down simply escapes between the rubber top and the glass lip.

They're also great for one gallon batches. I regularly ferment 1.25 gallon and then transfer to (2) 2L growlers. Great way to experiment with smaller batches and not end up with 10 gallon of it (I also have a 10 gallon three-tier system).

You were lucky so far. Good for you. ( - and "2x4?" - are we still in a fight btw?)

Still not a good idea, the growlers were clearly never designed for this.

Sort of like having unprotected sex a bunch of times with no terrible consequences doesn't mean you should keep doing it. Right?

Flip-top seal won't magically release CO2 or protect the bottle or growler from exploding though. Many reports of such explosions in both Grolsch-style bottles and growlers exist.

See, for example:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=252733
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=89246
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=63121
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=446554
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=3972418&postcount=2
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=3972418#post3972418

Of course it's *your* health and safety, do as you please.
I prefer not to play russian roulette with various 2L bombs lying around in my house.

By the way, this question comes up every couple of weeks or so.

 

[GHBWNY]

The notion that they'll create bottle bombs is false. Any pressure in excess of what the fliptop can hold down simply escapes between the rubber top and the glass lip.

To suggest that someone use a growler with a lid that allows pressure to escape during conditioning/carbing is to suggest that using a growler with a lid that DOESN'T let pressure escape can result in a bottle bomb. The caveat to a vessel with a leaking lid is that it defeats the purpose and process of bottle-conditioning/carbing, which is to create an absolutely air-tight seal on bottle that can safely withstand the pressure --- which is not a standard growler with a screw cap.

 

[normonster]

You were lucky so far. Good for you. ( - and "2x4?" - are we still in a fight btw?)

Still not a good idea, the growlers were clearly never designed for this.

Sort of like having unprotected sex a bunch of times with no terrible consequences doesn't mean you should keep doing it. Right?

Flip-top seal won't magically release CO2 or protect the bottle or growler from exploding though. Many reports of such explosions in both Grolsch-style bottles and growlers exist.

See, for example:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=252733
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=89246
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=63121
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=446554
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=3972418&postcount=2
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?p=3972418#post3972418

Of course it's *your* health and safety, do as you please.
I prefer not to play russian roulette with various 2L bombs lying around in my house.

By the way, this question comes up every couple of weeks or so.

Not a pic to be seen in all of that, and they are clearly talking about cheap a$$ growlers, not the nice ones that I use.

This was the only pic in all those threads, and I can see why it broke (and you just sighted this as an example of why OP shouldn't use my method...baseless discouragement just as your warning against starting to look at water profiles for any non-scientist was):

Vs. this:

I'm telling you I do it all the time and have been for a long time. I have like 10 of them. They are heavy duty, not the cheap stuff you get from a brewpub.

 

[normonster]

To suggest that someone use a growler with a lid that allows pressure to escape during conditioning/carbing is to suggest that using a growler with a lid that DOESN'T let pressure escape can result in a bottle bomb......

I do not advocate for using screwtop growlers for carbing beer. I do advocate for using that swingtop above for carbing beer. You could pop a standard screwtop growler but I dont' think anyone is going to find any pics or claims of a popped 2L swingtop. They are super heavy. If the pressure got to high either the wire would slip out of the dimples and the top would come off or the excess pressure, as I said, will escape between the rubber and the bottle lid.

They work and they work great.

*Edit: I just emailed morebeer and asked and they say these are fine for carbing up to 2.5 vols.

 

[GHBWNY]

I do not advocate for using screwtop growlers for carbing beer. I do advocate for using that swingtop above for carbing beer. You could pop a standard screwtop growler but I dont' think anyone is going to find any pics or claims of a popped 2L swingtop. They are super heavy. If the pressure got to high either the wire would slip out of the dimples and the top would come off or the excess pressure, as I said, will escape between the rubber and the bottle lid.

They work and they work great.

@normonster: my sincerest apologies for misunderstanding the difference between what you were using and the cheapos from the brewpubs. My limited experience with a "growler" is a 64 oz. vessel used only for transporting beer from pub to home. I can see where the kind you use are thicker and heavier and more suitable for bottling. Cheers!

 

[Buckeye_Brewer1]

Ok not planning on using a traditional growler based on those articles. But how about the EZ cap 16oz / 1L swing top bottles.

 

[normonster]

Ok not planning on using a traditional growler based on those articles. But how about the EZ cap 16oz / 1L swing top bottles.

Absolutely. They are also super thick and heavy duty.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

For anyone who thinks it cannot become a growler bomb check out this thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=162252

 

[normonster]

For anyone who thinks it cannot become a growler bomb check out this thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=162252

Again it's this:

VS. this:

And you can see a normal beer bottle also exploded in the same pic...he also says staight up that he added blackstrap molasses and then took a 900 mile car ride through freezing temps and back, etc. Goes to show how far people will go to defend their opinions on things they know nothing about. YOu didn't even read the thread you posted as part of your warning. Lame **** man. Lame.

If you use the heavy swingtops you will not get growler bombs, period.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Again it's this:

VS. this:

And you can see a normal beer bottle also exploded in the same pic...he also says staight up that he added blackstrap molasses and then took a 900 mile car ride through freezing temps and back, etc. Goes to show how far people will go to defend their opinions on things they know nothing about. YOu didn't even read the thread you posted as part of your warning. Lame **** man. Lame.

If you use the heavy swingtops you will not get growler bombs, period.

Well, there N-monster, the OP was asking about the screw cap type of growler, so the only one I see here going to the mat to defend their opinion is you. And, don't tell me what I did or didn't do. We're all supposed to play nicely here, and you apparently didn't check my gender before you called me a man either. Have a lovely day.

 

[day_trippr]

Ouch.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Ouch.

Was I being a Masshole?

 

[day_trippr]

We don't give that honor out to just any bumpkin that makes his/her way into this asylum.
You have to earn it...and that didn't do it...

Cheers!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

You are Trippin if you seriously think I was looking for your approval.

 

[day_trippr]

And you're drunk if you think I care...

Cheers!

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Well, if you ever want to give a crap, you can take some ex lax for that.

 

[kristiismean]

Don't mean to be an ass, but I have a Twist-cap Growler at home that I used to carbonate my Black IIPA, and the beer was perfectly carbonated...

If you drop a glass bottle on concrete and it does not break, you were lucky, it does not mean to keep doing it...