Can I bottle into a growler with plastic cap?

[MississippiSlim]

I have a couple growlers from Lazy Magnolia (Gulf Porter...it was ok) that have plastic screw tops. Can I bottle in these?

 

[jds]

I haven't tried bottling in growlers. The general consensus is that it may work, but you have a high chance of (a) no carb due to the lid not sealing well, or (b) exploding growlers.

They're not designed to sustain carbonation pressure. Yes, they'll hold beer after it's dispensed for a few days, but that's not the same as carbonating in them.

 

[TheMan]

Just an FYI, there is a search button...very easy question to find the answer to.

But to answer your question, sadly everyone seems to have their own opinion on growlers for bottling. jds said it perfectly...I will add though that you should limit head space in it as you do with bottles. I have never bottled in a growler and wouldn't. I'd use a growler for fermenting, but not bottling carbonated beer.

I would take a look at this thread if you need more info-

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/growler-goes-boom-63121/

 

[MississippiSlim]

yeah, just call me lazy.

 

[TheMan]

haha, if I didn't say it, someone else would have....

 

[jacob1484]

I know this thread is old but did the OP ever try bottling with the gulf porter growlers?
What were your results?
I have a few of them too and was thinking about bottling with them. I emailed Lazy Magnolia about it yesterday and they said: "I would not recommend using those growlers for that. They are not rated for very high pressure."

I'm tempted to try it with 1 or 2 anyway just to see what happens.. I have 5 of the growlers so it wouldn't be a huge deal if 1 or 2 were lost..

thoughts?

 

[djt17]

I have done it 3 times (3 different growlers; 2 metal caps, 1 plastic). So far it has worked good, but during carbonation I keep them in a bucket w/lid. (Just in case they explode!)

 

[mitch171]

I have made carb caps for some of my glass growlers. Never have had a problem as long as I don't over do the pressure and put it higher than a carbed beer should be I don't anticipate doing so. Force carbing that would be another story. I simply use the carp caps to keep pressure at a reasonable level so they do not go flat.

 

[bosox]

I would double check to make sure the growlers are for bottle conditioning, and not for storage...I bought two 1 gallon growlers with plastic caps, and I conditioned the beer in them....One growler exploded after one round of 3 weeks of conditioning after I moved it. The 2nd growler exploded in the next batch of beer I made 2 weeks into a 4 week conditioning in my basement staircase. The explosions can be pretty dangerous at worst case scenario if they're around people, and at best case cause a BIG mess for you to clean up.

So just be careful, and check to make sure what kind of a growler it is.

 

[jacob1484]

I think I'm going to try it and add less priming sugar that normal to be safe. This batch doesnt have to be highly carbed anyway...

I'd still like to know if the OP tried it and what his results were since we're talking about the same exact growlers.

 

[patriots4ever]

This is good information as I had the same question. I have 2 empty growlers from Portsmouth Brewery (NH) and 2 full one's with their beer