Climax in growlers?

[nutty_gnome]

I saw a NJ brand of beer called Climax tonight. It's available in 1/2 gallon growlers. Now, what I want to know is... if Climax can bottle under pressure in their growler, can bottle carbonate in one?

I know that you can't do it in asome growlers, but I was surprised to see this product. It has a plastic screw cap. Any thoughts about using them?

 

[SeamusMac]

As a general rule, bottling in growlers is a no-no. Although a couple of my friends have done it for 3 or 4 brews without any problems...

 

[weirdboy]

Why is bottling in a growler a no-no? So long as it's clean, sanitized, and the cap makes a good seal, I don't see what the big deal is.

 

[Edcculus]

Why is bottling in a growler a no-no? So long as it's clean, sanitized, and the cap makes a good seal, I don't see what the big deal is.

They aren't made to hold pressure

 

[weirdboy]

They aren't made to hold pressure

Then why can I go get them filled with beer? The beer is under the same pressure, isn't it?

 

[Schnitzengiggle]

Then why can I go get them filled with beer? The beer is under the same pressure, isn't it?

I think it has more to do with bottle conditioning/carbonating rather than storage if I'm not mistaken.

 

[alexdagrate]

I've bottle carb'd in growlers all the time.

I use this little guy, which I've always been able to pick up at my LHBS.
http://morebeer.com/view_product/16578//Screw_Cap_for_1_gallon_jug

it works much better than the metal screw top ones. In fact, when I get growlers filled at brewpubs, the beer stays carbonated and fresh much longer with the poly seal growler cap than with a metal cap.

some people on this board advise against bottle carbing in a growler:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/will-growler-cap-hold-122481/

I've only rarely had problems and it seemed like a one-off thing.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Let's be more specific: SOME growlers aren't made to hold pressure. If the glass is thin, and the growler appears more like a small carboy than a beer bottle, it probably wasn't meant to hold pressure. If, however, the glass is thick, and the growler appears more like a big beer bottle, it MAY withstand pressure.

In any case, filling a growler from the tap at a bar is meant to be a short term storage solution. Kept cold, a growler like that probably won't be under much pressure, and it will likely go flat within a week (like a soda bottle that has been opened and recapped).

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

I thought this was going a completely different direction given the thread title...

 

[Revvy]

Remember there is a difference in bottle carbing a beer and force carbing a beer and THEN putting it in a growler. A higher level of co2 is built up in bottle carbing beers, it builds up, maxes out the headspace, but NOT the crown cap on the bottle and then with nowhere else to go it forces itself in solution. Think of it like a temperature spike...it goes up, then down to a lower, steady level....When you bottle from a keg..the beer is carbed to it's set level, and that will be below the bottle and bottle seal's ability to handle.

 

[Battery_BreweryNJ]

I saw a NJ brand of beer called Climax tonight. It's available in 1/2 gallon growlers. Now, what I want to know is... if Climax can bottle under pressure in their growler, can bottle carbonate in one?

I know that you can't do it in asome growlers, but I was surprised to see this product. It has a plastic screw cap. Any thoughts about using them?

Off topic, climax's beer isnt all that great. Climax is the only brewery in NJ that isn't a part of the Brewers Guild. Also Ive heard some not great things about the head brewer. Just my 2 cents.

 

[rico567]

As to the question of bottling in growlers, I saw a thing on TV about a small large-garage scale micro (in WV, I think) that does ONLY kegs and growlers....no bottles at all. They showed a guy filling the growlers at some kind of custom filling station, and the owner seemed quite happy with the growlers getting into local stores. Don't know what kind of growler he's using, but two things come to mind:

1. He's not going to be selling many if they're going to be low carbed / flat.

.....which suggests the corollary:

2. These growlers are at normal bottling pressure.

The secret may be in keeping them refrigerated.

 

[AJC16]

I carbed my pumpkin ale on 8-23 with no apparent problems, when I bust it open on Thanksgiving I will let you know how it comes out

 

[Pickngrin]

Should we assume that this is a cream stout?

Someone had to be immature enough to say it...

 

[blackwaterbrewer]

I thought this was going a completely different direction given the thread title...
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now THAT, is funny!!:cross: