Growler filling for just a few hours drinking time

[crosschk]

Hey its me again,

I picked up a 64 growler to move the beer from my garage where the keezer is to my kitchen on another floor.

64oz is just about my usual amount of beer for the night so......

Since it's only for a few hours do I need to use some kind of tubing, gun ect, or will it be fine with a party tap pour and just close the top and keep in the fridge till empty? More often than not it will be done before going to bed

If it is recommended to use attachments, would an open ended qd with about 20-30 feet of tubing work? Fill the growler from the bottom up and yank the connecter off when its full?

TIA

 

[khannon]

I'm not going to tell you what to do, but fo me, a growler becomes the same as a pitcher.. open growler, pour beer into glass, close, repeat until growler is empty.

 

[crosschk]

I'm not going to tell you what to do, but fo me, a growler becomes the same as a pitcher.. open growler, pour beer into glass, close, repeat until growler is empty.

Thats the plan.

 

[wepeeler]

That will work just fine. Once you open it, treat it like an open beer. As long as you don't slosh it around a ton, it most likely would be ok the next day as well. I've finished a growler the next day, and it was fine.

 

[Cider Wraith]

For me, this is an excellent and enduring question. As folks have observed, an open growler is functionally an open pitcher. Pour your first glass at 6 PM and your last at 10 PM is flat. Regardless of how carefully it's filled, pop that top once and pour a glass and the carbonation is plummeting. Bought these thinking of doing a couple of pressurized bottles for the night - haven't fooled around with them yet

 

[bracconiere]

this is the way i fill a couple 1 liter soda bottles from a picnic tap.... 1/4" vinyl line fits perfect, and a rubber stopper to keep the pour slow, just gently vent here and there as pouring....

 

[crosschk]

View attachment 784029

this is the way i fill a couple 1 liter soda bottles from a picnic tap.... 1/4" vinyl line fits perfect, and a rubber stopper to keep the pour slow, just gently vent here and there as pouring....

Thats kinda what i had in mind but this way i dont have to yank the qd off in perfect synchronization

 

[bracconiere]

Thats kinda what i had in mind but this way i dont have to yank the qd off in perfect synchronization

you want the pressure to build in the container being filled. that way the carbonation doesn't come out of the beer....

a guy could probably rig a spunding valve as a counter pressure filler too?

 

[Cider Wraith]

However you do it maybe four properly sized bottles is better than one?

 

[DosGatosBrewing]

I use a cutoff plastic racking cane, the elbow end. Fits perfectly into the picnic tap outlet, and extends all the way to the bottom of the growler, so it doesn't foam up

 

[DuncB]

if it's going flat just transfer out of growler into a sodastream bottle and recarbonate on the sodastream.

 

[crosschk]

if it's going flat just transfer out of growler into a sodastream bottle and recarbonate on the sodastream.

I've often thought of trying that lol

 

[DuncB]

I'm assuming a growler is a type of bottle? not a mini keg.

 

[khannon]

Or, and hear me out.. you could put a kegerator in your kitchen. Doesn't have to be anything too big, 1-3 taps. Think of all the energy your would save, I haven't done the math, but it's got to be alot of energy to move that much mass from garage to kitchen and even more if you are carrying 4 pints of beer.

 

[crosschk]

I'm assuming a growler is a type of bottle? not a mini keg.

Kinda between bottle and mini keg

 

[DuncB]

Has it got a lid big enough you could put a liquid bulkhead post on.
Then you could put a tube from sodastream tube to a liquid ball lock to regas it and then take that off and fit party tap on.

 

[crosschk]

Has it got a lid big enough you could put a liquid bulkhead post on.
Then you could put a tube from sodastream tube to a liquid ball lock to regas it and then take that off and fit party tap on.

After ready all the replies, I am going to return it for a 64oz mini keg lol

 

[matt_m]

Seems like way overkill for an evening.

 

[crosschk]

M

Seems like way overkill for an evening.

Maybe but with what i already have on hand, its only a few dollars more...we'll see

I really hate flat beer lol

 

[Cider Wraith]

Seems like way overkill for an evening.

Who knows - maybe to each, his own -

 

[IslandLizard]

I really hate flat beer lol

Growlers (they're just large bottles, basically) or plastic bottles don't keep great carbonation. In addition to the carbonation that's lost while filling them from the keg, even with a counter pressure stopper over the cane, and using a carb cap on the plastic bottles (but never on a glass growler!).

The "mini keg" may work better for you. Some homebrewers in our club bring their beer in them, occasionally.
The mini kegs also lose carbonation while filling from your kegs/taps, just like a growler. But some offer the use of a mini CO2 cartridge to bring carbonation back up, keeping the beer carbonated, and dispense with CO2.

The largest drawback for daily use is that those mini cartridges are fairly pricey for the amount of CO2 they contain. After a year you may as well have bought an extra fridge or freezer and converted it into a multi-tap kegerator/keezer...

Other thoughts:

• Get small 2.5 gallon kegs (or smaller, if you can find them) for your home kegerator/keezer. Fill them through a keg-to-keg jumper from your large ones in the garage. You may be able to put 4-6 of those small ones in your home kegerator/keezer, especially if they can be stacked.
• Put your the keezer inside the home.
• Walk to your garage and back for each pour. Exercise is good for you.

 

[Cider Wraith]

Growlers (they're just large bottles, basically) or plastic bottles don't keep great carbonation. In addition to the carbonation that's lost while filling them from the keg, even with a counter pressure stopper over the cane, and using a carb cap on the plastic bottles (but never on a glass growler!).

The "mini keg" may work better for you. Some homebrewers in our club bring their beer in them, occasionally.
The mini kegs also lose carbonation while filling from your kegs/taps, just like a growler. But some offer the use of a mini CO2 cartridge to bring carbonation back up, keeping the beer carbonated, and dispense with CO2.

The largest drawback for daily use is that those mini cartridges are fairly pricey for the amount of CO2 they contain. After a year you may as well have bought an extra fridge or freezer and converted it into a multi-tap kegerator/keezer...

Other thoughts:

• Get small 2.5 gallon kegs (or smaller, if you can find them) for your home kegerator/keezer. Fill them through a keg-to-keg jumper from your large ones in the garage. You may be able to put 4-6 of those small ones in your home kegerator/keezer, especially if they can be stacked.
• Put your the keezer inside the home.
• Walk to your garage and back for each pour. Exercise is good for you.

Well written -

 

[wepeeler]

For me, this is an excellent and enduring question. As folks have observed, an open growler is functionally an open pitcher. Pour your first glass at 6 PM and your last at 10 PM is flat. Regardless of how carefully it's filled, pop that top once and pour a glass and the carbonation is plummeting. Bought these thinking of doing a couple of pressurized bottles for the night - haven't fooled around with them yet
View attachment 784028

I routinely fill 32oz and 64oz growlers to take to meetings and parties. As long as you aren't keeping them open for long periods of time and shaking them, they keep carbed for the night. I've poured the end of a growler the next day, and it's carbed enough to drink. Not ideal, but for what the OP is doing, it's more than fine.

 

[crosschk]

Get small 2.5 gallon kegs (or smaller, if you can find them) for your home kegerator/keezer. Fill them through a keg-to-keg jumper from your large ones in the garage. You may be able to put 4-6 of those small ones in your home kegerator/keezer, especially if they can be stacked.

Thats what i am starting with ...my kegs are 2.5 gallons

Put your the keezer inside the home

I was looking at this option when I thought my current keezer was dying

Walk to your garage and back for each pour. Exercise is good for you.

Sound good but there's outside stairs involved and winter is coming and I'm starting to get old, probably break a hip or something lol

 

[superiorsat]

I picked up a 64 growler to move the beer from my garage where the keezer is to my kitchen on another floor.

I'm with @IslandLizard. Get set up in the house if you want the best quality beer.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Thats what i am starting with ...my kegs are 2.5 gallons

I'd make room in kitchen fridge to hold one of your kegs. You may have to get a way to charge it with CO2 but there's options for that that can still sit in the fridge. Or move into the garage . . . . .

Growlers work fine.

 

[AlexKay]

1.75 gallon kegs would be a way to go. Might be easier to fit in the fridge. (And you can find knockoff versions on Amazon for a few bucks cheaper, at that.)

 

[crosschk]

Or move into the garage . . . .

I'm working on that lol

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I like being close to my brewing and my beer. Everything is done in the basement. Drinking coffee right now but I can see those beer taps just across the room!

 

[crosschk]

I like being close to my brewing and my beer. Everything is done in the basement. Drinking coffee right now but I can see those beer taps just across the room!

Space is limited so I work with what I have

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I was there to at one time. Hunt around for a smaller keg. I picked up a one gallon corny keg - really hard to find. Someone in the club snagged a few of them but I haven't seen them since.

 

[crosschk]

I was there to at one time. Hunt around for a smaller keg. I picked up a one gallon corny keg - really hard to find. Someone in the club snagged a few of them but I haven't seen them since.

When we remodel there will be a whole area dedicated to beer in the kitchen

 

[z-bob]

Use 1L plastic pop bottles, like you buy your tonic water in for G&Ts. Two of 'em for a night. Much less surface area for the beer to off-gas CO2 when it's half full. The second one doesn't lose carbonation while it's waiting to be opened, and if you change your mind about drinking the second one just leave it in the fridge for tomorrow.

If you have a helper to drink it, you can use a 2L bottle.

Using a traditional growler, open it at 6:00 and your 10:00 pour should still be carbonated enough if you keep the growler cold. It'll be flat if you let it warm up too much. Pour gently and put the cap back on between pours (that cap won't really help that much but it will help a little)

 

[TheBluePhantom]

Lets go pro here! Run a line from the keezer to the kitchen with loop of other line. put the whole thing in those pool noodles. put a jug of glycol and a small pump in the keezer and circulate through the other looped line to keep the whole thing cool. Have a nice tap tower right next to the kitchen sink.

 

[crosschk]

Lets go pro here! Run a line from the keezer to the kitchen with loop of other line. put the whole thing in those pool noodles. put a jug of glycol and a small pump in the keezer and circulate through the other looped line to keep the whole thing cool. Have a nice tap tower right next to the kitchen sink.

Omg that sounds awesome. The kitchen is over the garage so itnwould be easy

 

[DuncB]

I think best you send the house plans so we can sort out the remodel and pipework!

 

[crosschk]

I think best you send the house plans so we can sort out the remodel and pipework!

I'm a couple of years away... I'll post then for ideas

 

[Cider Wraith]

I'm a couple of years away... I'll post then for ideas

And so then, @crosschk , what's it going to be? Any advice here helpful?

 

[crosschk]

And so then, @crosschk , what's it going to be? Any advice here helpful?

I am going to stick with a regular growler. A double walled steel job. Give that a try and take it from there. I do like the running pipes idea but just not ready for that

 

[Cider Wraith]

If it's any consolation what works for me is walking up and down basement stairs a few times a' night