Growlers for casks

[Foxinator]

I would like a keg set up but can't afford one any time soon. I have a bunch of empty growlers laying around and was thinking I could turn them into a bunch of mini casks. I was thinking I could rig up some kind of cap with a tube extending to the bottom of the growler/cask and another tube extending maybe an inch, both with some sort of valve. Fill 'em, prime as you would a cask and flip 'em upside down to condition. Then I wouldn't have to bottle (much) and I'd have a bunch of casks "on tap" that could be emptied before going bad. The growlers are thick brown glass that, I'm pretty sure, could stand up to the pressures of carbonating in a bottle and they wouldn't be getting that much pressure anyway as I'd be going for a cask style carbonation. I figured someone would have done something like this already but I can't find any info. I would love some feedback especially on how to make a suitable cap. Thanks.

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

If you're trying to get away from bottling, this is understandable. I just want to say (in case someone searches cask ale) that homebrew in a bottle is the exact same thing as cask ale. Cask ale is conditioned and served basically right from the secondary fermenter. Instead of doing this, most of us use a bottle as our secondary. This is the exact same thing as cask. I just don't want people spending tons of money on a cask setup just to find out they already have it.

Now...on to your question.

This might be of interest to you.... Growler Tap

As for making one yourself and conditioning in the growler... I think as long as you found a good way to seal the growler other than the conventional caps, you'll be fine. They will hold carbonation, but they don't hold if for long with those caps. I'd be worried how long it will last in the growler before going bad, but I think (again) if you have a good seal, you'll be fine.