Not going to lie - Prob a dumb growler question

[Brentk14]

I have my new with and my Chocolate pale in the keg now and love them both. I always drink the beers way to quick to fully appreciate the aging flavor. So my question is: If I fill my growler with beer and seal it well, will it stay carbonated? I have heard of people bottling from their keg and saying it gets flat faster. If it does stay carbonated, should I keep it at 42 deg, the serving temp of my beer, or should I bring it back to room temp and let it age?

 

[Funkenjaeger]

Same problem as filling bottles. If you can fill it without losing any carbonation during the filling process, then it will be fine, as long as the cap seals properly (I don't know how airtight typical growler caps are, but I'd worry a bit). But if you're just pouring from the tap into a growler, you're bound to lose a lot of carbonation. You could try to rig up a counter-pressure filler for a growler (perhaps adapt the BMBF), or you could simply use one to fill regular bottles instead.

 

[Glibbidy]

It's best to consume the beer you dispense into growlers within 36-48 hours. If you crack that sucker open and start drinking out of it, then I would plan on finishing it within 24 hrs, otherwise it wil end up going flat. Store it in your fridge until your ready to consume.

 

[Brentk14]

"It's best to consume the beer you dispense into growlers within 36-48 hours. If you crack that sucker open and start drinking out of it, then I would plan on finishing it within 24 hrs, otherwise it wil end up going flat."


What if I am looking to just let it age for a few months without opening it?

http://www.nxnwbrew.com/images/products/vessels/ambergrowler.jpg

that is the type of growler, and i notice it seals pretty darn well. I got it filled at the local brewery last weekend and everytime i opened it, it was like popping open a brand new brew. The way they filled it at the brewery was with beer hose attached to the faucet so the beer poured without getting oxygenated.

 

[kaj030201]

Some say that a growler will stay fresh, if sealed tightly and not opened, for 2-3 weeks. I have opened a growler for a drink 2 days after filling, resealed, and the next day it was almost totally flat. The best thing might be to get some bombers and fill them then cap tightly with a bottle capper.

 

[Glibbidy]

What if I am looking to just let it age for a few months without opening it?

http://www.nxnwbrew.com/images/products/vessels/ambergrowler.jpg

that is the type of growler, and i notice it seals pretty darn well. I got it filled at the local brewery last weekend and everytime i opened it, it was like popping open a brand new brew. The way they filled it at the brewery was with beer hose attached to the faucet so the beer poured without getting oxygenated.

You might give that a shot. I use one of them growlers for immediate consumption. I guess it's really no different then the smaler grolsch style ceramic tops. That might give you the seal you need. Give it a try and let us know how it works.
Bottling is also a good option.

 

[TexLaw]

Chill your keg down to about freezing, as well as your growler. Cut a piece of 3/16" tubing to about 8-10 inches (long enough to get to the bottom of your growler) and hook that up to your picnic tap. Purge your growler with CO2. Hold your growler over a bucket or sink (or just put it in there) and fill to your desired level, slowly removing the tube as you do to reduce displacement. Then, keep the growler cold.

All that will maximize the beer's lifetime in the growler. I don't really know how long that lifetime is. However, I'll probably open a growler that was adeptly filled about three months ago, so my fingers are crossed.


TL

 

[Glibbidy]

Chill your keg down to about freezing, as well as your growler.

I neglectd to mention this component. This is key.
Same goes for filling bottles from keg.

 

[Brentk14]

alright thanks guys I am going to try this tonight, before I run out of beer to put in a growler haha. I will let you know how it works in a few months.

 

[BeerAg]

I left a ceramic top growler filled with beer for about a month. When I opened it, it still had plenty of carbonation.

So, I am only a sample of 1, but it worked for me.

 

[Evan!]

Wait, wait, wait...what about the elephant in the room, here? Wouldn't it be incredibly more simple to toss some Munton's carb tabs into a sanitized growler(s) and dispense some of the beer from the secondary vessel into the growlers prior to putting it in the keg???

 

[Brentk14]

It would be but my beer is already carbed kegged and bein drank

 

[Evan!]

It would be but my beer is already carbed kegged and bein drank

The solution, then, is obvious: brew another batch of it

 

[Poindexter]

Wait, wait, wait...what about the elephant in the room, here? Wouldn't it be incredibly more simple to toss some Munton's carb tabs into a sanitized growler(s) and dispense some of the beer from the secondary vessel into the growlers prior to putting it in the keg???

I am about to try this, only my LHBS had the Copper's brand tablets. What I am going to do is rack the flat beer into a serving keg. Than I'll get my clean/ sanitized bottles ready to go, drop the sugar cubes in the bottles, hopok up a tap to the keg, hook up the gas, fill and cap my bottlers, leave the keg hooked up to force carb.

I'll get back to ya, but I don't need a bottling bucket this way. I guess if I was going to bottle a whole five gallons I could put priming solution on the bottom of the serving keg, rack flat beer onto it, and then push fill the bottles.

/jack

@OP, when I fill growlers I leave the sanitized growler, loosely capped, in the fridge for a couple hours. Have a sink pretty full of ice water ready. Push the empty growler down into the ice bath. Cold temps, less CO2 comes out of solution. ASAP cap it and get it back in the fridge.

 

[UselessBrewing]

Wait, wait, wait...what about the elephant in the room, here? Wouldn't it be incredibly more simple to toss some Munton's carb tabs into a sanitized growler(s) and dispense some of the beer from the secondary vessel into the growlers prior to putting it in the keg???

Thats my vote. Although I fill my growler the same day I bottle. It just holds more.