Beer Growlers are Fun

Ever wonder why the craft beer brewers decided on strange packaging such as a growler or why it is named a growler?  While it is true that during the prohibition, the distillers pushing ‘moonshine’ had a container that appeared similar, the modern day beer growler traces its roots back to the 19^th century.  The growler was first used when a loyal pub drinker wanted to bring some beer home or sent his kids down to his favorite watering hole to fetch some beer.  They would fill small pails and as one carried the pail home it would hiss and rattle as the CO2 escaped…. also referred to as growling.

Today, the growler is generally brown in color, to prevent light from spoiling the craft beer, and holds 64oz or 4 pints.  Most growlers also have a handle for easy pouring.  Although nearly every craft brewery now markets growlers, it was Otto Brother’s Brewing (now Grand Teton Brewing) that introduced this container in 1989 into the USA.  Beer growlers are not only fun, they are reusable and therefore environmentally friendly.