I had no idea the term was still in use! I think I’ve read about it in books from turn-of-the-century (20th century) books, along the lines of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (although I don’t know if that’s where I actually read it or not).
So, you’re saying you can get a bucket o’ beer to go? News to me!
We’ve got about 10 or so, maybe more. But we are homebrewers and total beer geeks.
This is a great site with the history of the growler and lots of pictures.
I’ll have to look into this, but it used to be traffic offense to have an open alcohol beverage container. I think at one point it could even get you a mandatory suspension. so I’m trying to figure out how this works. Who is going to buy these things? Just people in walking distance of the liquor store? Or are you supposed to consume the half gallon on the premises . . . with a corn cob pipe and while resting the bottle on the back of your hand and taking a swig over your forearm. There is a part of this puzzle that is missing.
I never heard of a growler before this thread. The history is fascinating (even more so since I’m really not a great beer drinker or fan).
Would anyone care to recommend a book on pre-prohibition drinking, not one with an agenda, just history? I think it would be interesting to study how things worked 100-150 years ago and what led up to prohibition. The very idea of a kid carrying home a bucket of beer for dad (but not mom?) is so foreign to present-day sensibilities, but it may have been common once upon a time.
Our growlers have caps.
A half gallon capped growler is no different than an unopened can or bottle (in PA, anyway).
I take glass for recycling every so often. Because of the way my vehicle is set up, the bottles are in the passenger area. Technically I have dozens of open containers in my car and am in violation of the law. If I ever get cited, I’ll pay a lawyer.
I thought about this afterward, and I guess if they seal it in some way where it would be evident if it were opened after being purchased, that would probably satisfy whatever the law is. It shouldn’t be too hard to have a small machine that would put a ring or seal of some kind around the cap.
BTW, in NJ, even if a bottle has a cap, it’s still considered “open” if it’s not factory sealed. That’s why I’m going through these contortions. I suppose I could just go to the liquor store selling these things and ask. But what fun is that?
I will get a growler at the Potosi Brewery in Wisconsin and drive it over to Iowa to drink. They screw-cap it and then use shrinky-plastic with a hair dryer to seal the cap. I would assume that covers all “open container” bases.