Yes...in case you haven't heard today (December 17th) is National Growler Day. Some of you may ask, "What the heck is a growler?" Growlers represent everything about the craft beer movement (we'll get into what the term craft beer means in another post).
Basically, a growler is usually a glass container/jug that you can purchase at a brewery and get it filled with 64 ounces of their delicious beer. Plus, you get to go back to that same brewery and fill it up at a discounted price. Growlers particularly can come in handy when you want to take home a beer that is only made at that brewery and not disctributed in your neck of the woods. And if you want to look cool, instead of bringing a bottle of wine to a holiday party, take a growler of fresh local craft beer...yum!
Why is it called a growler you ask? In the dictionary a growler is defined as 1) A small iceberg (random!) or 2) A vessel for carrying beer. Almost a hundred years ago, a growler was a pail with a lid on it that people used to take their beer home from the pub/brewery. The term growler is rumored to come from the lid of the growler that made a rumbling sound as the carbon dioxide escaped from under the lid. Or..it could have been that story with the bear that got trapped in a bucket of beer :)
Now most (if not all) growlers are made out of glass and either have a pressurized cap to keep it as fresh as possible. Fun fact of the day: Today, the use of growlers by beer patrons is estimated to have stopped over 1 billion cans and bottles going into the trash each year.
So not only are you tasting fresh great beer, by purchasing a growler you're also helping save the environment :)
Last thing, one thing you should know about growlers, in many states it is illegal to use a growler from another brewery. Example: You have an amazing growler from Russian River Brewing Co. and you decide to go to Thirsty Bear Brewing Co. to fill it up -- most breweries will not fill up your growler unless the growler is from the brewery you want to fill up the beer from. Make sense? Now, you know more about growlers than the average American, so show your knowledge off and grab a growler today! Cheers!
