Growlers, How long CAN they last?

[SoxyinMO]

Hey there. I used to live within easy driving, busing, cycling, walking, crawling distance of a brew-pub so never bothered with their growlers. Now the closest brew-pub is nearly 100 miles away, so I am buying their beer in a growler to take home with me. We usually drink it all within a day or two, but as a general question, I was wondering how long y'all have found that the beer in a growler will stay fresh and tasty. Just in case we ever don't finish it off in a day or two.
Thank you.

[threecb]

If the growler seal is unbroken, it should stay a week to 10 days. Once the seal is opened, you should consume it within 24-48 hours...

[brewmonkey]

Considering the method we use to fill growlers, you have about 72 hours from purchase to consume and have fresh beer. While I have seen them go longer and maintain carbonation the flavor has just sucked due to massive oxidation.

[paul84043]

All growlers should be emptied within 15 seconds of poking the hole in the bottom of them.

[newportstorm]

While I usually buy growlers for quick consumption (1-7 days), I do know people who have filled them (screwtops), tightened beyond belief and then wrapped the necks in duct/electrical tape. They swear they've tasted fine after several weeks in storage. Fresh from the tap? No. But still tasty.

Cheers!

[Richard English]

The only growlers we have in England are unfriendly dogs - and I wouldn't recommend trying to poke a hole in one of their bottoms!

[paul84043]

Wow, there's a visual I didn't need!!

:eek:

Actually I get a couple growlers filled at a local micro every couple of weeks. They never survive the weekend.

[barley ben]

I've only bought one growler in my life while I was in Baltimore at Capital City. I ended up being a hoodlem and drinking it while walking around the inner harbor!!

[warmstorage]

at home, i regularly use a "wine saver" device that sucks the air out of the bottle, and which can gain me as much as an extra 72 hours after i open the bottle, depending on the beer. (which probably has a lot to do with it: how much carbonation the beer naturally has, and how much it should have to be appropriate to style/taste good/feel good in your mouth.)

of course, you'd have to transfer the beer to a bottle with a regular sized neck, and i can just see the brewpub owners and brewers out there shuddering at the quality control problems with that.

on a related note, the worst "growler" i ever bought was from a brewpub which i otherwise love (and which shall remain nameless, though some of you will undoubtedly know it if you, er, live in or visit the rocky mountain region much): it was a 64 oz. mason jar, with a standard screwed down mason style lid. the carbonation (in a porter) caused it to begin bubbling and leaking within a 1/2 block of walking, and i had to stand there on the corner and drink off the top few inches (big bummer!)

-warmstorage

[Richard English]

64 US fluid ounces? That's only just over three Imperial pints! Why would you want to reseal anything that small?

[Fast_Eddy]

Check out this link about growlers -

Beer Advocate Growler Article (http://www.beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/384/)

[SoxyinMO]

Thanks guys. I couldn't really imagine what might cause me to wait more than 72 hours, but you never know. I appreciate the input.

[brewmonkey]

IF you can find a brewery that counterpressure fills, you will get more shelf time out of it.

I know ROUGE does (or used to?) sell it's Buckwheat in growlers. I used to see them at Gomers in the Northland.

[BluesHarp]

I've kept growlers as long as 5-6 weeks with good results; I shrink wrap the caps and store them at about 35° or slightly colder. This seems to keep the CO2 dormant until they are warmed to proper drinking temperture.

[rrfc]

I've found that the type of cap helps preserve the beer as well. Some pubs use metal tops, others use plastic, but the best seem to be the german style growlers with the lock tops. un-openend i've found 2 weeks is the makes and as the consesus is 24 to 48 hours is the best. Try it out and see what you find is the best- cheers!

[SoxyinMO]

So many good ideas. I'll have to buy a few growlers next time I'm up in Columbia and put a few of these ideas to the test.
Thanks