Growler fill stations:Supervalue

oblivious · 28-04-2015 8:10am #1

"Super Valu will be installing 2 tap growler systems in knocklyon, Swords, and Blackrock shortly"

Barry & Fitzwilliam I believe are in part be this development, a very positive move of the craft beer movement

Lovely Bloke · 28-04-2015 8:33am

Interesting.

Very interesting.

How soon is soon, and I wonder who will be operating the Growler systems. If B&F are involved I would imagine they are the same systems in use in the Carry Out off licences (and McHugh's, & Baggot St Wines), and they seem to need someone trained to operate them. Will there always be such a person on hand in the Super Valu shops?

Expect a similar range of beers as are available in those locations above too, which I have to say is pretty impressive.

Good news for the likes of O Brother who don't have a proper bottling line yet, but are constantly on rotation in the above locations - great potential exposure.

oblivious · 28-04-2015 9:02am

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

How soon is soon, and I wonder who will be operating the Growler systems. If B&F are involved I would imagine they are the same systems in use in the Carry Out off licences (and McHugh's, & Baggot St Wines), and they seem to need someone trained to operate them. Will there always be such a person on hand in the Super Valu shops?

No idea yet on that I am afraid

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Good news for the likes of O Brother who don't have a proper bottling line yet, but are constantly on rotation in the above locations - great potential exposure.

It is and another positive push for breweries to release one specials that may not make it to bottle or cans

toffeeshel · 28-04-2015 9:38pm

Barry and Fitzwilliam not involved as of yet. It's a different company to the carry out one doing the installations. I haven't heard of them. It will be interesting to see what breweries will be pouring. Also if the bottles will be unique to this system or will you be able to use growlers from other systems.
The Knocklyon station is imminent.

oblivious · 28-04-2015 10:06pm

toffeeshel wrote: »

Barry and Fitzwilliam not involved as of yet.

It was they who posted the original statement on Beoir. No.mention of anyone else, care to share your information?

Losty Dublin · 28-04-2015 10:08pm

Fook! Not in the the 5 shops which are closer to my house!!! :rolleyes:

toffeeshel · 28-04-2015 10:25pm

That was me on beoir. Different user name. I was shown the plans in the stores and was talking to the off-licence managers. I have no idea if the company installing the stations have any connections to any breweries.

oblivious · 28-04-2015 10:50pm

toffeeshel wrote: »

That was me on beoir. Different user name. I was shown the plans in the stores and was talking to the off-licence managers. I have no idea if the company installing the stations have any connections to any breweries.

Ah okay

Lovely Bloke · 30-04-2015 7:57pm

So I've a bit more info about this new system going into the SuperValu shops.

It's not the same as the CarryOut/McHughs etc version - they purge the growlers with CO2 before filling them, meaning there's no air inside them before the beer begins to fill. That's what's happening in the system.

The ones being put in by SuperValu don't do this, so they are essentially a hose filling a bottle - the beer won't last anywhere near as long in this type of growler.

BaZmO* · 30-04-2015 8:51pm

I'd imagine they're going for the novelty aspect rather than beer nerd angle.

Lovely Bloke · 30-04-2015 9:05pm

Cheaper option tbh.

BaZmO* · 30-04-2015 9:19pm

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Cheaper option tbh.

Same thing really I suppose.

BeerNut · 01-05-2015 1:20am

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

the beer won't last anywhere near as long in this type of growler.

How do you know this?

Lovely Bloke · 01-05-2015 7:52am

because they don't purge the oxygen.

BeerNut · 01-05-2015 9:29am

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

because they don't purge the oxygen.

But how do you know the beer will spoil? Have you ever tasted beer that was kept in an unpurged growler too long and went off, or heard of it happening to someone else? I think thing case for purging is oversold. I blame Big CO2...

donaghs · 01-05-2015 9:58am

Anyone seen the beer variety or prices?

Skerries · 01-05-2015 10:02am

must...resist...urge...to...make...commment!

BaZmO* · 01-05-2015 10:10am

BeerNut wrote: »

But how do you know the beer will spoil? Have you ever tasted beer that was kept in an unpurged growler too long and went off, or heard of it happening to someone else? I think thing case for purging is oversold. I blame Big CO2...

Yeah, I'm not convinced either. Sure the bottle gets "purged" through the act of filling it anyway when the liquid enters and displaces the air that's in the bottle. Once filled there would only be a minimal amount of air in the neck of the bottle.

Continuously opening and closing the bottle would be the biggest factor in spoiling the beer imo.

finatron · 01-05-2015 10:45am

BaZmO* wrote: »

Yeah, I'm not convinced either. Sure the bottle gets "purged" through the act of filling it anyway when the liquid enters and displaces the air that's in the bottle. Once filled there would only be a minimal amount of air in the neck of the bottle.

Continuously opening and closing the bottle would be the biggest factor in spoiling the beer imo.

Using the CO2 before filling with beer is what a brewery would do I know it's only a small amount of air but it must make a difference for the brewerys to do the same

BaZmO* · 01-05-2015 10:56am

finatron wrote: »

Using the CO2 before filling with beer is what a brewery would do I know it's only a small amount of air but it must make a difference for the brewerys to do the same

Yeah but a brewery would be expecting their product to then be on a shelf for anything up to a year or over. I'm no expert but I don't think you should be doing the same for Growler refills.

finatron · 02-05-2015 12:35pm

BaZmO* wrote: »

Yeah but a brewery would be expecting their product to then be on a shelf for anything up to a year or over. I'm no expert but I don't think you should be doing the same for Growler refills.

Why not it's not like it's over kill or anything a lot of homebrewers would use this method to bottle there beer.
The CO2 is there already for the keged beer so why not give you the freshest beer possible .
I don't live in the city so it will give me the opinion to store the beer for a few days until I get a chance to drink it.

BeerNut · 02-05-2015 12:50pm

finatron wrote: »

Why not it's not like it's over kill or anything a lot of homebrewers would use this method to bottle there beer.
The CO2 is there already for the keged beer so why not give you the freshest beer possible.

Exactly.

finatron wrote: »

I don't live in the city so it will give me the opinion to store the beer for a few days until I get a chance to drink it.

And this is why I raised the issue: the notion that a growler filled with beer that hasn't been purged will go off faster than one that has. It's unproven. I suggest that the purging system does not give you the option to store the beer for a few days. You had that option either way.

finatron · 02-05-2015 2:21pm

BeerNut wrote: »

Exactly.

And this is why I raised the issue: the notion that a growler filled with beer that hasn't been purged will go off faster than one that has. It's unproven. I suggest that the purging system does not give you the option to store the beer for a few days. You had that option either way.

I disagree by purging the growler you are Effectively just bottling the beer in the growler the same way a brewery or homebrewer would.
Without doing this step 1st it's like opening a beer recapping and drinking it a day or so later it just wont tasts fress or keep it's carbonation as well.

BeerNut · 02-05-2015 2:28pm

finatron wrote: »

Without doing this step 1st it's like opening a beer recapping and drinking it a day or so later

You reckon you could tell the difference between a beer that was recapped straight after opening and one that wasn't? Gwan, try it.

finatron wrote: »

it just wont tasts fress or keep it's carbonation as well.

It just won't, or you just think it won't?

jh79 · 02-05-2015 2:41pm

BeerNut wrote: »

You reckon you could tell the difference between a beer that was recapped straight after opening and one that wasn't? Gwan, try it.

It just won't, or you just think it won't?

The hose method introduces oxygen as it is being poured so it will definitely not last as long.

BeerNut · 02-05-2015 2:42pm

jh79 wrote: »

definitely

Why "definitely"? Has this been tested? Perhaps theoretically it shouldn't last as long, but that's a different thing altogether.

finatron · 02-05-2015 2:48pm

I have done this. I home brew mostly use swing tops it's happend a few times opened a beer but have to recap it for whatever reason come back to it the next day it's just not as good . It just never gets back the carbonation you lost by opening.
With the alcohol in beer it can't really go off but exposing to fresh air it will change the flavors even after a day.

The price of purging your growler is less than a cent wort of C02. The C02 is there already to get the beer out of keg. It's takes 5seconds to do this step. So why would you not want it?
It allows you to keep that beer fress indefinitely .
With out it you need to drink you beerr asap for it to be keglike fresh

BeerNut · 02-05-2015 2:52pm

finatron wrote: »

The price of purging your growler is less than a cent wort of C02. The C02 is there already to get the beer out of keg. It's takes 5seconds to do this step. So why would you not want it?

I think you're still missing my point. Purging is fine, purging is good, purge away. But the notion that unpurged beer is worse and goes off faster? Unproven, and anecdotally not my experience.

finatron wrote: »

It allows you to keep that beer fress indefinitely .

:eek:

jh79 · 02-05-2015 2:53pm

BeerNut wrote: »

Why "definitely"? Has this been tested? Perhaps theoretically it shouldn't last as long, but that's a different thing altogether.

In theory the purged could be stored as long as any bottle, the hose can't, oxygen is definitely present

BeerNut · 02-05-2015 3:09pm

jh79 wrote: »

oxygen is definitely present

Not if there's live yeast in the beer there isn't.

PEGAS don't recommend that you keep beer in their growlers for longer than 30 days. Without finding out what the same beer in an unpurged growler tastes like after 30 days there's no case for saying one method is better than the other. Unless you're a PEGAS shareholder, obvs.

BaZmO* · 02-05-2015 3:43pm

Indefinitely fresh? Wow!

Where can I get one of these machines?

Growler fill stations:Supervalue

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