Growler Fills

Lurching

The only information I can find online (Beoir etc) is a few years old now.

With the popularity of growlers slowly growing I thought it'd be good to get a bit of a list of places where fills can be had.

I know of the following three in Dublin, but does anyone have any more?

Baggot St Wines
Supervalu Ballinteer
The Open Gate Brewery (Guinness)

Cheers!

GLaDOS

I'm pretty sure JW Sweetman's and the Galway Bay bars will fill a growler

Zaph

SuperValu Blanchardstown
Carryout Tyrrellstown

BeerNut

SuperValu Kimmage (though I've not seen anyone use it since they gave out filled growlers for a tenner.)

Lurching wrote: »

With the popularity of growlers slowly growing

I think the opposite is happening. Do Craft Beer Growlers have any stations except Tyrrelstown and Baggot Street Wines these days?

Lurching

BeerNut wrote: »

I think the opposite is happening. Do Craft Beer Growlers have any stations except Tyrrelstown and Baggot Street Wines these days?

I think the problem with the SuperValu ones is that they're too expensive. You'd be better off buying bottles as at least you know they'll last a while.

I'd be happy to be able to fill up in the likes of Against the Grain or any other pub with craft taps. I know it wont last as long as a proper growler machine however.

Anyone know if Against the Grain will fill growlers? And if so, do they just charge you for four standard pints?

RasTa

BeerNut wrote: »

SuperValu Kimmage (though I've not seen anyone use it since they gave out filled growlers for a tenner.)

I think the opposite is happening. Do Craft Beer Growlers have any stations except Tyrrelstown and Baggot Street Wines these days?

McHugh's? Although they haven't mentioned it on twitter in a few months

BeerNut

Lurching wrote: »

I know it wont last as long as a proper growler machine however.

You do? Have you tested this?

Lurching wrote: »

Anyone know if Against the Grain will fill growlers?

Yes, they have the same growler offer as all the Galway Bay pubs.

Lovely Bloke

The two McHughs still do the CBG Growlers, and the Tap House in Ranelagh had a station the last time I was in there.

And yeah, BeerNut is right, they are declining in popularity, I don't think the Irish breweries are producing enough "specials" for them to be worthwhile, seeing as the cost of any core range beers in the growler system is about the same as buying a properly filled bottle of the same beer.

RonanC

in Cork, Franciscan Well and Quishs Supervalu offer growlers.

Quishs regularly have Beavertown Gamma Ray and Neck Oil available.

Lovely Bloke

RonanC wrote: »

Quishs regularly have Beavertown Gamma Ray and Neck Oil available.

In a growler system?

Lurching

BeerNut wrote: »

You do? Have you tested this?

Admittedly, I haven't. I'm going on what I was told in The Open Gate. Their growler machine was broken and they said the same beer from the tap will only last 1 week in the growler as opposed to 2-3 weeks from the growler filler (providing it's not opened & kept refrigerated).

RasTa

If you purge it with C02 it will last longer. Supervalue ones don't have C02 but at least they use a hose.

GBB pubs just splash it into the growler.

BeerNut

RasTa wrote: »

If you purge it with C02 it will last longer.

One certainly hears that said. It seems to be a bit of an article of faith, though, with little to no evidence behind it. I've kept splashy-hose beer (from Sweetmans) in a growler for weeks and it was grand.

RasTa

BeerNut wrote: »

One certainly hears that said. It seems to be a bit of an article of faith, though, with little to no evidence behind it. I've kept splashy-hose beer (from Sweetmans) in a growler for weeks and it was grand.

Disagree, even logically it doesn't make sense with all that oxygen.

BeerNut

RasTa wrote: »

Disagree, even logically it doesn't make sense with all that oxygen.

Well, until you actually test the logic it remains theoretical. I think there's a bit of boys'-toys flim-flam going on with the fancy growler machines. The theatre of the pour.

RasTa

BeerNut wrote: »

Well, until you actually test the logic it remains theoretical. I think there's a bit of boys'-toys flim-flam going on with the fancy growler machines. The theatre of the pour.

You don't need to test it, any professional brewer will tell you the beer will be spoilt in a couple of days if you're just pouring from the tap.

Purging the oxygen out of the device being filled will increase the shelf life of the crowler or growler.

BeerNut

RasTa wrote: »

any professional brewer will tell you the beer will be spoilt in a couple of days if you're just pouring from the tap.

Except it doesn't Seriously: try it. As long as there isn't too much headspace, the beer's grand, in my experience.

One should always test everything. ESPECIALLY if a brewer told it to you

andekwarhola

Forgive me a stupid question as I've never used growler.

In the likes of GBB bars, I presume you can't get them to put just any tap beer in and it has to be just GBB stuff that they serve in pints?

RasTa

BeerNut wrote: »

Except it doesn't Seriously: try it. As long as there isn't too much headspace, the beer's grand, in my experience.

One should always test everything. ESPECIALLY if a brewer told it to you

Maybe you can't distingush off flavours :D

I will not try this as I can't wait 3 weeks to drink a growler.

Brewer's would gain more money anyway if they didn't have to use the fancy growlers. My experience is speaking with the yanks who would know more than us peasants when it comes to these systems.

BeerNut

andekwarhola wrote: »

In the likes of GBB bars, I presume you can't get them to put just any tap beer in and it has to be just GBB stuff that they serve in pints?

Just GBB stuff, I think.

RasTa wrote: »

Brewer's would gain more money anyway if they didn't have to use the fancy growlers.

Which I guess is why brewers such as JW Sweetman and Galway Bay don't bother. They don't have to so they don't.

RasTa wrote: »

My experience is speaking with the yanks who would know more than us peasants when it comes to these systems.

Hey! I'll have you know that I'm beer royalty!

Lurching

RasTa wrote: »

Disagree, even logically it doesn't make sense with all that oxygen.

As it happens, the main reason for this thread is due to a new growler I recently bought from the states. It has a built in CO2 cartridge. Sounds like any old tap beer should last like a proper growler machine filled bottle.

BeerNut

Lurching wrote: »

It has a built in CO2 cartridge. Sounds like any old tap beer should last like a proper growler machine filled bottle.

Ahh but does it flush the vessel before the beer goes in? If it doesn't do the flush you may as well be pouring weedkiller in there, according to an American I met.

RasTa

BeerNut wrote: »

Ahh but does it flush the vessel before the beer goes in? If it doesn't do the flush you may as well be pouring weedkiller in there, according to an American I met.

Now now,

I mean why even bother purging bottles or cans with C02 before filling, don't even bother purging your bright beer tank. Just lash the beer in and it will still be fine 3 weeks after according to some Irish lad on the internet.

BeerNut

I've certainly tasted oxidised homebrew but it's far from the norm. I don't know any home brewers who purge their bottles with CO2, but I know plenty who make great non-oxidised long-lasting beer. Pesky empirical evidence getting in the way of "somebody told me" again.

RasTa

BeerNut wrote: »

I've certainly tasted oxidised homebrew but it's far from the norm. I don't know any home brewers who purge their bottles with CO2, but I know plenty who make great non-oxidised long-lasting beer. Pesky empirical evidence getting in the way of "somebody told me" again.

You must tell all the commercial brewery's that they are wasting their time and money purging their vessels before filling.

I'm sure no scientists have ever worked in a brewery and the lads just came up with purging out of nowhere.

Just as all homebrewed beer is fully carbonated when bottling.

BeerNut

It's a scale thing. It's useful to take those sorts of precautions with a full-size commercial batch of beer. As far as I can tell that doesn't scale down to growler level, however.

andekwarhola

BeerNut wrote: »

Just GBB stuff, I think.

Was hoping I could go in and demand they fill the growler with Founders Imperial Porter :pac:

BeerNut

You definitely can. There's just no guarantee they'll actually do it.

toe_knee

Sullivans brewery in Kilkenny are offering growlers too

RonanC

Lovely Bloke wrote: »

In a growler system?

Using key kegs.

RasTa

snowblind

All the places I've had growlers from in the states, a lot of these places in the top tier of respectability in the trade

none of them had a "growler machine"

tap -> growler bottle -> cap -> plastic cover on cap -> heater to seal the cap with the plastic

always top notch results. of course, none of those beers were stored more than 2 days. if I buy a growler I intend to drink it soon, no need for dumb proprietary systems

andekwarhola

Bought two one-litre growlers recently and got a litre of Buried At Sea on the way home today in the nearest GBB bar.

Tastes fine but have to say was a bit taken aback at the price (€14).

Can't see myself bothering with it as a substitute for core range bottles, rather maybe just to get the occasional one-off that might like.

senordingdong

andekwarhola wrote: »

Bought two one-litre growlers recently and got a litre of Buried At Sea on the way home today in the nearest GBB bar.

Tastes fine but have to say was a bit taken aback at the price (€14).

Can't see myself bothering with it as a substitute for core range bottles, rather maybe just to get the occasional one-off that might like.

+1
I bought one from against the grain last week as i had missed the off license deadline.
To refill will cost €16:75...with a whopping fifty cent saved on each pint, it's hardly worth it.

Or am i late to the party? Did they used to be cheaper?

the beer revolu

senordingdong wrote: »

+1
I bought one from against the grain last week as i had missed the off license deadline.
To refill will cost €16:75...with a whopping fifty cent saved on each pint, it's hardly worth it.

Or am i late to the party? Did they used to be cheaper?

They shouldn't be serving takeaway after 10,anyway.

senordingdong

the beer revolu wrote: »

They shouldn't be serving takeaway after 10,anyway.

Sorry, let me rephrase, i was not going ti make it to an off license in time.

But if what you're saying is true, than that's one more reason not to bother.