Other growlers can store beer under pressure, with carbon dioxide and truly airtight seals to keep oxygen at bay. These gadgets can keep beer fresh and tasty for as long as two months.

The basics of brewing beer, or a beer-like substance, is achieved by a grain's sugar creating a fermentation process which produces yeasts. The yeasts carbonate the substance giving beer its characteristic suds. Given the wide array of the processes, large varieties of beer existed in ancient times due to the relative ease of brewing. The fun aspect of the NutriChef keg is that is gives you lots of control over the level of carbonation, with the ability to pump up to 30 PSI into the contents. That lets you play around with existing beers in fun ways, like cranking up the bubbles in a brown or amber ale to make it more refreshing, or using a nitrogen canister to put a rich, creamy head on a light lager.Here, a young lad "rushes the growler" to its destination – which was most often a father's place of employment. Simply put, the use of a growler is to transport draft beer from breweries and bars to the comfort of one's own home. They are designed to be airtight to keep the beer as fresh as when it is poured directly from the draft. The most basic glass growlers offer no insulation at all—you have to store them in the fridge until you're ready to serve the beer. Others are vacuum-insulated like a Thermos and can keep cold beer cold (or hot coffee hot) for hours or even days on a camping trip. In general, better-insulated growlers are more expensive. The benefits of the growler are plentiful. While their popularity waxed and waned in the past century, the resurgence of home brewing and the craft beer revolution have consumers considering growlers once again. The obvious advantage is that a growler allows you to take beer on the go. If you cannot commit to purchasing a keg of beer, but you demand a large volume, this is the best option. Also, some beers are only available on draft at a brewery. This is usually because the beer is a small batch or seasonal brew. This allows the consumer to have the brewery experience outside of the establishment. The primary difference between the Growlerwerks uKeg 64 and the Growlerwerks uKeg 128 is their capacity. The uKeg 64 holds 64 ounces of beer, while the uKeg 128 holds 128 ounces.

Carbonation-enabled growlers often give you control over the exact pressure of CO2, which lets you set the texture of the bubbles in the beer. A pressure of 10 to 12 PSI yields the normal level of bubbles you'd expect in a can of domestic lager, while higher pressure makes tiny, aggressive bubbles that can be more refreshing, and lower pressure makes a silkier beer. (You can also use nitrogen canisters in place of carbon dioxide to get the creamy head that's classic on a beer like Guinness.) By the early 20th century a term, “rushing the growler,” emerged to describe how children would take a growler to a bar, have it filled, and then transport it to, most often, their father’s workplace in time for lunch. Variants of this story suggest that the workers would be so hungry by the time the growlers arrived, their stomachs were “growling.” Being an all-in-one system, it’s much more convenient than lugging around a separate CO2 tank and regulator The love of good beer was the start of Portland-based GrowlerWerks. As many of their favorite microbrews didn’t come in bottles, they had to come up with another way to store their brew and keep it fresh. They used their experience from engineering and product design to create the uKeg that ensures your beer always tastes exactly how the brewmaster intended. More information: Bottling and canning lines are designed to fill their respective vessels with beer for longer shelf lives. With growlers, the expectation is consumption will follow within days, so fancy counter-pressure systems are not as necessary with filling a growler. However, a good brewery or beer bar will take care when filling a growler.

Once pressurized, the uKeg will hold bubbles for the whole time it keeps the beer fresh, thanks its keg-style tap that dispenses liquid without releasing the airtight seal. "I looooooove the GrowlerWerks uKeg," says The Spruce Eats General Manager Emma Christensen, an experienced homebrewer who's written three books on the topic. "It's easy to transport to a party or tailgating or whatever, and I also use it for carbonating things like kombucha or apple juice for DIY sparkling cider." Christensen has two uKegs of her own, both in the larger gallon size.

Even though stainless steel growlers do a far better job of keeping their contents cold than do glass versions, we've kept two of the latter for those who prefer the classic appeal of amber glass. These are the Amber Glass Half Gallon and the Euro 2-Liter. The Euro model has a large metal handle, while the former do not; it's also pricier, but with a more robust lid to make up for the higher cost.

Everything You Need To Know About Beer Growlers

Custom is always a great way to go. Craft Master Growlers allows you to assemble your own, choosing from an array of colors, sizes, and other options. It’s plenty portable, but you may become so attached that it becomes an in-house fixture at the domestic bar. Where Does Growler Come From? Allison Wignall and Jason Horn are both The Spruce Eats staff writers who updated this roundup. Both have spent years writing about food, drink, and travel, and you can find their work featured in publications like Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Southern Living, Playboy, and Serious Eats. It should go without saying, but keeping growlers clean is very important. It is best to rinse them as soon as they are emptied, scrubbing with a long-handled brush if available, and allowed to dry upside down so no moisture is left sitting at the bottom.

I drank my Belgian IPA over the course of seven days to see how the carbonation would hold up. It was perfect! And there was even some juice to spare. It all began in the 19th Century, when ale drinkers needed away to transport beer home from the watering hole. As the suds moved around in transit, they growled, and the name was born. In the early 20th Century, “rushing the growler” was common, meaning kids would hit up the local pub for pails (growlers) of beer and bring them to workers during their lunch break or their parents come nightfall. Gradually, the technology got better, evolving from glass enclosures to plastic and, ultimately, pressurized ones. If you're going to take the time and effort required to make your own beer at home, you ought to keep that beer in pristine condition. That's what the luxury uKeg is all about, with the ability to maintain your homebrew's freshness and bubbliness for weeks. It also lets you precision-carbonate your beer by dropping in a standard CO2 canister and dialing up the pressure you want from 0 to 15 PSI. (You could use a nitrogen canister instead, for a putting a creamy head on a dark beer like a stout.) There's even a gauge on the outside of the opaque container that lets you know exactly how much brew is left. As the name suggests, it's kind of a keg in growler size.Keeping beer around 55 degrees is best for preserving its flavors and aromas, especially if you’re enjoying a beer with nuanced hop flavors," Ketcham says. A wine fridge could be a good option if you really want to get deep into beer tasting, or you could take your growler out of the regular fridge an hour or two before you want to drink it. This makes it a great gift for men who like beer and enjoy brewing their own. Just make sure to follow the instructions and guidelines provided by Growler Werks to ensure optimal performance. Is the uKeg a Good Gift for Someone Who Likes Beer?