Buffalo Rising Online

May 18th 2007, 11:18am By John Aramini

In the world of craft brewing (formerly known as microbrewing), growlers have become a common means of beer distribution. "What the heck is a growler?" you may ask. That's what I'm here for. Simply put, a growler is a half-gallon glass jug that can be filled with fresh beer at many locations in and around the city.

In most instances, beer served from a tap is the best way to enjoy a brew. With draft beer, freshness is more certain. Once the keg is empty, a fresh batch takes its place, unlike bottles or cans which can languish in the back of a fridge for years. (I know someone that still has an ancient pop top can of PBR in the back of the fridge so as to never be truly "out" of beer.) Also, the beer has usually not undergone the pasteurization process which can alter the flavor. Beyond that, it's more convenient for breweries. Flying Bison is the biggest local brewing operation, but they only bottle a fraction of the beer that they brew. The rest is available solely on tap at many regional taverns as well as at the brewery itself. Thus, if you want to take some of their Blackbird Oatmeal Stout home with you (and believe me, you do) you're going to need to purchase a growler of it.

The growler itself is refillable, so this one-time investment can provide you with a vessel that can safely contain beer for years to come. At Consumer's Beverages on Elmwood, they have a basic growler with a metal cap for $3.00, as well as a tremendously fancy $18 growler which is a bit more decorative, and more importantly, equipped with an air-tight rubber stopper. I've only used the basic growlers before and they seem to work fine for me.

Talking with Vinny at Consumer's, he told me that a sealed growler that is kept cold should stay fresh for about a week. It may last longer than that, depending on the beer style and seal, but a week is a good guideline. Once opened, the beer should be consumed within about 24 hours. It may not be as effervescent as it was the first day, but it should still be drinkable. Compare it to a 2-liter bottle of pop- it's not quite the same the next day, but there's nothing wrong with it. Brewing supply stores carry a special cleaning product that is designed for growler cleaning, which is the ideal way to clean it, but a run through a dishwasher works fine for most people.

The most important part of a growler is what you put inside it. The beer can run from about $7 on the low end to about $16 for hard to find or high alcohol beers. The half gallon amounts to 64 fluid ounces, or four 16 oz. pints of beer.

Where can you get and fill a growler? The above-mentioned Consumer's Beverages at 2644 Elmwood is a good choice (see city locations below). They have 12 taps with regularly changing selections. The beers generally include selections from Flying Bison, Ithaca Brewing Company, and other breweries across the United States. Check out their website for tap lists from all six of their stores. The Pearl Street Grill, the Buffalo Brew Pub, and the Flying Bison Brewery are also good options for filling your growler in the area.

If you're curious about craft beer but don't know how to take the first step, go and talk to the guys that work at the above places. Most will be more than happy to talk about the beers that they offer and can give solid recommendations. Vinny at Consumer's was very helpful and recommended their recent addition, the Ithaca Double IPA , a beer made solely with NY state grown hops. It turned out to be a great choice. So, go on, fill up a growler or two for your next party and join the craft beer revolution.

Cheers.

Consumer’s Beverages, BUFFALO 1673 Broadway near Bailey Ave.

Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, 76 Pearl, 14202, 856.2337

Flying Bison Brewing, 491 Ontario, 14207, 873.1557, call for hours