Self explanatory question. I have a pop-top growler, filled it on Friday and drank half that day, it's remained closed and refrigerated since then. Think the beer is still good or should I toss it?
Last edited:
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
How long does beer in a growler last?
- Thread starter beaglesandbass
- Start date
Assuming you closed it tight, it should still be good. The best way to find out is to taste it 
It might be a little flat, but it will be fine to drink.
It might be a little flat, but it will be fine to drink.
To be on the safe side, you'd better just drink it to be sure.
Yep.Assuming you closed it tight, it should still be good. The best way to find out is to taste it
Just my personal rule but I give it 24-36 hours but that is a flexible rule.
I have on numerous occasions recapped (not sealed) an unfinished commercially packaged beer and it was fine the next day. Good beer usually does not last long around my place though.
I have yet to fill my growler. Law just passed earlier this year here to allow a 64oz. The messed up thing is that one was able, long prior to this specific law passing, to have a 32oz or 128oz filled but not a 64oz. What the f**k?
Yeah it will be fine within a reasonable amount of time.
You can save some for the next day? Wow, one day I will have that much restraint...
This is kind of a sore spot with me. I have a good acquaintance that owns a brewpub. He also kindly has guest beers as well so I consider him quite an expert on this. He only reluctantly started adding growlers because in his mind the beer goes flat very quickly. He did, however, bow to customer pressure and did so despite his reservations. I had to agree with him as my experiences with them have only been worthwhile if the beer was consumed quickly - and this is coming from somebody who always gravitates towards draft beer when I'm out.
What infuriates me is how some brewpubs will push growlers even when they know it's going to quickly go flat. I distinctly remember how I was enjoying a pint at a brewpub on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and some tourists from Michigan were also enjoying their beer. They inquired as to how long the beer would "stay fresh" in a growler as they thought some relatives back home might enjoy it. To this the staff said, "Oh, if it remains sealed it will last at least a week". The Michigan tourists ordered a number of growlers for a nifty sum and the staff gladly complied. Who here is going to tell me that the beer was not totally flat by the time it sat in a hot car driving from Maryland to Michigan? It took me a lot to just sit there and not chime in, but I have learned over the years to keep stiff upper lip and mind my own business. If I had the ability to speak with them candidly I would have told them otherwise but that was not possible. So that's where I get my bad attitude about growlers. Unless you plan to drink them immediately, drink your draft beer at the pub and drink canned or bottled beer at home (unless you have a keg system, etc.).
What infuriates me is how some brewpubs will push growlers even when they know it's going to quickly go flat. I distinctly remember how I was enjoying a pint at a brewpub on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and some tourists from Michigan were also enjoying their beer. They inquired as to how long the beer would "stay fresh" in a growler as they thought some relatives back home might enjoy it. To this the staff said, "Oh, if it remains sealed it will last at least a week". The Michigan tourists ordered a number of growlers for a nifty sum and the staff gladly complied. Who here is going to tell me that the beer was not totally flat by the time it sat in a hot car driving from Maryland to Michigan? It took me a lot to just sit there and not chime in, but I have learned over the years to keep stiff upper lip and mind my own business. If I had the ability to speak with them candidly I would have told them otherwise but that was not possible. So that's where I get my bad attitude about growlers. Unless you plan to drink them immediately, drink your draft beer at the pub and drink canned or bottled beer at home (unless you have a keg system, etc.).
Is a growler what we call a pub pet? That's too funny because a growler here is your old lady's hairy lady bits.
Maybe, a growler is a glass jug that holds about two liters and has a flip top on it.
pub pets are polyethylene bottles P.E.T geddit!? Actually, that term fell out and most call them Riggers now.
I have one of those flip top glass ones. Damned if I know what they call them as they are not widespread. The beer doesn't last long enough to go 'off'.
Real beer is hopped and might lose some hoppy zing but won't get infected by wild yeast in a week.
The ones I've had around here, northwest u.s., were fine 3 or 4 days after being sealed. That's as long as I've ever had one though.
They were claiming 4-6 weeks without opening.
And once cracked, beer was flat the next day if it wasn't finished.
They were claiming 4-6 weeks without opening.
And once cracked, beer was flat the next day if it wasn't finished.
If they ever made a container that you can compress the air in it after it's half full, you will be ahead of the game.
The fizz comes out when the air pressure inside the container drops . You keep the remainder compressed at a certain psi , you won't lose your fizz as quickly.
Maybe they already make one........I don't get out much.
The fizz comes out when the air pressure inside the container drops . You keep the remainder compressed at a certain psi , you won't lose your fizz as quickly.
Maybe they already make one........I don't get out much.
You could transfer it to a 'soda stream'(little r thingie in a circle here) bottle and charge it that way.
I've run pubs and clubs for over 20 years and can tell you that unless a container of beer is sealed it will go flat quite quickly. In addition to this, even if it is a sealed container like a keg, if the pressure is released or enough positive pressure is not kept in the keg or container it will still go flat.
Then there is the problem of using straight CO2 with any kind of keg (as opposed to pubs and clubs that use a nitrous/CO2 mix). If you leave it pressurized it will absorb the CO2 and become very heady. In this instance you need to de-gas (de-pressurise) the keg when not in use for more than a few hours, but don't completely de-gas as it will then go somewhat flat. If that happens you need to over-pressurise a bit for a while to allow the beer to absorb some CO2. It can be quite a balancing act doing the home keg situation but with practice you get a feel for it.
If you like like large beer containers, learn to home brew properly and learn to balance the gas pressure. I've yet to see any of the recent "Home Fridge Keg" things that are actually any good and the price per litre (or gallon), at least here in Oz, is actually more than beer in the bottle. A decent beer from a bottle, poured correctly into a decent glass is almost always better than any large take-away container.
Basically, if you like beer from the tap either find a good bar that cares about their beer or, as above, learn home keg brewing properly.
Then there is the problem of using straight CO2 with any kind of keg (as opposed to pubs and clubs that use a nitrous/CO2 mix). If you leave it pressurized it will absorb the CO2 and become very heady. In this instance you need to de-gas (de-pressurise) the keg when not in use for more than a few hours, but don't completely de-gas as it will then go somewhat flat. If that happens you need to over-pressurise a bit for a while to allow the beer to absorb some CO2. It can be quite a balancing act doing the home keg situation but with practice you get a feel for it.
If you like like large beer containers, learn to home brew properly and learn to balance the gas pressure. I've yet to see any of the recent "Home Fridge Keg" things that are actually any good and the price per litre (or gallon), at least here in Oz, is actually more than beer in the bottle. A decent beer from a bottle, poured correctly into a decent glass is almost always better than any large take-away container.
Basically, if you like beer from the tap either find a good bar that cares about their beer or, as above, learn home keg brewing properly.
Alkali Ike
Gold Supporting Member
- Jan 1, 2011
- 2,855
- 15,666
- Disclosures
- I never actually learned to play very well
Growlers only make sense if all the beer will be consumed quickly. A special occasion like a party. Otherwise the beer goes flat and it loses flavor too.
Growler places popped up all over the place here in the last couple years. A couple have changed owners already. Could it be that growlers are great for those special occasions but not so much for day to day use.
Growler places popped up all over the place here in the last couple years. A couple have changed owners already. Could it be that growlers are great for those special occasions but not so much for day to day use.
Here I've always been half-squeezing my 2-liters of coke before sealing them up because I thought less pressure was better for fizz longevity. It makes perfect sense that higher pressure would be the answer though, thanks for posting that!
As for beer, I dunno. I'd only get a growler of something I intended to finish that day.
Latest posts
-
-
-
TC Electronic Spark Booster. Underrated champion of low-gain overdrives- Latest: John D Harris
-
-