Carbonate Beer in Growler: Is This the Right Practice?

It is important to know how to carbonate beer in growler as a homebrewer so that you can be sure of the best quality of beer. Beer growlers are pretty cool, and they perform various excellent functions.

However, they may not be so effective for bottling beer for certain vital reasons. Go through this article as we answer some essential questions about bottling and carbonating beer in growlers.

Is It Possible to Carbonate Beer in Growler?

Yes, it is possible to carbonate your beer in growlers, but take note that there is a chance the bottles might explode because of the thin material they are made of, so we don’t recommend you bottle your beer in growlers.

If you try to bottle your beers in growlers, they might explode. One of the first reasons why you should not try to bottle beer in growlers is that the kind of lid found in the bottle prevents it from preserving carbon dioxide. Bottle conditioning allows yeast to consume the priming sugars to produce carbon dioxide. Since bottles have caps, they will trap carbon dioxide, causing carbonation, leaving you with a beer with little carbonation or flat beer.

The carbon dioxide creates a kind of pressure inside the bottle; most bottles can withstand such pressure. However, just from looking at the beer growler, you will notice that the glass is quite thin compared to regular bottles, and it is obvious that it can’t withstand such pressure. Another reason you shouldn’t bottle beer in growlers is that they are made purposely for transporting carbonated beers.

Growlers filled with draft beers already have some pressure; the pressure increases when you try to bottle it, which can cause explosions. Well, there will probably be some home brewers who have successfully bottled their beers in growlers, but if you must do it, ensure you monitor the temperature of the growler. However, you can also invest in a homebrew keg system since it’s cheaper, and you can easily bottle and carbonate your beer using that.

– What Is the Maximum Pressure a Growler Can Withstand?

When a growler is filled and warmed to room temperature (68 degrees Fahrenheit) or heated to 90 degrees Fahrenheit in a moving vehicle, the internal pressure may reach 29 PSI or 52 PSI, respectively.

Growlers that have been filled, especially if they have been overfilled, can shatter or explode if allowed to warm up or freeze.

How Can You Maintain Carbonation in a Growler?

You can buy carbonation tablets from any brew store around you, and you can also maintain carbonation by filling the growler up and making sure the cap is tight. You can’t just keep a beer carbonated in a growler for a long time. However, there are different ways to slow down carbonation loss.

You can also try to buy the white metal cap growler because they are better than the plastic cap growlers. The white seal growler are usually more airtight and they can keep beer’s carbonation for a longer time. Although the plastic caps are also efficient, they may lose their tightness over time.

Another way is to ensure the glass is chilled before being filled in order to prevent the cold beer from being shocked by the heated glass. The beer can lose all its carbon dioxide if the glass is not chilled. The process is similar to putting a warm can of cola into an ice-filled glass versus. an empty cup.

– How Long Do Growlers Stay Fresh Before Spoiling?

A glass growler preserves beer carbonation and keeps it fresh for over three days. After three days, the beer begins to take in UV light and oxygen, and it begins to degrade. The most important advantage of crowlers over growlers is that it keeps beer longer and fresher for a long time.

However, how long a beer stays fresh in a growler or crowlers depends on how you care for them. Crowlers keep your beer for a long time because of the aluminum and filling process. All you need to do is keep the can from excessive impact or jostling and store them in a cool, safe place. Growlerwerks Ukeg carbonated Growlers can easily let you transport your craft beer to any place.

– Should You Refrigerate Beer in a Growler?

Yes, refrigerating a growler is a good option. Although growler caps are made to remain fairly airtight, they tend to not sit tight for a very long time. Since you will fill your growler with fresh beer without sealing like a bottle or can, the quality of the beer may diminish with time.

Therefore, keeping your growler in the refrigerator is a great way to keep the beer fresh for longer.

– How Long Will Your Beer Last in Pressurized Growlers?

If a growler is tightly sealed and kept refrigerated and unopened, the beer will stay fresh for several days. It can even last longer if the bar has a refill mechanism that injects carbon dioxide into the growler. Beer can retain its freshness for around 36 hours after opening before going flat.

What Factors Determine How Long a Growler Stays Carbonated?

Cleanliness of the container, the presence of air, and how you store the growler are some essential points to keep in mind when you want your growler to stay fresh. As we discussed above, growlers can last up to a day or more, depending on some factors.

These factors include:

– Cleanliness of the Growler

A wild yeast cell or bacteria in your growler will multiply into millions, give the beer an off flavor, and sometimes increase the carbonation.

– The Presence of Air in the Growler When Filling

The hop flavor and aroma deteriorate when the beer is exposed to air, and the malt flavors also change. Additionally, it gives the residual yeast extra oxygen when it ought to be inactive. The oxygen will be used by other bacteria and wild yeast, which then hasten their growth.

– Type of Growler and Lid Used

If the growler is made of glass, UV radiation will penetrate and gradually affect the beer. Using a stainless steel growler is better; the darker the glass, the better. If the growler’s seal is broken, carbon dioxide will leak out and the beer will lose its carbonation. There is also a chance that air, foreign germs, and yeast can enter if something can escape (which, of course, is bad).

– How You Store the Growler After Filling

The beer inside a growler won’t last the entire day if it’s left out in the sun on a hot day. The heat will encourage bacteria or yeast to multiply and probably kill the delicate brewing yeast, resulting in various unpleasant flavors. The UV light will destroy the hops and malt, producing a sweet and unpleasant malt flavor as well as a cheese- or skunk-like smell and aroma. The pressure within will increase in the heat, allowing carbon dioxide to escape and other substances to re-enter.

Finally, if the growler has been opened, the air has entered and carbon dioxide has exited, which means the beer is now contaminated. When you’re ready to drink it, finish the entire bottle! Store it somewhere dark and consistently cold. The growler should then be cleaned properly.

How Do You Keep Beer Fresh in Your Growler?

Using the right type of growler, storing them in the proper conditions, keeping the growlers cool, and drinking quickly are some ways to make sure your beer remains fresh and at optimal conditions in the growler.

Like other drinks and food with an expiry date, beer also has an expiration date. The best experience you can get from a beer is when you drunk straight from the tap. But what if you want to take the beer home? There are different tips you can use to keep your growler fresh.

– Use the Right Growler

Make sure the growler you choose can seal properly. If air can gets in or carbonation leaves the beer, it can cause the beer to lose its flavor and go flat. A growler with flip tops and twist-top caps will work fine. Remember that air getting in and carbonation getting out is bad for the beer.

Beer can take the flavor of the container you use to store it. This explains why barley wine in a wine cask for three months becomes aged and why many brewers use bourbon or old Scotch to condition stouts and other beers. When taking beer home, always use a glass growler; it is inert to flavor and smell. Plastic growlers will leave the beer with an odd taste if left for a long time.

– Store Growlers in Places Protected From Sunlight

Sunlight affects the flavor of beers. UV rays are the major factors responsible for soil spoilage, so try to keep your beer from sun rays. Most times, bottled beers are sold in tinted glass, which can be brown, green, honey, or milk-colored. Growlers are brown colored, which is good for keeping the beer’s flavor.

– Keep the Growlers Cool

This is to recreate the environment and temperature in which the beer was stored in the brewery. Beer is stored between in cool temperatures to keep the flavor constant. Remember that when there is a temperature change, flavor changes.

You can also decide to put your growlers in the refrigerator as soon as you get home to keep them cool. If you cannot put it in the fridge, a cooler of ice can work like magic. Some growlers are double-insulated; they can keep your beer cool for a while, especially if you’re traveling long distances.

– Drink Quickly and Responsibly

Drinking quickly does not mean rushing to finish the drink. It simply means to finish your beer as soon as possible. The sooner you take your beer from the growler, the better your beer will taste. The longer the beer spends out of the tap, the quicker it will lose its flavor.

It is advisable to consume beer from a growler within 24 hours to ensure the flavor is constant. However, the beer can go days without going bad, provided that the lid remains closed and unexposed to the atmosphere. Once you open the growler, It would be best to finish the beer within a day.

– How To Fill a Growler Properly

The traditional way of filling beers involved using an add-on extension tube to copy the bottom-up filling method of filling bottles. Most times, the filling tubes are draught beer tubing with a specific length. If you decide to use a stainless steel growler fill tube, extra care must be taken to avoid destroying the inside of the ceramic or glass growlers. Adding filling tubes to a standard draught will reduce filling time and waste but also increase the amount of oxygen in the beer, leading to increased staling.

Another option in filling growlers is to use a counter-pressure carbon dioxide filer. The counter pressure system will replace some of the oxygen in the container with carbon dioxide before filling the growler with beer. This helps to reduce the amount of oxygen and time required to fill the growler effectively. However, counter-pressure-filled growlers will not have a long shelf life.

Growlers need to be filled according to the manufacturer’s specifications. However, do not overfill your growlers because they can become over-pressurized and dangerous.  Likewise, an underfilled growler is also not so consumer-friendly.

Frequently Asked Questions

– Is it Possible to Prime Your Beer in a Growler?

No, growlers should be kept from being primed or filled with under-attenuated beer because they don’t have the same strength as beer bottles. While priming beer in a growler can be risky, priming finished beer from your tap for immediate consumption is still possible.

However, it’s rare for growlers to explode, but if the pressure gets too much, it’s possible.

– Is it Right to Ferment Beer in Growlers?

Yes, you can ferment beer in a growler. A growler jug makes a great container for growing yeast. It is ideal for creating starters for all but the largest beers at 64 ounces (1.9 liters).

– Should You Secondary Ferment in a Growler?

Yes, but with the right growler. You can develop carbonation during a second fermentation by using a threaded poly cone cap growler. It’s perfect for enhancing secondary fermentation without having to deal with many bottles.

You’ll ask yourself why you’ve ever made kombucha without it!

Conclusion

You now have all the answers to all your questions about bottling and carbonating in a growler. Here is a quick recap of some of the most important points:

• Growlers perform different excellent functions, but they may not be so effective for bottling beer. Since bottles have caps, they will trap carbon dioxide, causing carbonation, giving you a beer with little carbonation or a flat beer.
• Growlers filled with draft beers already have some pressure. The pressure increases when you try to bottle, and it causes explosions that may be harmful to the brewer.
• The traditional way of filling beers involved using an add-on extension tube to copy the bottom-up filling method of filling bottles.
• Properly rinse, clean, sanitize and air dry the faucet and filling tubes after filling each growler. If you’re using a complete counter-pressure filling system, there is a need for deep cleaning.
• Growlers should be opened about 24-72 hours after filling and consumed immediately or within hours after opening. In situations where your growlers have been prefilled, ensure that it was filled that day to get premium freshness.

With the information you have, you can now prevent harmful occurrences that can happen when you bottle and carbonate beer in a growler. Read this article carefully to ensure you don’t make mistakes!