Meet the Crowler – tall, sleek, recyclable, and packing 32oz of pure beer goodness. Why the crowler craze, you say? Let me count the ways… First off, you should know – Crowler Killed The Growler! Or at least it’s killing the growler… slowly… like CDs killed cassettes or video killed the radio star. Or like the glass growler killed the growler pail!
Yes, if you refer to our blog titled Rushing The Growler, you’ll learn growlers were once nothing more than a steel bucket with a shoddy lid. Their mode of transportation? Children. Times have changed, indeed.
With growler options in abundance, it was only a matter of time before one prevailed as the superior package for our beloved draught beer. It is my belief that the Crowler will be king, and glass growlers will be cool again in twenty years like boy bands and Pokémon. But until then, here’s why Crowler Killed The Growler.
Pros of the Crowler
The Perfect Seal
There’s no worry of a faulty growler cap here! No leakage and no cleanup makes for a happy beer drinker. Crowler machines, AKA can seamers, keep your beer safely secured within its aluminum cage before being unleashed on your palate.
Better Carbonation
Without the possibility of leakage, your beer is sure to stay carbonated until you open it. Traditional glass growlers can leak carbonation through the sides of the cap if not consumed right away. The lack of that “Phhfffsssttttt!!!” sound upon opening a glass growler is as quiet as the tears rolling down your cheek when you discover your beer is flat.
Light Tight
Ain’t no light getting in here! Beer is like a vampire. Light will cause it to spoil quickly. I’m not sure if vampires smell like skunk after they shrivel in the sunlight, but beer sure does! And it can happen in seconds, too. But there’s no need to worry about your dear beer getting skunked on the way home thanks to it being completely surrounded by aluminum.
Lightweight
Hold an empty glass 32oz growler in one hand, and an empty aluminum Crowler in the other. Now tell me which you’d rather carry up a mountain after filling it with beer. Duh! Crowler wins every time. Not to mention glass can break and make a difficult mess. And sometimes glass is banned altogether. Why take a chance? Crowler it is.
Convenience
Crowlers don’t cost extra! Glass growlers will initially cost you between $3-$15, and that’s before you put any beer in it. As an added bonus, you won’t be forgetting your crowler at home because they’re one-time use and recyclable. There won’t be anymore extra trips back home to retrieve your glass growlers, or trying to fill your 140°F growlers that have been sitting in the car all day.
Minimal Beer Loss Upon Filling
By using a container that is at room temperature or cooler than the lava-hot glass growler from your car, pubs and breweries lose less beer trying to fill your beer container to the brim. The fact that a brand new Crowler will be cleaner than 90% of the glass growlers brought in by customers adds to the filling efficiency, reducing beer loss by eliminating nucleation points from dirty glass. Beertender Raymond Bird at Proper Brewing Co. also noted it’s visually easier to tell when a Crowler is full than a glass growler because of the wide opening, saving precious beer.
Con of the Crowler (singular)
Temperature
I know what you’ve been thinking. Not all growlers are made of glass! And this is where the Crowler fails. With nothing to insulate the aluminum can, its contents can quickly fluctuate to the ambient temperature. This Achilles heel gets a hard nip from the ever popular vacuum insulated growlers circulating the market. Unless you’ve got a decent cooler, giant koozie, or short distance to travel, Crowlers may be consumed at the sad temperature of warm. Beyond temperature preservation, the biggest difference between a Crowler and a vacuum insulated growler is weight. So depending on your gusto and dedication to hauling beer, one or the other will tickle your fancy.
In light of this superior packaging for draught beer, five Utah breweries (forgive me if I’ve missed one) have stepped up to the plate. They are Proper Brewing Company, A. Fisher Brewing Company, Strap Tank Brewing Company, Brewer’s Cooperative (Wasatch/Squatters), and Moab Brewery. Stop by these bottle shops and pubs to see the Crowler machine in action, and to take home some draught beer in the most superior beer container in existence.
As the necessity for draught beer at home continues, so will the inventions to make it happen. Whether your beer comes from a bottle, can, tap, Crowler, growler, or pail, here’s to taking beer where you want to be!
Carl Green says
It’s interesting to learn that can seamer machines keep your beer safely secured. My brother is wanting to get into the beer brewing business and he was wondering how he could keep the cans of the beer secured. I’ll be sure to tell him that he should use can seamers for making beer.