Since I have this great IPA kegged and ready to go without any way to cool the keg r.i.p. kegerator I am reduced to filing a growler and sticking it in the kitchen fridge. For those who are unfamiliar, a growler is a half gallon jug usually made from glass. As a quick aside, I have an awesome Nalgene one from Fitgers Brew House in Duluth, MN that is my second most favorite…

There are a couple different ways to efficiently and effectively fill a growler without getting a flat beer out of it when you want to pour. Here we go!

• Start with a COLD growler, make sure it is as least as cold as the beer, colder is better but not frozen. Carbon Dioxide (CO2)  likes cold, cold liquids hold more gas. Cold beer on warm glass means lots of foam. Not good for re-serving, it pours flat!
• Turn the gas pressure down on the keg so the beer comes out at a mere dribble, 3-4psi tops.
• Variant one: tilt the growler and slowly fill allowing the beer to run down the side with as little as possible drop from the faucet. The idea is to avoid agitation and letting the CO2 come out.
• Variant two: buy a hose with an inner diameter that equals the outer diameter of the faucet. Attach to the faucet and let the end down to the bottom of the growler, fill up right.
• Let the beer fill up as far as possible to the top, a little foam in the drip tray or bar rag is worth it to get the beer liquid as close to the top as you can.
• QUICKLY CAP IT!

The idea is to get the thing filled with as little CO2 loss as possible. Cap it tight and stick it in the fridge. Variant one is fine if you plan on drinking it within a day or two, oxidation won’t be a factor that quickly (at least I’ve never noticed) and it is as hassle free as you can get.

Variant two is great if you are planning on keeping it around for a while before drinking. Properly sealed it should hold its carbonation for a week or more and since it was filled from the bottom instead of allowing it to cascade down the side there was much less air introduced to the beer.

A final note about growlers. They are basically a sealed pitcher of beer. Once you open it and start drinking from it, don’t expect the beer to stay carbonated very long. A couple hours in the fridge sure, but not over night. Once you increase the headspace in the growler the CO2 comes out of the beer to equalize pressures. Its the exact reverse process carbonating a keg by cranking up the pressure. The more headspace, the more CO2 lost in the remaining beer.

Its not perfect, but it beats drinking warm IPA.

Cheers!