Growler Jugs with Glass Handle

The growler is the refillable jug breweries use to sell draft beer for off-premise drinking. The molded glass handle makes a heavy, full jug easy to carry, and the amber glass protects hoppy beer from lightstrike on the trip home. The 64 oz (about 1.9 L) size is the North American standard, with 1 L and 2 L common elsewhere.

Because it is refilled at the taproom, the growler is a returnable, branded vessel — part packaging, part merchandise that carries the brewery's identity.

Draft beer sold to-go from craft brewery taprooms, plus cider, kombucha and cold brew on tap. Home brewers use them too. Many operate as returnable or refillable, washed and refilled repeatedly.

A large round body with a molded handle and a swing-top or large screw finish that can hold carbonation. The handle join is a designed stress point with a generous radius. ACL ceramic print is favoured because the fired-on artwork survives repeated washing and rough handling better than paper labels.

Growlers are typically counter-pressure filled from the tap to retain carbonation, then sealed quickly; a clean finish and a good gasket or liner are essential to hold CO2. Beer in a growler is best consumed within days of filling once opened. Returnable growlers need rim, handle and body inspection each cycle.

Amber glass plus prompt refrigeration gives the best protection for hop-forward beers carried home.

The jug body is formed by press-and-blow or blow-and-blow; the handle is formed and applied as a secondary operation, then the piece is annealed together so the join is stress-relieved. Amber chemistry, finish gauging and handle-join inspection are the key production points.