Growlers - the best way to drink beer at home

If you have been following my blog lately you will have noticed a lot of growlers purchased and reviewed. Most growlers are sold directly from the brewery at times convenient for the brewers. This is beer that comes straight from the kegs into a 64 ounce glass container, capped and sent home with you and in my opinion the very best way to enjoy craft beer at your home, family gathering or other event. I have growlers from most of the Maine breweries that offer them and refill them as often as possible. They store well in the refrigerator and will last 7-10 days if unopened (in theory they could last a lot longer but somehow they never do in my fridge as they opened and consumed shortly after purchase). Once opened you have a couple of days to finish. 64 ounces is 4 pints of beer so for me 2 pints a night for 2 nights and it is gone. Below is a recap and photos of growlers from several Maine breweries.

Oxbow Brewing Company - Newcastle Maine

Oxbow is one of my favorite breweries and if you want to enjoy their beer at home you have to visit their brewery between 2:00 and 6:00 on a Friday afternoon / evening. This is the only time the brewery is open for growler fills. I do not recall the cost for growlers but I believe it is $15 for a new growler and $12 for a refill. Whatever the cost is this is money well spent as every beer from Oxbow is top notch and unlike anything else you will get in Maine. They also distribute kegs to bars and restaurants in Maine and Washington DC so keep an eye out for their clear tap handles and if Oxbow is on tap give it a try. 

Tim & Geoff are great and you will enjoy the time you spend at Oxbow checking out the artwork and brewery. I believe sales are cash only so make sure you plan ahead.

Rising Tide Brewing Company - Portland Maine

Rising Tide only recently started selling growlers after moving their brewery to Fox Street in Portland. They have installed a tasting room and will be filling growlers from 4-7 on Tuesdays and Thursdays / 12-3 on Fridays and Saturdays with tours at 1:00 on most Fridays and Saturdays. Nathan and Heather have an excellent brewery and are great people, again you will enjoy your time at the brewery and certainly will enjoy the beer.

Cost was around $17 for the first full growler and I believe it was $11 for refills. Cash is preferred however they will run a credit or debit card if needed. I will be down there on Tuesday and will update this post with the accurate cost then. 

Read more after the break

255. Rising Tide Daymark (Growler)

Rising Tide started selling growlers last weekend and since I was in the area I stopped by to get myself one. I decided on Daymark as the weather is getting warm and I am the only beer drinker in my household so I had to drink all 64 ounces - poor me :)


Rising Tide's new brew location on Fox Street is about 5,000 square feet and when I visited the brew system was still being installed but they did have their tap lines installed and Heather was filling growlers. Their growlers not only have the great logo on the front but also have the varieties of Rising Tide beers on the bag with a box for them to check what the growler contains which is a nice touch.


Daymark is just as good from a growler as it is from the bottle. Pale ale at its finest and fresh from the brewery. Really enjoy Rising Tide beer and now that they sell growlers I am sure to be enjoying more in the coming weeks and months. 
Pros: Well balanced 

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 5.5 ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Rising Tide

Brewers Description: Chart a new course with Daymark as your guide. We start with a classic, clean and crisp American pale ale brewed with spicy Columbus and Centennial hops. Then we accent the grain bill with rye grown on small local family farms right here in Maine and malted to our specifications at Valley Malts, an artisanal malt house. Finally we dry hop the finished beer for a bright floral aroma.

daymark [dey-mahrk] (n)—a navigational aid distinctively marked for daytime visibility, normally attached to a permanent structure in the water

159. Rising Tide Ursa Minor

Was not sure what to expect from this one as it is labelled a Weizen Stout and I am not sure I have had a wheat stout before. Pours a very dark almost black with a minimal tan head which disappears almost immediately. Aroma is of chocolate, coffee and a bit of wheat. Taste is mild and slightly sweet with the malts coming in at the end. Surprisingly smooth for a 6.7 ABV stout and while it does seem a bit thin for a stout that does not take away from the enjoyment. This is my fourth beer from Rising Tide and now I only have Polaris to review. Not sure why I have waited so long to open my bottle of Polaris but it certainly will not be much longer. 
Pros: Appearance (I like black beer), smooth

Cons: Feels slightly watered down.

Alcohol Content: 6.7 ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??

Rating: 

Brewers Website: Rising Tide

Brewers Description: Dark as squid ink and moody as the sea, Ursa Minor is our take on a winter wheat beer. Starting with a German wheat-beer yeast and a base of malted wheat, we added a blend of dark crystal and roasted malts to create a wheat stout. Redolent of dark fruit, weizen yeast esters, and roasted barley, Ursa Minor is perfect for an icy winter’s eve.

Ursa Minor [ur-suh mahy-ner] (n)—constellation also known as the Little Bear, which contains the north star, Polaris

143. Rising Tide Atlantis

This is the third of 5 offerings from Rising Tide that I have reviewed and I have the final 2; Ursa Minor and Polaris which I will review in the coming weeks. I have enjoyed all 3 of the beers from Rising Tide and look forward to final two. This one pours almost black with a great 2-3 finger head that lingers and then sticks to the glass like no other. I like a beer that leaves plenty of lacing and this one may leave more than any of the previous 142 beers. Aroma has a mild smokey tinge and maybe a bit of citrus. Taste is close to a porter but the feel and ABV is much more ale-like (is that a word). I enjoyed the smoke flavor in the beer and it is different than any other beer I have reviewed to date. 
Pros: Color, head, great lacing, smoke flavor

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 5.3 ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Rising Tide

Brewers Description: Whether you are celebrating lost cities under the sea or shooting for low Earth orbit, take Atlantis along for the ride. We use a special blend of dark malts and add Galaxy, Cascade, and Calypso hops to create this smooth and hoppy black ale with just a whisper of cherry-wood smoke. We think Poseidon would approve.

atlantis [at--lan-tes] (n)—a fabled island in the Atlantic that according to legend sank beneath the sea west of Gibraltar

140. Rising Tide Daymark

Rising Tide is doing great things in Portland and I was pleased to find this at The Vault in Lewiston. Also heading over there tomorrow for a beer tasting which will include offerings from Rising Tide. This is their American Pale Ale and it is all good. Nice color; some citrus, honey and other sweet tones in the aroma. Taste is slightly sweet with a solid hop finish. Beer is smooth, easy to drink and finishes clean.
Pros: Well balanced 

Cons: 

Alcohol Content: 5.5 ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Rising Tide

Brewers Description: Chart a new course with Daymark as your guide. We start with a classic, clean and crisp American pale ale brewed with spicy Columbus and Centennial hops. Then we accent the grain bill with rye grown on small local family farms right here in Maine and malted to our specifications at Valley Malts, an artisanal malt house. Finally we dry hop the finished beer for a bright floral aroma.

daymark [dey-mahrk] (n)—a navigational aid distinctively marked for daytime visibility, normally attached to a permanent structure in the water

127. Rising Tide Ishmael

This is the first of three from Rising Tide that I will review this week. I enjoyed this beer but it took me close to 10 minutes to pour my first glass. You can see in this picture the extra large head and this was after 4-5 pours and sipping the foam away. Not sure if the combination of the glass and beer style or something else was causing this but it is the first time I have had an issue pouring a beer. After the first glass was done and I refilled it actually over flowed the glass causing quite a mess. Other than the excessive foam this is a quality beer; great color, minimal aroma and taste that is very well balanced. Easy to drink with low alcohol content. Looking forward to the next two from Rising Tide. 
Pros: Well balanced

Cons: Excessive foam

Alcohol Content: 5.1 ABV
Calories: ???
IBU (Bitterness): ??
Rating: 
Brewers Website: Rising Tide

Brewers Description: Ishmael is our richly-flavored American copper ale. This American interpretation of the altbiers of Düsseldorf is brewed with continental Munich malt, American-grown hops, and a clean-fermenting ale yeast to produce a slightly sweet and malty beer balanced by a firm bitterness.