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

Black Bear Brewing Company - Orono Maine

Black Bear is a well established micro brewery in the college town of Orono, Maine. Similar to Oxbow they only sell kegs and growlers so if you want to try their beer you will have to find it in a restaurant or stop by and see Tim for a growler. Growlers at Black Bear are a real bargain at $9 for new growlers and $7 for refills. Tim recently installed an 8 tap tasting room and will have plenty of samples available for anyone that stops by. I am not sure if Tim has regular hours for growler sales but anytime I have stopped by he has always been nice enough to fill and or sell me a growler. Growlers are also available at some local beverage stores. Not sure the names as I have only purchased at the brewery but they are out there in the Orono area. 

Growlers are cash only at this time but I believe Tim will be accepting cards soon. This is quality beer at an affordable price. 

Geaghan Bros Brewing - Bangor Maine

While you are in the Bangor area visiting Black Bear Brewing head 10-15 minutes south and stop by Geaghan Bros Brewing in Geaghan's Pub right next door to Hollywood Slots casino in Bangor. This is a brew pub but they also sell growlers. My recommendation would be the Smiling Irish Bastard and if I remember correctly the cost was around $15 for the first growler. I have not connected with Andy the owner but the staff at the bar are very considerate and will allow you to taste whatever beers are on tap prior to buying a growlers. 

They accept cash or credit/debit cards.

Penobscot Bay Brewery - Winterport Maine

Another 15 minutes south from Bangor to Winterport you will find Penobscot Bay Brewing part of Winterport Winery. They have a nice retail area where you can buy wine, beer (22 oz bottles or growlers) and other goodies. They also have a very nice tasting room and do monthly beer and/or wine dinners at their restaurant Pairings. Growlers are reasonably priced and one of the few in the State that do clear instead of brown glass growlers. 

Mike, Joan and the employees that staff the retail shop are extremely friendly and helpful for both beer and wine recommendations. They accept cash and credit/debit cards and are open 11-5 Tuesday to Saturday. My favorite beer from them is the Maine Winnah 2011 however I am not sure they sell growlers of this beer. If not try the Red Flannel ale.

Marshall Wharf Brewing - Belfast Maine 

Another brewery that only sells their beer in kegs or growlers. They are planning to start canning this Summer but as of now if you want Marshall Wharf beer at home you need to find their brewery in Belfast. Their website is updated regularly with the beers that are available at the brewery and the tasting room is open from Thursday thru Saturday afternoons?? Not sure on that and again will update when I get more accurate info. Costs vary significantly depending on the beer it is filled with. A growlers of Cant Dog was more than $20 while a growler of Weiss Grip was around $15.

Marshall Wharf makes some great beer so if you are in the area take the time to stop by. Again I have not met the owner but the staff of the brewery / tasting room were very helpful and willing to talk beer. 

Oak Pond Brewery - Skowhegan Maine

Not a very glamorous brewery as it is located in an old chicken barn in Skowhegan but they do make quality beer and one of the few craft brewers in Maine making lagers in addition to ales. I asked the owner when I visited why they have clear growlers and her answer made a lot of sense. She is more concerned about cleanliness of growlers that are being refilled than she is about the minimal deterioration of the beer within from light exposure for the 24-48 hours most people keep a growler. They have 6 beers on tap in the brewery in addition to some promotional items; stickers, tshirts, etc. Cost for the initial growler was around $10 and $8 for refills. 

This brewery is off the beaten path but worth a trip. They are open 3-5:30 M-F and 12:30 to 5:30 on Saturday. 

Freeport Brewing Company - South Portland Maine

Freeport Brewing is on their way back after a short absence from the marketplace. The owner relocated to South Portland and it took him a while to find a space suitable to brew in . This is one of the few breweries that does not sell growlers at the brew facility as the City of South Portland does not allow it. You can find growlers at 2 stores in Freeport; Royal River Natural Foods and North Freeport General Store. He also recently started selling at The Bier Cellar in Portland. I have tried their Blonde Ale which was nice and very drinkable and heard great things about their Chocolate Stout.

Cost for a growler is around $10. Tom Atwell wrote a nice piece on Freeport Brewing for the Portland Press Herald here. 

Gritty's - Auburn, Freeport, Portland Maine

Everyone knows Gritty's but not everyone knows they sell growlers. You can get them filled at any of the brew pubs. I believe they will fill with any beer that is on-tap and I cannot remember the cost as it has been months since I had this one filled. Hours are the same as the brew pubs and of course they accept cash, credit/debit cards.

Gritty's is the only place that actually seals the cap with a plastic wrap to ensure the bottle is not opened.

Bunker Brewing - Portland Maine

Bunker Brewing is relatively new brewery in Portland, Maine that only sells beer in kegs. That is all going to change starting on July 3rd when they start selling growlers to the public. Chresten was kind enough to let me grab a growlers today as I will be heading to Vermont next week. They had a very good pilsner and a Belgian style Black IPA available. Both were very good but I opted for the Black IPA. Growler is a very unique design and is extremely tall. It is sitting in my fridge at an odd angle right now but rest assured it will not last long. Growler hours are planned for Tuesday nights 5-9 but that is subject to change depending on brew schedules. I recommend you like their Facebook page above to get the latest from Bunker Brewing. 

Boothbay Craft Brewery - Boothbay Maine

Another new brewery in Maine that just started selling growlers today. Win Mitchell operates this brewery with many family members helping out. They have an excellent location and brewery setup in Boothbay and it is worth the trip. When I was last year I sampled a beer Win brewed as and it was very nice. I do not have a photo yet but will be at the brewery on July 14th for the Craft Beer Comes to Boothbay event so I will be sure to grab one then and update this post. 

Atlantic Brewing (also owns Bar Harbor Brewing)

They stopped filling growlers as of this year. If you happen to be in Bar Harbor I still would recommend stopping by the brewery and  BBQ restaurant. I stopped by last week and the place was very busy. Food looked delicious even though I did not try it and the beer was great. Would love it if they started filling growlers again but for now you will have to settle for 22 or 12 oz bottles available in retail stores or super markets throughout the State of Maine and 11 others on the East Coast. 

As you can see almost all breweries in Maine use the 64 oz growler however there are other options. Hill Farmstead in Vermont offers 2 liter and 750 ml bottles at their brewery. This is a picture of their 750 ml bottle but if you find yourself in Vermont visiting the brewery buy the 2 liter version. Trust me you will enjoy it. In addition to the above growlers Sheepscot Valley Brewing sells growlers at their brewery (although my schedule has not allowed me to stop in yet) and I believe they also sell them at RSVP in Portland. Will update this post with photos and details of the costs, etc when I have the change to visit. If there are other brewers in Maine selling growlers please let me know and I will make every effort to purchase one, photograph and update this post. Also if you have additional questions about growlers feel free to ask and I will post the answer or if I do not know the answer I will find it and get back to you. 

This has to be one of my longest posts to date but it also one of my favorite things so I guess that makes sense. If you own a brewery or are thinking of a starting one be sure to include growlers in your business plan.