I’ve said it so many times to guests that it’s become second nature – “Remember to refrigerate your growler!” “The last inch of the growler is sediment, which isn’t so pleasant to drink.” “Don’t forget that our beer is historic so it’s naturally carbonated.” “You can keep your beer refrigerated and sealed to the best before date, but once it’s opened be sure to finish it within a few days!”
All of this information is important, but why do we bother letting you know? Let’s explore our growlers, and why they are stored and enjoyed in a particular way.
Keeping your growler refrigerated
If you have purchased a growler at the village, you have likely visited our historic brewery. All of our beer was made right there, with the same method and technique as was used in the 19th century. This means our beer is preservative free, and very fresh. Our beer doesn’t rely on anything artificial to keep it fresh, so it needs to be refrigerated in order to last to the best before date on the bottle. I love that our beer requires this extra care – it seems so much more authentic than drinking a can of beer that’s been sitting in my basement for the last few months!
When you are ready to drink your beer, we recommend taking your growler out of the fridge 30 to 90 minutes before consuming, to allow the beer to warm up slightly and get closer to cellar temperature. These beers really do taste so much better when they aren’t ice cold!
The last inch…
Our beer is not filtered, giving it a slightly cloudy look when poured into a glass. This is the brewers yeast – which is actually quite good for you. I also find that if a beer is not filtered, it retains so much more flavor and complexity. However, this also means that the last inch of your growler contains much more settled sediment than the first inch. Some people don’t mind at all, and will gladly drink that last bit of the growler. If you are not one of these people, you may want to stop before the growler is completely empty. You can rinse it out easily if you’d like to keep your growler bottle, as long as it hasn’t been sitting for a while! I’ve heard you can also bake with that last inch of yeast, but I haven’t tried that just yet.
The date on the bottle
Each of our growlers has a date written on it – this is the “best before” date, which is approximately 30 days from the date it was bottled by hand at the brewery. Nothing in our beer will make you sick if you drink it after the date on the bottle, but it begins to lose subtle flavors and carbonation if left unopened for too long. Our beer is best about 2-3 weeks after the bottling date, but it will taste very fresh any time in that 30 day window.
When you break that seal and open that cap, try to drink the beer inside as soon as possible. It will be okay for a day or two, but it’ll start to lose its flavor and carbonation much more quickly than when it was sealed.
Natural Carbonation
Because our beer is brewed using 19th century techniques, the end result is a naturally carbonated product. We do not add any extra carbonation, meaning that it will not be as bubbly or foamy as a modern beer. In order to preserve that little bit of natural carbonation, just make sure that you drink your beer shortly after opening it! I enjoy the natural carbonation of our beer, and find in some cases it is easier to drink than a modern beer.
So there is the anatomy of a growler of our historic beer! All this ensures you are getting the freshest and best tasting product we have to offer. Growlers are available for purchase in the brewery and in our gift shop, so why not stop by and try some for yourself?
The Black Creek Growler 