Can i carbonate beer in a growler

Condition it as cold as you can to keep the pressure down. In a fridge if your yeast will still ferment that low. It's weird. JDOrganic Member. Joined Nov 22, Messages 14 Reaction score 2. You must log in or register to reply here. Similar threads N. Carbonating in growlers? Replies 5 Views Jan 30, joshesmusica. Can I carbonate in a growler?

Replies 4 Views 4K. Oct 14, SporkD2. Growler Carbonating. Replies 18 Views 4K. Aug 27, paperairplane. Replies 15 Views 11K. Apr 2, TheWeeb. Carbonating in SS mini keg growler. NewJersey Jan 19, Replies 2 Views 2K. I think the biggest problem with one person drinking from a growler of beer even if you want to drink the three pints yourself is the pour and repour.

Your surface area issues and estimations in releation to a normal 12 or 22oz bottle are good. However, if you poured three 4oz samples from a 12 oz bottle you'd be stirring up the yeast just as often. To dodge the issue, and maybe un-scuttle the cons of the technique I'd recommend gently pouring the entire growler into a pitcher. This should be fine seeing as you plan to drink the whole growler anyway once open with a session beer like English Bitter.

Its similar in theory to decanting wine. Get all the beer off the sediment in one shot. That should eliminate your only negative you have listed.

Regarding carbonation: Brewpubs routinely fill a beer with 'normal' carbed levels of IPA or pilsner and sell them. I think that would be fine for most applications at home too.

The key to reducing the threat of growler bombs, would be to ensure your fermentation is done, and being meticulous about the amount of priming sugar being used. Combining those two factors, you should be able to condition in a growler just fine without the fear of explosion. There are a handful of breweries that bottle beer in growlers for production so the integrity of the growler is fine for most carbonation applications.

Lastly, growlers and 12oz commercial beer bottles are typically thinner walled than the bottles we get for bottling homebrew. They are more prone to failure after a few applications. So to reduce the growler bomb concern even more, I'd only use the growler a few times before retiring it to a life of yeast starters.

It's hard to say since growlers can be made very strongly and more thinly for just carrying final product from a keg to several thirsty mouths. Most growlers with straight sides are not designed to hold the pressure of natural carbonation - especially if they have suffered some wear and shocks over time.

I've had one explode on me with just beer in it, and others have had similar issues. If you are prepared to contain a filled growler with a pan or bucket, or OK with clean up if the growler fails, you can find glass that is sturdy enough for bottle conditioning. I would recommend against carbonating in growler.

The thin walls are not designed for high pressure. If your beer didn't finish completely, you have an infection, or you accidentally use too much priming sugar that thing is going to explode.

And it may wait to explode until you pick it up, shooting glass in your arm, face, and dropping glass on your foot. I highly recommend kegging and then using the growler to transport your beer. No bottle washing neccessary and a lot safer! Plus, no sediment in your growler. If you dont have a kegerator, use priming sugar and use CO2 to just push the beer into your growlers or bottles.

Have you thought about using Magnum 1. They're built for the pressure and they have a punt in the bottom which may help with the sediments as well. I use growlers with Grolsch-style caps all the time and condition in them. I tend to shoot for a lighter carbonation usually, so I've never had any blow on me. Read times. Will they seal well enough? Any adjustments to be made? Joe Sr. Official Poobah of No Life. Never done it. But, my recollection is it is possible but not recommended.

I assume you are talking about standard screw top growlers. The glass is relatively thin, so you take a risk there. That's the biggest draw back I see. The thinness of the growler would be my concern too, there are ways around the potential cap leaking. That should get you up around 4 volumes of CO2, more than you'll need unless you are bottling something like a hefeweizen which I would definitely not do in a growler. Many new homebrewers do find the process of bottling into individual bottles a time consuming and expensive process, trying to buy or recycle enough bottles for an entire five gallon batch of brew.

By conditioning in growlers, brewers can reduce the number of bottles they have to use, but with a wide range of keg and growler options, brewers can save time and get to drinking much sooner. Bottling: Regular Beer Bottles VS Growlers A standard growler is a bottle or jug used to transport and store beer and is usually made of glass, stainless steel, or ceramic.

The carbon dioxide responsible for carbonating the beer also creates pressure in the bottle. Make sure you have heavy duty growlers with thick walls. Finally, you will need food grade sanitizer and, if desired, a growler cleaner and brush. How to Bottle Homebrew in A Growler Here are a few steps to follow when bottle conditioning with a growler: Make sure you have enough growlers.

Growlers typically come in 32 or 64 ounce containers. Sanitize all your equipment. Many growlers, especially those good for bottle conditioning, have narrow mouths. Try submerging them in a 5-gallon bucket of sanitizer one at a time, then emptying them out. Or, use a spray bottle of sanitizer and roll the growler around to make sure all the surfaces are well covered.

Be sure to include the tube you use to rack your brew from the fermenter into the growlers, as well as the swing tops or caps you plan to use. Siphon or rack your homebrew into each growler, leaving adequate headspace in each one.