Newsletter
Growler Power
Potent portable options at an all-time high for craft beer connoisseurs
By Cheryl Harrison
Published February 1, 2013Columbus is currently undergoing a (welcomed) craft beer revolution. It seems every month produces a new brewery or beer bar, more and more craft brands from across the country are beginning to distribute to the state of Ohio – and all these delicious brews are available for consumption in more ways than ever, in bottles, bombers, cans, and kegs. But beer can be enjoyed at home without any type of packaging. Enter: the growler.
A growler is a half-gallon glass jug used to transport beer fresh from tap to home, named so, rumor has it, due to: 1) the sound that workers’ stomachs made in the late 19th century while they awaited a pail of beer to be delivered by young kids who “rushed the growler” or 2) the sound that the beer itself made when carbon dioxide escaped while it sloshed around in said pail or 3) the sound I make if you try to take my beer away from me.
Wherever the name comes from, growlers are great for consumers because they provide the freshest beer you can get (beer on store shelves has often been sitting in bottles or cans for months) and they run about the same cost to fill as an average craft six-pack – about $8-20 dollars, depending on the beer. They’re also great for the environment because they don’t create waste, and they eliminate the shipping footprint associated with transporting bottles and cans.
The actual glass growler is a one-time investment of about $5, though fancier growlers with flip tops and other accoutrements are available for upwards of $30. Beer will stay fresh in an unopened growler for 7-10 days, and once opened should be consumed in a single session if possible, though many beers will taste A-Okay the next day.
This month, (614) offers our own guide to the breweries, bars, and beer shops in Central Ohio that keep central Ohio’s growling thirst at bay.
Note that some places will fill, but don’t actually sell the glass jugs. Other places will not fill a growler that does not bear their own branding. Some of these places actually claim – adamantly – that it is illegal to fill a growler that is not their own, but the Ohio Division of Liquor Control assures us that it is not. Get your fill, kids.
101 Beer Kitchen
7509 Sawmill Rd.
(614) 210-1010
Growler hours (GH): Monday through Friday 6:30 – 11:30 p.m., Saturday 6:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m., Sunday 6:30 – 11:30 p.m.
Barley’s Brewing Company (Ale House No. 1)
467 N High St.
(614) 228-ALES
GH: Monday through Friday 11 a.m. – 2 a.m., Saturday and Sunday noon – 2 a.m. Note: will only fill their own growlers
Barley’s Smokehouse & Brewpub
1130 Dublin Rd.
(614) 485-0BBQ
GH: Monday though Thursday 11 a.m. – noon, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 2 a.m., Sunday noon to 11 p.m.
Note: will only fill their own growlers
Barrel and Bottle
59 Spruce St. (North Market)
(614) 221-5550
GH: Monday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday noon – 5 p.m.
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse
5141 Tuttle Crossing
1414 Polaris Parkway
GH: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 1 a.m., Saturday 10 a.m. – 1 a.m., Sunday 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
North High Brewing
1288 N High St.
GH: Monday through Sunday, noon – 1 a.m.
Buckeye Lake Brewery
5176 Walnut Rd. (Buckeye Lake)
(740) 535-6225
GH: Monday through Thursday 4 – 10 p.m., Friday 3 – 11 p.m., Saturday 1 – 11 p.m., Sunday 1 – 9 p.m.
Note: will only fill their own growlers, but will trade you another growler for one of theirs
Columbus Brewing Company
525 Short St.
(614) 464-BREW
GH: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Saturday 5 – 11 p.m.
Elevator Brewery and Draught Haus
161 N High St.
(614) 228-0500
GH: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. – noon, Friday 11 a.m. – 2 a.m., Saturday 5 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Four String Brewing Co.
985 W Sixth Ave.
(614) 725-1282
GH: Thursday 5 – 7 p.m., Saturday 12 – 2 p.m.
4th Street Bar & Grill
1810 N Fourth St.
(614) 291-1420
GH: Monday through Sunday noon – 2:30 a.m.
Gordon Biersch
401 N Front St.
(614) 246-2900
GH: Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.
House Beer
843 N. High St.
(614) 670-8095
GH: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
House Wine
644 High St., Worthington
(614) 846-WINE
GH: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Note: will fill growlers but does not sell glass jugs
Mad Mex
1542 N High St.
(614) 586-4007
GH: Monday through Sunday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Neil House Brewery
372 Morrison Rd.
(330) 936-7467
GH: Wednesday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Park Street Tavern
501 Park St.
(614) 221-4099
GH: Monday through Friday 3 p.m. – 2 a.m., Saturday and Sunday noon – 2 a.m.
Schmidt's Sausage Haus and Restaurant
240 E Kossuth St.
(614) 444-6808
GH: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Studio 35
3055 Indianola Ave.
(614) 261-1581
GH: Monday through Friday 6:30 – 11:30 p.m., Saturday 6:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m., Sunday 6:30 – 11:30 p.m.
The Daily Growler
2812 Fishinger Rd.
(614) 656-2337
www.facebook.com/TheDailyGrowler
GH: Monday through Thursday 3 – 10 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. – midnight, Saturday 3 p.m. – midnight, Sunday noon – 6 p.m.
Note: will only fill their own growlers, but will trade you another growler for one of theirs
Whole Foods
1555 W Lane Ave., Upper Arlington
(614) 481-3400
GH: Monday through Sunday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
World of Beer Brewery District
503 S Front St.
(614) 224-1962
www.wobusa.com/Locations/BreweryDistrict.aspx
GH: Monday through Sunday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Note: will fill growlers but does not sell glass jugs
World of Beer Easton
3934 Townsfair Way
(614) 476-2962
www.wobusa.com/Locations/Easton.aspx
GH: Monday through Sunday noon – midnight
Note: will fill growlers but does not sell glass jugs
Zauber Brewing Co.
1300 Norton Ave., Suite A
(614) 754-8389
GH: Thursday through Saturday, 4 – 8 p.m.
Note: Old Bag of Nails offers growler fills at many of their multiple locations, but the hours vary. See www.oldbagofnails.com. for details.
Comments
ddmkevin @ 02/10/2013 09:53 pm
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