Growler drafted for home keg trend

The South Australian operation of beverage dispensing system specialist Hoshizaki Lancer has unveiled the latest entry to the home keg beer trend with an innovative new, refillable system to enable beer drinkers to take their draft tipple of choice to enjoy at home.

The company's new “Growler” system is a 1.8-litre refillable glass bottle that can be topped up from the keg with the customer’s beer of choice.

Consumers can take the bottle home, enjoy the beer later and then have the bottle refilled with the same or different style of beer.

The system's name is inspired by the methods employed in past centuries to help drinkers transport beer home.

In the late 1800s, growlers initially took the form of a small galvanised pail, and the term “growler” is believed to have come about when the beer, which was carried home by patrons from the local pub, sloshed around the pail and created a rumbling sound as carbon dioxide escaped from the lid.

Hoshizaki Lancer will be the main distributor of purpose-designed growler filling systems in Australia.
The company's managing director, Joe Thorp, said growler systems had been installed in a limited number of retailer and craft brewery outlets in the country already, and negotiations were underway about expanding the system across the country.

“While growlers are reasonably new to the Australian market, they are actually quite a phenomenon everywhere else in the world – particularly in Europe,” he said.

He said that continued growth of craft beer and microbreweries had increased demand for the growler system in Australia.

“Many craft beers are not available in bottles and many of the beers are seasonal, so growlers give people access to a wide range of specialist brews in small quantities,” Thorp said.

“We certainly see a market for growler filler systems in Australia.”