Follow beer writer, Troy Burtch, as he explores the wonderful world of craft beer and the pubs that serve it. Great Canadian Beer is a place to come to catch up on beer news, read tasting notes, check out event listings, and for pub previews and reviews.

PLANNING AN EVENT? GOT A NEWS TIP? INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? SEND A MESSAGE TO troy (at)greatcanadianbeerblog(dot)com

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Growlers of the Canadian Kind

I've previously brought up the fact that I've started collecting Canadian breweriana, posting a quick photo display of some of the old bottle openers I've accumulated over the years. However, it's growlers from Canadian breweries that I'm really into. (Don't ask me why)

As you can see below, I have obtained quite a few over the years. According to some collectors, I may just have the largest collection of modern day growlers out there (Canadian growlers), which is pretty cool. I believe the growler from the Granite (old Halifax location) was the first one I ever purchased. I was living in Halifax at the time and remember walking over to the brewery on Barrington Street and bringing one home to get me through a Leaf game. After that there were trips to both Propeller and Garrison breweries who also sell growlers, and looking back, I guess that was the start of the ongoing accumulation.

One of the most prized growlers in my collection comes from Amsterdam Brewery in Toronto. The growler from them (first row, middle image) dates back to the King Street location and I've been told that Amsterdam only ran the growler program for a very short time.

While growlers may not be the best way to package beer, they do come in handy for parties, dinners, etc. - anytime sharing is in order. They are also a great conversation starter and in most cases they allow individuals to share different styles with friends or family while not breaking the bank. And depending on how the growler was filled, the beer can be nice and fresh if consumed right away.

More and more Canadian breweries are getting growlers for their retail stores. I know of at least two 'new' Toronto breweries that will offer them once their stores are open, and it seems like more breweries out west have started selling them. New Brunswick breweries/brewpubs have also started filing and selling growlers at their respective locations. So as the Canadian growler market grows, as will my collection.

Shown in alphabetical order. You can click on any picture to make see it larger:

A La Fut - QC
Amsterdam - ON

Beau's 1 - ON
Beau's 2 - ON

Beau's 3 - ON

Black Creek - ON
Central City - BC

Church Key - ON

Duggan's - ON

Garrison - NS

Grand River - ON

Granite - ON & NS

Kichesippi - ON

Mark James Group - BC

Mill Street - ON

Niagara College - ON

Paddock Wood - SK

Phillips - BC

Propeller - NS

Railway City - ON

Red Racer - BC

Steam Works - BC

T' Cheque Bec - QC


Taps - ON

The Gahan House - PEI

The Publican House - ON

Tofino - BC

Village Brewery - AB
Picaroons Traditional Ales - NB
Mill Street Brewpub (Ottawa) - ON

YellowBelly - NFLD
Barley Station Brew Pub - BC

Le Naufrageur - QC

Hell Bay - NS
Granite (Halifax) Rare - NS






















5 comments:

Lindsey said...

The Banff and Jasper Brewing Companies also offer Growlers.

Troy Burtch said...

Thanks for sharing that, Lindsey! And thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Troy

wittaker said...

I have a Taylor & Bates growler if you are interested. Willing to trade.

Troy Burtch said...

Wittaker - I am most definitely interested. Please send me an email (troy@greatcanadianbeerblog.com) to provide your contact information and I'll be in touch.

Many thanks for commenting.

Cheers,
Troy

Teena in Toronto said...

We have some of those in our house too :)

Web Analytics

Winter Ale