National Homebrew Club Ireland

I called into Supervalu Blanchardstown last night for a few bits and pieces and noticed that they had installed a filling station for Growlers. I'm surprised that any brewery would allow their product to be sold through it. It's fundamentally two draught taps with some reinforced tubing attached to the spouts of the taps. The end of the flexible hoses were resting in the drip tray, (Asking for rope/ aceobacter infection) there's no means that I could see to rinse the growler before filling it. Filling involves holding the flexible tube in your bare hands ( hardly hygenic) and inserting it in the growler. No plastic gloves or steriliser available. I dont think any of our members would do their bottling in such a non- hygienic manner without expecting an infection. Maybe the idea is that you drink the growler before the infection has set in.
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160916/286e5c38c634be3372aa74199774ffb0.jpg)

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Whenever I buy a growler in my local its suggested I drink it within 2 days. Not because of infection though, just because the carbonation goes so quickly in the growlers.

You wouldn't use a contraption like that in a pub and you'd expect to drink the pint within half an hour 😆

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What brewery was it at all?

I'm not a growler fan at best of times but I wouldn't pay for anything out of that yoke.

Handy for a shopping day sampler though  O0

The one in Lucan looks like it's dying on it's arse, price has dropped already, and promotional space reduced, beers I've seen are wicklow wolf and a crowd from Derry

The problem with this whole growler thing is that certain SuperValu stores have no frigging idea how to vend and have inadequately available and trained staff to be there to pour or fill.
The bitching at the RDS by the distributors in relation to stations, not just at Supervalu, around the country was really disappointing to hear. We aspire to what our US colleagues have done well for years but we don't seem to be able to deliver on it.
In fairness to SuperValu I admire their commitment as the proper stations I've seen aren't cheap, but the delivery of actual service on that investment has been shocking.
On the plus side for us Homebrewers DoneDeal will be full of them in 12 months time

You're right in that the display certainly doesn't look cheap. It was their knowledge on dispensing which let them down. There was an abundance of fruit flies in the vicinity of the display, which would indicate that its not being cleaned down properly, spilages into the drip tray are probably the cause.
Lots of people are jumping on the Craft Beer wagon but haven't a clue what they are doing. They might have been better off reducing the cost of the display and investing in something for example, like our friends in Pegas sell...
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6c/49/80/6c49809f3635f0c98f56ace20de818cb.jpg

Quote from: CH on September 16, 2016, 10:26:03 PM
On the plus side for us Homebrewers DoneDeal will be full of them in 12 months time

I was thinking the exact same thing :D

When I checked the price last time for a 2 litre growler the price was more expensive than 4 bottles. I'd be expecting to save money for a growler fill

Roll one new year cheap dispensers and all in one brewery set ups. Exercise bike for her and brewery for him  ;D

They have an great growler fill station in open gate brewery but then again you would expect that.

Quote from: Pheeel on September 17, 2016, 10:37:48 AM
When I checked the price last time for a 2 litre growler the price was more expensive than 4 bottles. I'd be expecting to save money for a growler fill

even for a refill?

Quote from: LordEoin on September 18, 2016, 10:16:29 PM

Quote from: Pheeel on September 17, 2016, 10:37:48 AM
When I checked the price last time for a 2 litre growler the price was more expensive than 4 bottles. I'd be expecting to save money for a growler fill

even for a refill?

(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160919/be166d5b28fa201268a70cc3f5419c21.jpg)
€4 and €8 for an empty bottle is a bit rich. 😲

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Bought a growler in the salthouse Galway last week, €23 full.

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I was in Holyhead last weekend and bought a flagon (2lt) bottle of Old Rosie cloudy cider for a fiver, purely for the yeast 😎
Not much difference in that and a growler except for the colour, and incedentially clear glass or flint as it's known is more expensive than brown glass



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Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on September 19, 2016, 09:25:46 PM
I was in Holyhead last weekend and bought a flagon (2lt) bottle of Old Rosie cloudy cider for a fiver, purely for the yeast 😎
Not much difference in that and a growler except for the colour, and incedentially clear glass or flint as it's known is more expensive than brown glass
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160919/d7e2976cc3052811c73ddde3b3c2d9d8.jpg)

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€14 for 2 litres of KPA! So I can easily find it for less than €3 a 500ml bottle meaning 2L = €12....

Very strange pricing.  There's plenty of shops in Russia sells draught 'growlers' (1L sterilised PET bottles), where the bottle kind of clicks into the tap.  There'll be a decent saving on the draught bottles over cans/glass bottles of the same beer though, which is why they are popular.
That Supervalu set-up, dispensing from a hose and overly priced, looks dreadful in comparison.  Are the Supervalu ones served chilled?

Quote from: Pheeel on September 20, 2016, 12:40:32 PM
€14 for 2 litres of KPA! So I can easily find it for less than €3 a 500ml bottle meaning 2L = €12....

I wouldn't mind paying that if the growler filling was properly sorted as the quality of bottled beer isn't as good as draft from most places.

I noticed the same in that Supervalu, your man hadn't a clue, the only reason I bought a growler was because it was on a half price deal. Go up the road to the growler station in Carry Out in Tyrrelstown, they have a sterile counterpressure filler setup, top class.
That said the beers don't last as long as they say and I think all of these setups lead to house infections eventually as they don't look after them as well as a pub would and just change from one keg to the next.

Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on September 19, 2016, 09:27:04 PM

Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on September 19, 2016, 09:25:46 PM
I was in Holyhead last weekend and bought a flagon (2lt) bottle of Old Rosie cloudy cider for a fiver, purely for the yeast 😎
Not much difference in that and a growler except for the colour, and incedentially clear glass or flint as it's known is more expensive than brown glass
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160919/d7e2976cc3052811c73ddde3b3c2d9d8.jpg)

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you monster! 5 quid?! One of my favorite ciders but the only time I have seen that flagon here it has been over 20 euro.

I'm a big fan of the old rosies too, fantastic scrumpy, but it'll kick your ass if you drink a few pints of it.

Sure does, I have the yeast dregs sitting on my stir plate with some apple juice and yeast food. The last time I tried this it didn't work. I put it down to the export bottles are probably pasteurised, so now I'm trying with some UK bought cider to see if it makes a difference.

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Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on October 03, 2016, 02:38:30 PM
Sure does, I have the yeast dregs sitting on my stir plate with some apple juice and yeast food. The last time I tried this it didn't work. I put it down to the export bottles are probably pasteurised, so now I'm trying with some UK bought cider to see if it makes a difference.

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You might be lucky to get that to come back to life.

I used buy that stuff all the time, it's a savage pint.

No joy on the yeast, dead as a Dodo 
http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=75678

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Quote from: Sorcerers Apprentice on October 06, 2016, 08:16:36 AM
No joy on the yeast, dead as a Dodo 
http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=75678

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ah well, drink up, just make sure you have some solpadeine on hand for the next day, it's not the kindest on the head.....