Story by Julie Lorch | Photo by David Schrott
Fact: You want to be the dude who shows up to a house party with a delicious, fresh growler of beer. Why? A 64-ounce glass jug under your arm not only suggests that you are dedicated to the success of the evening, but also that you care about the way beer tastes. It says you’re generous, too; look at you bringing enough to share with your pals! It’s a good look all the way around.
But, as Chris Fetfatzes and Heather Annechiarico, owners of Hawthornes in Bella Vista, warn, if you didn’t buy your growler, like, that day, and you didn’t buy it from them, it’s going to be “flat,” “sick” and “beat.” It’s definitely not going to win you any friends.
“Usually growlers are filled at taps with air and bacteria getting in, so it’s going flat from the moment it’s poured,” explains Annechiarico. She relates a tale of utter despair from a trip she and Chris took to California to purchase specialty beers. They sent the prized goods across the country in growlers. Excited, they opened the jugs to a sad—nay, depressing—shadow of the former flavor profiles.
It was a wake-up call for a duo who strive to bring consumers, as they both say, mantra-like, “beer that’s exactly as intended by the brewer.”
“So,” says Fetfatzes, “we decided to build a system that would bottle growlers to keep the beer fresh for six months.”
It took them six years to develop the system, primarily through trial and error, from spare parts and hardware store standards. How does it work? Alas, that’s top secret—for now, at least. They don’t let anyone have a look; they’ve even kicked out patrons they’ve caught trying to sneak a peek. And with good reason—the system, which keeps darker beers fresh seven to nine months; pale, wheat and light beers up to four; and IPAs for one month—is currently on the way to receiving a patent.
Hawthornes’ masterminds are convinced that the growler is the most efficient and least wasteful way to consume beer. There’s no cardboard packaging, no wasted beer and no extra bags for transport. Cleaning products aren’t even necessary—just swish some hot water around the jug and let it air dry before the next fill.
For the uninitiated, the growler feedback loop begins with the purchase of a special Hawthornes custom double-paned UV-proof growler for $15 (if you bring your own bottle, you still have to buy their special cap for $1.50). With empty jug in hand, you choose from 12 to 16 beers on the growler list—which differs from their tap list—to fill ’er up. Starting with that first glorious fill, once you’ve filled up 20 times (and won acclaim at 20 house parties, and saved 20 cardboard six-packs), you receive one free fill of any beer on their list.
“Sometimes we have to open [the bottles] with a wrench,” says Annechiarico, who used to build potato guns as a kid. “There’s so much pressure in them that you can hear the seal crack.”
I ask them one more time about the technology involved—are they sure they don’t wish to elaborate?
Annechiarico and Fetfatzes look at each other: “Counter pressure filling,” followed quickly by, “and that’s all we’ll tell you.”
Hawthornes, 738 S. 11th St., 215-627-3012, hawthornecafe.com
At certain brewpubs I have requested a growler filled with the counter pressure filler and some have oblidged, when things are not so busy they can't put the assembly on. Often it's the brewmaster himself as he wants to take care of his product. Some have them, other do not. Just ask. Always ask if a prefilled growler in the fridge is counter pressure filled or it will have to be quaffed in short order. If you're going to wipe it out that evening it should be no problem. Counter pressure filling is nothing new, as a homebrewer I've had my own setup for my own corny kegs for a decade, but if you don't know about it you can get some shortlived brew. And don't forget if you're going to refill a growler do NOT expose it to any soaps, just water and small amounts of iodophor to sanitize it and keep later beers from growing any beer ruining stuff. Enjoy, it's a great time in the beer world