The rumor and random babble thread

[RobD]

On a related note I see that Brewdebakers is offering growlers now. I think it's $21 for the growler and first fill. Not sure what refills are but the server said was about $8 and only done in the beer store. Sleeman only of course.

I was over to the Burnside location last summer and saw that they were doing it. The only tap I remember seeing was a Sapporro one as it was in the shape of a sword handle (coolest tap ever). I think it was like the on in this photo: http://www.brewmarks.com/wp-content/upl ... andle3.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RobD]

Just had a chat with the guy at the Sleeman Cold Beer Store.

$7 for the growler
$8.50 /fill

This is what they have on tap:
Sapporro
Okanagan pale ale
Sleeman Cream Ale
Sleeman Honey Nut
Sleeman Red
Sleeman Originial Draft

[NASH]

I'm pretty sure they still brew the cream porter sometimes too.

FYI, they've been selling growlers there for about 12 years since it first opened as Maritime Beer Co. Not out of the pub though, you need to head around the side

As for Rockbottom growlers, anyone wanting one will need to place their order the previous day, or by 8 am the day of pick-up. The orders for any given day will be filled and put in a fridge near the bottom of the stairwell just outside the pub door until you come to pick it up. The reason for this is because they will be filled from the taps at the bar so they will have relatively short shelflife and we don't want to sell bad beer.

Current NS liquor laws state that no beer (or liquor) off-sales are permitted. Someone was successful in having the act amended a while back to allow folks to bring their own wine with corking fee, or to be permitted to take any leftover wines you purchased by the bottle home with you. The same thing needs to be done again with a clause written in to the act permitting licensed establishments beer off-sales if it is made on premise under a brewers' license.

[NASH]

Can you purchase the Growlers separately from the rape or is it a package deal?

Package deal! Think of it as buy a growler, get a free rape.

Paddy's Pub in Wolfville has been selling growlers of its brews out a back door from the kitchen for a while now. The setup sounds shady the way it was described to me but that's what they have to do to meet the new growler rules.

It was the same sort of deal when I visited Rudders in Yarmouth a year or two ago. The Port Pub also sort of operates a similar way. Seems foolish to me and I was assuming it's changed for the Rockbottom to do this. Unless my sarcastic rape alley remark is the case - realistically where else could you go at that place for a second entrance?

I'd love nothing more than to setup taps in the rear stairwell that exits into the alley, and a buzzer. That would be some serious-ass cult-like crazy beer sales area
Sea Level, Rudders, Sleeman etc are all microbreweries, Rudders never used to be but changed their license to micro so they could sell growlers and kegs, you need to have certain exits etc to grab that license though, we cannot at RB, oh and the yearly license fee is double for a micro. Allowing brewpub licenses to sell growlers is a whole new game

[KMcK]

Just had a chat with the guy at the Sleeman Cold Beer Store.

$7 for the growler
$8.50 /fill

I wonder if they'll fill my Maritime growler. I saw one sitting on the counter a few months ago.

[Jayme]

I'd love nothing more than to setup taps in the rear stairwell that exits into the alley, and a buzzer. That would be some serious-ass cult-like crazy beer sales area
Sea Level, Rudders, Sleeman etc are all microbreweries, Rudders never used to be but changed their license to micro so they could sell growlers and kegs, you need to have certain exits etc to grab that license though, we cannot at RB, oh and the yearly license fee is double for a micro. Allowing brewpub licenses to sell growlers is a whole new game

So is ordering a growler the day before a logistics thing or a Johnny Law thing? Selling growlers directly out of the pub just makes sense. It's about time they changed the rules. I didn't realize Rudder's had a different license, but the whole setup when I was there was ridiculous. I paid for the growler with my meal and then just had to walk out a different door with it. I mean I understand they (Rudders) had to do it that way to appease the 'man', but the 'man' is an idiot.

[NASH]

Growlers filled direct from a tap have shit for shelf life so we're filling them to order as opposed to filling them ahead of time and crossing our fingers hoping they sell before they oxidize. Thus = call, place order = pick up fresh beer.

[Jayme]

So logistics then? I guess the ideal thing would be to have the growler filled at the time of purchase, but if staff can't be available for that I see why you're doing them to order instead of having a fridge with prefilled sitting around for god knows how long. Hypothetically though would you be able to go in middle of the afternoon when it's dead and have one filled on the spot?

[KMcK]

Growlers filled direct from a tap have shit for shelf life so we're filling them to order as opposed to filling them ahead of time and crossing our fingers hoping they sell before they oxidize. Thus = call, place order = pick up fresh beer.

I presume this means that you'll have Rockbottom branded growlers.

What is the secret to filling a growler so that it doesn't "have shit for shelf life"?

[Jayme]

Counter pressure fill - I think that's what Granite does, Sea Level also. I've filled my own growlers that way also with no oxidation after a month or more.

[benwedge]

I don't know about you guys but my growlers don't stay full long enough for the fill method to matter.

[Jayme]

It depends. Typically if I buy local growlers it's to drink right away. But if I'm traveling sometimes I'll buy growlers to drink later. Halifax is a tourist town too! Although I guess ultimately you could easily make the argument growlers are intended to be for locals anyhow given the nature of the refill etc.

[bluenose]

I don't know about you guys but my growlers don't stay full long enough for the fill method to matter.

same... I consider growlers the "big gulp cups" of the beer world

[NASH]

So logistics then? I guess the ideal thing would be to have the growler filled at the time of purchase, but if staff can't be available for that I see why you're doing them to order instead of having a fridge with prefilled sitting around for god knows how long. Hypothetically though would you be able to go in middle of the afternoon when it's dead and have one filled on the spot?

It's got nothing to do with staffing. We're not permitted to fill growlers in the pub during business hours. We're NOT permitted to sell growlers out of the pub therefore you can't walk in and have one filled

[NASH]

I presume this means that you'll have Rockbottom branded growlers.

That is correct.

What is the secret to filling a growler so that it doesn't "have shit for shelf life"?

With a proper bottle filler and technique, purged with CO2 and counter-pressure filled.

[Jayme]

So logistics then? I guess the ideal thing would be to have the growler filled at the time of purchase, but if staff can't be available for that I see why you're doing them to order instead of having a fridge with prefilled sitting around for god knows how long. Hypothetically though would you be able to go in middle of the afternoon when it's dead and have one filled on the spot?

It's got nothing to do with staffing. We're not permitted to fill growlers in the pub during business hours. We're NOT permitted to sell growlers out of the pub therefore you can't walk in and have one filled

Huh I think I'm confused as to how this whole setup works. What rule has actually changed? You're now allowed to sell growlers under the brewpub license, just not through the pub? Does this mean you have to set up a separate cash register outside the entrance where this fridge will be for people to pay? If so, ridiculous - stupid red tape... But still a step in the right direction.

[NASH]

I don't know about you guys but my growlers don't stay full long enough for the fill method to matter.

That's right for most people but it could make a huge difference if it is filled from a tap 4 days earlier.


Perhaps I haven't made it clear:

- we are not permitted to sell growlers out of the pub, period
- you will need to place your order in advance so they can be filled the day of pickup to avoid any possibility of staling
- pickup happens outside the entrance to the pub, not in the pub


Why don't I counter-pressure fill growlers like some of the other microbreweries?
I'm not setting up a filling and bottle washing station in a little non-packaging brewery where I am constantly crawling around on my hands and knees making connections to and from tanks etc. (read broken glass) not to mention the space constraints. It's a nice little workspace in the current brewery setup with sufficient room to work efficiently under sanitary conditions and I intend to keep it that way. The quality and freshness of the beer is always first and foremost for me, I won't compromise the product with tap-filled growlers that could sit for days before being sold. Like it or lump it, it is the way it is. It may not help with a spur of the moment decision to grab a growler but I'd say it is a hell of a lot better than no growlers available from us at all.

Who knows, maybe the growlers will fly off the shelves so fast it'll make sense to fill a few extras for random purchases each day but it certainly won't happen from the get-go until we gauge response. We won't be giving the beer away either, our growler fills will be priced to reflect the quality of the product inside. Don't expect to grab a jug of my IPA for $10 or $11

[Jayme]

Still doesn't answer my question of paying. Do you pay for the growler in the pub and pick up outside or will there be a separate cash register outside the pub by the fridge containing the growlers?

Totally understand not being able to CP fill them and since they won't let you fill directly off the tap during business hours doing it by order is the most logical compromise. Seems almost like the smoke shops outside most grocery stores now - still very clearly owned and operated by the grocery store but I guess it satisfies the red tape.

[NASH]

Huh I think I'm confused as to how this whole setup works. What rule has actually changed? You're now allowed to sell growlers under the brewpub license, just not through the pub? Does this mean you have to set up a separate cash register outside the entrance where this fridge will be for people to pay? If so, ridiculous - stupid red tape... But still a step in the right direction.

Essentially it's like this:
The 'rule' used to be - Brewpubs cannot sell growlers (NSLC governed)
The new 'rule' is - Brewpubs can sell growlers (NSLC governed)
Licensed establishments are policed by Alcohol and Gaming, they are there to enforce our written laws
The law in this case states that restaurants may not offsell booze or beer
ALL breweries in NS are now permitted to sell growlers. You cannot, however, sell them out of your restaurant.

As stated earlier in the thread, clearly an amendment needs to be made to allow restaurants with built-in licensed breweries the ability to sell the jugs out of the restaurant. We're working toward hopefully getting that done.

- walk in to pub
- ask for jug o IPA you ordered last night
- pay for it
- walk outside pub entrance with server to pickup jug
- go home, get drunk, rave about Nash's beer

[mr x]

And you are not allowed back in the bar with the growler, correct?

[hogie]

FYI, here's the situation on PEI (correct me if I'm wrong BA or others) for those who are interested...

You can walk into the Gahan House, go up to the bar, and they'll fill up a growler (a clean one, new/exchanged) right from the tap. Or we can sit down and have a meal at the Gahan House, order a growler to take home, they'll fill it and bring it to our table along with the bill for the meal+take-away beer.

You can also purchase cans of Beach Chair Lager or the 4 varieties of Gahan bottles (brewed/filled off-premise) instead of growlers.

Also, they're only allowed to sell beer during the regular PEILCC hours (eg: not past 10 most nights or 5 on Sunday).

[benwedge]

Also, they're only allowed to sell beer during the regular PEILCC hours (eg: not past 10 most night or 5 on Sunday).

I found that one out the hard way. I wasn't pleased either since I called earlier that evening and asked how late they were open & if I could get a growler fill. Showed up and was told "too late."

Anyway, it's good to see that this is going forward at the Rockbottom. I can handle planning ahead.

[Jayme]

Yes it's certainly a step forward. The bureaucracy is stupid though - I suppose that just goes without saying. I guess you're just paying for 'nothing' inside the pub, then walk two steps out the door and magically you get a free growler! But only if you pay for that 'nothing' first. Blows my mind - but in the end I'm glad I will be able to take the beer home now. Glad you found a loop hole!

[jeffsmith]

Also, they're only allowed to sell beer during the regular PEILCC hours (eg: not past 10 most night or 5 on Sunday).

I found that one out the hard way. I wasn't pleased either since I called earlier that evening and asked how late they were open & if I could get a growler fill. Showed up and was told "too late."

I've had the exact same experience at Gahan…

[NASH]

And you are not allowed back in the bar with the growler, correct?

That's the idea yes, grab it on your way out. Now you, I and likely everyone else has walked into a bar with booze in hand. Sometimes a bartender will say they'll hold your booze behind the bar for you until you're ready to head out, other times they say nothing. The act states you're not allowed to do this but it's something that's just not policed. They will likely be more sticky about it and maybe even be watching for it in our case because of all the foolishness related to filling them in the first place