Can it! ‘Crowler’ craze hits Central Oregon

Glass growlers are available at many — in fact, most — breweries, restaurants and growler fill stations on the High Desert The latest vessel to draw beer lovers’ attention combines the convenience of a portable growler and disposable can.

“About 50 percent of our business is filling beer into ‘crowlers’ to-go,” The Growler Guys owner Kizer Couch said Monday. “It’s just like any other can.”

The 32-ounce crowlers are free when purchased with a fill. Oskar Blues out of Colorado began the crowler phase with its machine.

“They worked with Ball, who makes cans for Pepsi and a lot of the breweries,” Couch said. “They worked with them to create this can. and then they found some people who created the machine to actually seal it up. They sell it as a kit, they train you and get you going on how to use the thing.”

The Growler Guys say they’ve seen the crowler keep beer fresh for nearly two months.

Crowler fills consist of choosing the beverage, inserting carbon dioxide, filling the can and sealing.

Couch said he expects the sales of the crowler to increase.

“They crowler is just the perfect addition,” he said. “I think it’s going to keep taking over. It’s already 50 percent (of our sales), but we expect that 80 percent of our business could be crowlers.”