‘Growler’ trend growing in London

Having kicked off in the US, Londoners are fast developing a thirst for growlers – 64-ounce glass jugs sold by breweries and off-licences to carry beer home in.

We Brought Beer in Balham has gotten in on the growler trend

Pioneering the trend in Balham is newcomer We Brought Beer, which opened in the south London borough in August.

The shop imports the heavyweight vessels from the US and sells them at £12.50 a pop. A rotating selection of four draft beers is on offer at the shop, owned by James Hickson, for growler filling.

“People like the concept when it is explained to them. We are already having to source more growlers to keep up with demand,” Hickson told Time Out.

We Brought Beer also sells a broad range of London craft beers by the bottle, along with home brewing kits.

In April, BrewDog opened its first craft beer shop, Bottledog, in the north London borough of Camden offering growlers and a selection of draft beers to fill them with.

Like We Brought Beer, Bottledog offers four different draft beers for growlers, which are changed on a weekly basis.

Selling the growlers in one or two-litre formats at £5 and £10 respectively, fills range from £6.50-8.50 per litre with the shop currently selling around 120 litres a week.

Clapton Craft in east London meanwhile, sells 64-ounce growlers for £6, which are sealed with a screwcap after filling and can allegedly keep fresh for up to six weeks.

The majority of the growlers are filled with beer from London breweries, including The Kernel Brewery in Bermondsey, though some hail from the US and Europe.

Other London venues to have gotten in on the growler trend are Camden Town Brewery and Mother Kelly’s in Bethnal Green, which offers takeaway beer in four-pint flagons.

The name growler originated in Victorian times from the sound escaping CO₂ made when fresh beer was carried from local pubs to people’s homes in pails.