Idle Hands Adding Freshies (aka Crowlers)

Based on the number of times we’ve been asked “when will you be filling growlers?”or “when will you be selling bottles?” I know many of you have been wanting to take our beers home with you.

It’s taken a little time for us to get production up to a level where beer to-go won’t be a drain on what we have available in the tap room. It was important to us to make sure that people who visit us in the taproom have a good experience and can order the beers they want off our menu without hearing, “sorry, we’re out of that.”

We’ve now reached the production point where we’re comfortable giving you the option to take our beers home with you.

That process will be a little different than how we’ve done it in the past though. Instead of growler fills, we’re introducing (drum roll, please) the Freshie!

What’s a Freshie?

A Freshie is a single use 32 oz. can (otherwise known as a crowler) that we fill with beer and then seam right in front of you here in our taproom. Once you finish the beer, you can drop the can in the recycling bin and never have to worry about it again.

Why crowlers instead of growlers?

We went this direction for a number of reasons but the two biggest are taste and quality. With growlers, we’ve found that sometimes they come back to us in less than optimal shape for refilling (oh, the stories we could tell you). A growler that hasn’t been properly washed will affect the taste of the new beer it’s filled with (not to mention the cleanliness factor, eww). Additionally, glass containers can let light in that affects the beer inside. We found that this happens more often with growlers than other bottle formats due to the nature of it being shared with friends, particularly during the summer months when everyone is outside in the sun. Growlers also don’t have a really tight seal and thus will lose carbonation fairly quickly, especially when capped at home after you’ve opened it. Crowlers ensure that you’re receiving the beer the way we intended for it to be consumed.

Another reason we gravitated toward crowlers is convenience for you. There’s no deposit and nothing for you to wash with crowlers. Once you finish the beer, you can recycle it and there is no more remembering to pack your growlers when you come back to visit us. You’ll get a new container every time.

It’s also a bit easier to finish 32 oz. of beer in a single sitting than it is a 64 oz. growler. Sure, you can try to extend the life of a growler once opened, but the taste does change after you unscrew that cap once. Finishing 64 oz. in a single sitting may not be an issue for lighter beers or low alcohol beers like Two Seam, Patriarch or Emelyn, but for big beers, specialty beers or barrel-aged beers? That can become a problem. We’d hate to see any Triplication or Four Horsemen go to waste. A crowler is just more convenient all around.

But what do I do with all these growlers?

I know. Now you have a bunch of our growlers laying around the basement. What to do with all those?

If you homebrew, they can be good containers for small batches.

Need more light in the house? You could make a lamp. Or hang pendant lights above your bar. Or even make a chandelier!

Not an electrician? You can also trade in your old Idle Hands growlers here at the taproom and in exchange you will receive a punch card for five (5) $1.00 off crowler fills.

We hope you enjoy the new crowlers, our latest effort in continuing to bring you a better Idle Hands experience. We’ll see you in the tap room!