Good Article About Growlers

It really varies. For example, Minnesota didn't allow them at all until sometime after I moved away in 2001 (I was pleasantly surprised when I visited recently). They are fairly common here in New England (NH, VT, ME, and MA all allow them). They don't seem very common in Arizona, but they are around.

They were *very* common when I was in Missoula, MT as well, and seem to be popular in MO as well.

On the flip side, I've been plenty of places (such as UT, unsurprisingly) where people didn't even know what a growler was.

I've found that "growler culture" and labeling laws really vary as well. When I was in MT, a growler was just a container---they'd happily fill any old growler you had. In New England, most places are picky and will only fill their own growlers[1]. Of the places that fill growlers from other breweries, most seem to slap a big sticker on it, apparently due to labeling laws.

[1] Between this, and my glassware addiction, I have over 40 different growlers from more than 20 breweries around the US.

A friend of mine brought me one all the way back from Merrie Olde England. (Is that a good friend, or what!?!)

That doesn't prove, but it suggests, that they originated in England or Europe.

They were common in Chicago, and perhaps all of the Midwest, half a century ago.

vince norris

Growlers were common all over the US, prior to the profusion of bottled beers, when the neighborhood tavern was the most likely source for the family dinner beer. My dad, who was born in the early 20s, refers to "rushing the growler", which was what the kid sent to the tavern was supposed to do in order to get the beer home in good condition and in a timely manner.

--Jeff Frane

They aren't legal in Florida, but there is an effort underway to allow small brewers (