The Beer Growler Opens in Alpharetta Today

The Beer Growler opens in Alpharetta today, a franchise from the partners who opened the first growler store in Georgia two years ago.

Don Edwards, a Forsyth County resident, had sold his company and retired. But he had been looking for a business to start with his son, Kyle, who recently gradauted from college.

"The growler itself is a concept of returnable bottles that allow you to buy beer, fresh beer from the tap and take it home and drink it at home at your leisure, selecting from a wide variety of tastes," Edwards said.

He said the beer doesn't have that out of the bottle or out of the can taste.

He picked Alpharetta because of the population and location.

Once people understand that there's such a wide variety of beer and the concept of the growler, they find they have a great selection of beers.

Paul Saunders, one of the owners of the original Beer Growler store in Decatur – and the group that sold Edwards the right to open five franchises of the concept – explained another reason to try growlers.

A lot of brewers will brew just one batch of beer that they don't ever bottle. The only way to even try it is to find a bar that serves it, or a growler store. But Alpharetta doesn't have a large number of places to buy these unique beers.

Growlers are sold in 32 or 64 ounces of beer. They fall just short of the equivalent of 750 ml bottles or a six pack respectively.

"They are sealed in bottles and are fresh up untl the time you drink them," Edwards said.

He said until the growler is first opened, it can last for a while in your refrigerator. Once you first open the growler, it stays fresh for 24 to 36 hours, depending upon how much you first pour from the bottle.

"The best case scenario, you want to drink it in one sitting," Saunders said. "So share it with friends, if not, have a 32 [ounce] on our own."

A 32-ounce bottle starts at $4.99, and for a 64-ounce bottle around $8.99, though there are some beers that sell for less, and others for quite a bit more.

"You definitely don't want to throw back craft beer. You want to sip it and enjoy it," Saunders said.

The Beer Growler is located at 850 N. Main St., Alpharetta. It's in the same building at , which Edwards said he frequents. That helped him pick his location.

The store will be open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, 1-6 p.m.

It can be found online and on Facebook as well.

His next franchise store will open in Johns Creek as early as this September, with stores in Brookhaven and Sandy Springs following that. He has yet to pick his fifth location.