Council To Eye Beer-To-Go in 'Growlers'

In addition to the first reading of an ordinance that would allow between 12:30 and 11:30 p.m., at tonight's meeting are expected to eye for the first time allowing the retail sale of "growlers."

The growler, a 32- or 64-oz. glass container, is filled with a draft beer of the customer’s choice to carry home. The container is topped with a screw cap to preserve freshness then sealed to comply with the prohibition against open containers. No consumption is allowed on the premises of the retailer.

A new type of business in Georgia, growler shops have opened in Athens, Decatur, and . Cartersville's Alcohol Control Board approved a request to allow growlers and recommends the council do the same.

The growler got its name from the practice of customers carrying home fresh beer from pubs in galvanized pails with lids during the late 1800s and early 1900s. As the beer sloshed around in the pail and carbon dioxide escaped through the lid, a growling sound was produced. Children used to bring buckets of draft beer, known as “rushing the growler,” to workers at lunchtime or their parents at dinnertime.

See the .pfd attached to this article for the council's full agenda.