Origin of growlers

[yso191]

I had not heard or read the origin of the term 'growler' so when I saw it on the card below, I thought I'd share.

[Upstate Dan]

Cool. Thanks for sharing. My grandfather told stories about bringing home buckets of beer from the bar in his small mining town in northern NY. Never knew about the origin of the term, though.

[denny]

Another story is that kids going to get the pail filled often hitched a ride on the back of a passing carriage.  Supposedly, the carriage made a growling sound.  Also, the buckets were supposedly often coated with butter to prevent the beer from forming a head, since they were charged by the pail.

[euge]

I'd always wondered why that term. Thanks.

[klickitat jim]

The theory I heard is of two bird hunters talking about beer. One suggests having his son fetch it for him, but the other hunter replies that he'd probably not be able to get the beer away from his son. "Oh, he a growler, eh? "

There's pointers and setters and retrievers. A retriever that refuses to let you have the bird is a growler.

Seems as likely as any other I've heard.

[majorvices]

The story from the OP is the one I have always heard from way back. It's also the one that make's the most sense.

[klickitat jim]

Seems like a case for Myth Busters. I'd like to hear the growling beer bucket, or see the modification needed to get it to growl.

[euge]

Or it is the sound the foreman makes, when he discovers you drank a bucket of beer for lunch.

[reverseapachemaster]

I thought it came from the sound a bartender makes when you ask them to fill it.

[micsager]

Here's another brewery that tells pretty much the same story. 

http://www.grandtetonbrewing.com/Growlers.html

[ccfoo242]

This sounds like something for Snopes to investigate.


Sent from the future using Tapatalk

[yso191]

Or it is the sound the foreman makes, when he discovers you drank a bucket of beer for lunch.

I have always thought it amazing when I hear how much people purportedly drank back in the day.  This explains, for example, why so many people died during various construction projects.  Can you imagine drinking even a small bucket of beer and then resuming work on the Empire State Building?

[gmac]

Or it is the sound the foreman makes, when he discovers you drank a bucket of beer for lunch.

I have always thought it amazing when I hear how much people purportedly drank back in the day.  This explains, for example, why so many people died during various construction projects.  Can you imagine drinking even a small bucket of beer and then resuming work on the Empire State Building?

I would have to drink a very large bucket of beer just to consider getting up there.

[denny]

My wife's grandfather worked at a brewery in Pittsburgh in the 20s-30s.  They were apparently allowed to drink up to 2 cases a day.

[Stevie]

Empire State Building - 5 deaths
Golden Gate Bridge - 11 deaths, 10 in one incident when a support structure failed