[Randall Charles]

I know once it's opened you should finish it in a day as it will lose carbonation

[denny]

A week?  2 weeks?

[BrewBama]

It’s kinda like the licks to the center of a Tootsie Pop: three. Three hours.

Just kidding of course. ...but in the rare instance I buy a growler or package one myself, it’s because I am transporting it to a location to drink it. So, three hours is about the max I keep a growler sealed.

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[EHall]

sigh... they put tape over the cap so during transport if you got pulled over you can't be accused of drinking from it. you get home, take the tape off and drink say, half. if you put the lid back on tight and and put more tape around it you can get up to 2 weeks out of it.

[hopfenundmalz]

You lose some of the CO2 and carbonation if you drink some. You also introduce O2 from the air. How long does it take for the beer to become undercarbonated and stale? It depends on the beer, how the growler is filled, and your sensitivity.

[denny]

Hey everybody, reread the question.....he's asking about unopened.

[joe_meadmaker]

I agree with hopfenundmalz.  I always say it depends.  If the fill of the growler is a nice steady pour, and the person filling it caps the foam, I've seen stuff go for a while.  I once drank a growler of Dead Guy with a friend who had it in his fridge for months.  We were both a little concerned when we opened it, but it was fine.  One the other side, if the growler is a constant foam volcano while it's being filled, I wouldn't wait long at all.

I also think style comes in to play here.  If I have a growler filled with a Pale Ale or IPA, or another style that aging or a little oxidation might hurt, I try to get it opened and drank as soon as possible.  With a fuller flavored or heavier beer, I think it can go longer.  I once got a growler filled with Bell's Black Note (I knew the manager of the bar and they were trying to open up the line for something else, so it was free ).  I wanted to wait until I had a few people to drink it with me, and that ended up being several months later.  It was a little on the flat side, but with that big stout the flavor was still pretty great.

[hopfenundmalz]

Hey everybody, reread the question.....he's asking about unopened.

Ok.

Do they fill right from the tap? Deduct some points.
Do they fill from the bottom with a hose? Deduct fewer points.
Do they have a fancy machine that uses. Vacuum to pull out air, CO2 to purge. Best case. Bigger breweries have these in the tap room s.

How long?

First case is a week or less for me.
Second case may be 2 weeks, or more.
Third case is a month of so. Maybe.

It a depends on the beer going in, care when filling, O2 during fill. How you store it. How sensitive you are to staling.

I've had crowlers go off in less than a week. Filled straight from the tap, the beer was a Pilsner.

[Randall Charles]

Thanks to all of you. Cheers 🍻

[Megary]

My experience with Growlers has never been all that great.  Like a new car, they depreciate the second they are off the lot.  And they haven't ever tasted the same as the beer on tap at the brewpub. If I don't plan on drinking it within a day, I don't bother with them.  YMMV.

[HopDen]

So, we are talking about 32/64 oz of beer. You bought that badboy with the intent to consume and maybe get a little buzz from it to soften the s***ty day you may have had, but that's just an assumption. If I were your shrink and you were my patient, I would strongly insist that you drink the whole damn thing in one sitting.
  CHEERS!

[pete b]

The brewery in my town fills growlers right from the tap. I only get growlers if I am going to drink them that day or the next, but I have had times where company drinks less than I had hoped. I have found that unopened an ipa is only good for a couple days but their stout and farmhouse ales are still good several days t9 a week out.
Once opened your right, they go downhill fast.