That Beer Growler Can Get You Fined in Idaho

As they are right now, beer growlers can be considered open containers that could lead to a big fat fine.  Here's what Idaho lawmakers might do to change that.

Even though beer growlers might be closed when you leave the craft brewery, they're still considered open containers because they're not sealed.  So, sellers might have to start putting a plastic, sticky seal on the 64 oz. mugs before you walk out the door.  That would help you avoid a $300 fine for having an open container.

The new rule requiring a seal passed a House committee last week, and an Idaho Senate committee will take up the issue this week.

I suppose while all this is pending we could put a piece of tape over the lid of our own growlers to be on the safe side.

Why do we call them growlers, anyway?  The story goes that people carried beer home in pails in the 1800s and it sloshed around, which made a rumbling sound.  That was the birth of the growler, but it wasn't until 1989 that one brewer started screen printing its logo onto big jugs, and the growler became more popular.  And now with a little tape on the lid the evolution of the growler may be complete!