UKC

Hi.

Seems to be common in US and Australia.

Has anyone tried this in the UK? Is there any restriction in licensing / drinking laws against this (taking re-usable bottle to pub to fill from tap and take home / camping). I know a few off-licences that do it (and only one locally) but only with a very limited range.

I like the idea.

In reply to Flinticus:
Our local does 4 pint containers. £2.50 deposit on the container that you get back if you return it. Not very many people seem to use it. I've taken the odd one home when driving, and I think a few people staying at a caravan park up the road use them. TBH a decent hand pulled beer tastes a lot nicer in the pub than at home.

Edit: The Magic Rock in Hudderfield will sell you a metal container at a significant price to allow you to do the same.

In reply to Flinticus:

Sounds like an initiative for the hipsters to get behind

In reply to GarethSL:

I have been known to eat smashed avocado.

In reply to Flinticus:

It's more common there as they mainly drink keg beer. Keeps better and full of co2 so won't go flat quickly.
We like our cask beer with live yeast. Doesn't last long once dispensed.
I have started to see take away in some American style craft beer pubs here in cardiff. But they have all there beer in kegs.

In reply to Flinticus:




There's a few places that do this in the UK and that I have visited when camping .
The druids in Birchover did this for us in 2 (or was it 4 ) pint flat pack cartons a few years ago now though. Advertised in the bar and all above board.
Also I got a take out from the Stags for supping on the camping field several years ago.
Lurchers @ 8% in a emptied out coke bottle . Class

TWS

In reply to Flinticus:

I often do it whilst camping. Just empty out your 2 litre PET water bottle and take it with you to the pub. Some places will insist on pouring and measuring single pints and filling the bottle from there. Works well with ale for that evening for sure.

Some places used to sell pint cartons but these were usually US pints and therefore you needed to be careful to get a full UK pint in them.

In reply to GrahamD:


You mean squash it in really tight? Could get messy

In reply to Flinticus:

Quite a few do it. The clachaig supply the required containers too.
I've also had a few pubs fill an empty water bottle without any questions.

In reply to john arran:

More practially, fill past the line cartons are designed for beer with a head so there is some extra room.

In reply to Flinticus:
The Black Bull in Coniston used to do 4 pint plastic jugs in a brown earthenware colour with a pressure relief valve in the top. As it is the home of the micro-brewery where Bluebird Bitter originated I just had to have some. I now prefer their 'Old Man Ale' - but that is possibly by association.

In reply to rztipping:



*beer geek klaxon*

AIUI the main thing with keeping is whether it's in an oxygen-free environment. If you just fill up a lemonade bottle with any beer straight from the tap then the beer will start to oxidize and go off a bit after a few hours (although I guess you might notice less with a fizzy, strongly flavoured keg beer), whereas if you flush the container with CO2 before filling and capping it then you're probably good for a few days. Most places that do takeaways as a major thing do the latter, and the machines to do it are mostly set up to connect to keg probably because very few people outside the UK cares about cask ale very much so the market for a cask version would be pretty limited.

Anecdotally, another reason I've heard that it's big in the US is that beer-oriented bars (and particularly brewpubs) are often quite hard to get to without driving, so if you want to drink something that's draught-only then getting it to take away can be the easiest option. In the UK it's easier to get leathered in the pub and then walk or get the bus home.

In reply to Flinticus:
Back in the 1980's, the tyn y coed in capel curig would supply you with 4 pints of their finest gwynedd bitter in a plastic jug.
Slightly easier, but no better tasting, than doing battle with a party 7 can of Worthington's.

In reply to Flinticus:

Quite common here in Czech. The microbrewery close to my place collects empty pet bottles from customers so you always get beer with you.

In reply to Flinticus:

My local does 2pt take outs in a carton.
The beer is flat when you drink it but that's how it's supposed to be.
My old local in Stoke used to funnel it into any receptacle. I used a 2L platypus with a sports nozzle. This allowed you to squirt some gas into it if you wanted.

In reply to Flinticus:

Daft idea when you can get really good beer from most supermarkets that you can buy and, amazingly, keep in the fridge and open at your convenience.

As a nod to the hipsters, they also come in handy containers which can be recycled in a range of places.

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:


Beer isn't the same out of bottles or cans and proper beer shouldn't be at out of the fridge temperature anyway.

In reply to GrahamD:

I don't know if they still do it, but bottles of Coniston Bluebird used to have a serving suggestion on the bottle:

"Best served at the Black Bull, Coniston"

I agree about both your points, although the fridge is useful to chill beer down a little bit, because most homes are substantially warmer than cellar temperature.

In reply to pavelk:


When I lived in Prague, it was common for every pub to fill a pitcher to go, usually a young kid was sent downstairs to get a refill.

In reply to Flinticus:

Local pub to me does a decent trade in take away beer... most people use those square flexible cubes with a tap on it (think refillable wine box), but they will accept any vessel they can get under their taps/on the scales

In reply to GarethSL:

They already have:
https://www.brewdog.com/item/735/BrewDog/BrewDog-Liberty-Growler.html

In reply to balmybaldwin:

Do you get it cheaper? I can't imagine £4 a pint, Vs £2 from the supermarket getting many followers, yet I imagine it is in the pubs favour as they get more sales and quicker turnover of beer.

In reply to jonnie3430:

Yes, there's a take-out price don't know what it is though

In reply to Flinticus:

My local has been doing 2 pint takeaway cartons for years for the same price as 2 pints - definitely not recommended for long term storage though!

In reply to pavelk:

Same in Ukraine.