Growlers in Ottawa

A growler is a container used to transport draught beer from one place or another. It can be made out of glass, ceramic or stainless steel and come in various sizes, from the 1.89 litre (64 oz) standard to 750 ml (25 oz) mini versions. 

In Ottawa and the surrounding area it is standard for a brewery or brewpub to offer their beer to-go in a growler. While filling fees vary from brewery-to-brewery they all follow the same rules laid out by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and will only fill their own branded growler.  For example, a Beau’s growler cannot be filled at Big Rig.  The up side is that the brewery exchanges the used, dirty growlers for ones that have been cleaned at the brewery so you never have to worry about cleaning your own.

The only breweries that don’t offer growlers are contract breweries, or breweries that use the space of another brewery to brew their own beer. For a list of breweries/brewpubs in the “Ottawa-area” check out our indepth list and do some beer tourism.

Using the Guide

In our list of growler offering breweries we feel it’s important to highlight three things that may affect your growler purchases:

• Growler Availability/Size
  While the 1.89 litre Growler is still the standard many breweries have started offering smaller sizes. Other sizes include 950ml Half Growler (also called the Boston Round) and the 750ml Grumbler. 
• Filling Method
  How it’s filled will determine how long you can keep your growler. Some breweries/brewpubs fill their growlers using the bottom-up method where a hose is attached to a draught tap and then inserted into the growler. This may be easy to do, but having the beer exposed to the oxygen inside of the growler will cause it to spoil faster. The other filling method is to use a counter pressure C02 filler that purges oxygen out of the growler before filling it with fresh draught. This is time consuming, but will keep the beer fresh for a longer time.
• Deposit
  The growlers you buy are expected to be returned to the brewery and you’re charged a deposit to encourage their return. Not all breweries charge the same amounts. Some local breweries will take growlers from other breweries thanks to Brew Donkey, an Ottawa craft beer delivery service. You can find out who participates in the Growler Exchange Program on their website. 

Ashton Brewing Company

113 Old Mill Road; Beckwith, ON / (613)257-4423 / http://www.ashtonbrewpub.ca

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers and 950ml Half Growlers
• Filling Method: Unknown
• Deposit: $5.00 / Growler

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co.

10 Terry Fox Drive; Vankleek Hill, ON / (613)678-2799 / http://www.beaus.ca

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers (limited beer available in Growlers)
• Filling Method: Counter Pressure
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Beyond the Pale Brewing Company

5 Hamilton Avenue; Ottawa, ON / (613)695-2991 / http://www.beyondthepale.ca

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers and 950ml Half Growlers
• Filling Method: Counter Pressure
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Bicycle Craft Brewery

850 Industrial Ave, Unit 12; Ottawa, ON / http://www.bicyclecraftbrewery.ca

• Availability: 1.89 Growlers and 950ml Growlers
• Filling Method: Unknown
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Big Rig Brewery & Kitchen

2750A Iris Street; Ottawa, ON / (613)688-3336 / http://www.bigrigbrew.com

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers
• Filling Method: Bottom-Up
• Deposit: $5.00 / Growler

Broadhead Brewing Company

81 Auriga Drive, Unit 13; Ottawa, ON / (613)695-9444 /http://www.broadheadbeer.com       

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers
• Filling Method: Counter Pressure
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Broken Stick Brewing Company

78-5450 Canotek Road; Ottawa, ON / http://www.brokenstickbrewing.com

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers and 750 ml Grumbler
• Filling Method: Unknown
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Cassel Brewery

715-C Principale Street; Casselman, ON / (613)816-2317 /http://www.casselbrewery.com

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers
• Filling Method: Counter Pressure
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Covered Bridge Brewing

6-119 Iber Road; Stittsville, ON / (613)915-2337 /http://www.coveredbridgebrewing.com

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers and 950ml Half Growlers
• Filling Method: Counter Pressure
• Deposit: $5.00 / Growler

Dominion City Brewing Co.

#15-5510 Canotek Road ; Ottawa, ON / (613)688-6207 / http://www.dominioncity.ca/

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers and 750ml Grumblers
• Filling Method: Counter Pressure
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Kichesippi Brewing Co.

866 Campbell Avenue; Ottawa, ON / (613)728-7845 / http://www.kbeer.ca

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers
• Filling Method: Counter Pressure
• Deposit: $5.00 / Growler

Mill Street Brew Pub

555 Wellington Street; Ottawa, ON / (613)567-2337 / http://ottawa.millstreetbrewpub.ca

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers
• Filling Method: Counter Pressure
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Nita Beer Company

190 Colonnade Rd, Unit 17; Ottawa, ON / 613-688-BEER (2337) /  http://nitabeer.com

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers and 0.95l Growlers
• Filling Method: Unknown
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

The Clocktower Brew Pub

575 Bank Street; Ottawa, ON / (613)233-7849 / http://www.clocktower.ca

• Availability: 1.89l Growlers
• Filling Method: Unknown
• Deposit: $4.00 / Growler

Whiprsnapr Brewing Co.

14 Bexley Place Unit 106; Ottawa, ON / http://whiprsnaprbrewingco.com/index.html

• Availability: 1 l Growlers
• Filling Method: Unknown
• Deposit: $3.00 / Growler