The Chicagoland Growler Guide | Guys Drinking Beer

Our definitive Chicagoland growler guide: Who fills what, and for how much

Growler fills at breweries and brewpubs come with a lot of questions. For example, who fills and who doesn’t? Who’s got a crowler machine? Who only fills their own growlers? How about 32oz. “howler” fills? And will they pour their barrel-aged offerings or high-ABV stuff?

Because these things get tricky, we thought we’d put together a comprehensive list (or at least as comprehensive as we could come up with) of who’s filling what. Hopefully this helps you take advantage of that closet full of glass jugs you’ve got sitting around … because we assume it’s not just us that’s got a bunch of these things sitting around.

Unless otherwise specified, all information on this page comes directly from the breweries themselves. If you’re wondering where ___ brewery is, we have a list at the end of this post that includes breweries that we believe to sell growlers, but didn’t receive a response from and couldn’t pull enough info from their site.

And once you figure out where to head for a growler, review our Chicagoland Craft Beer Map to check out what else is on the way.

UPDATES:

We added some additional breweries and taprooms on Feb 15-16, 2018.
We added some new taprooms and their growler info on January 15-16, 2018.
We added some NWI breweries and their growler info on November 21, 2017.

Note: All of this info was as accurate as possible at the original point of publish in April 2017, but things do change (and crowler machines do get purchased). If you have any specific questions or you want to confirm directly with the breweries or brewpubs, all are linked so you can find their contact info.

18th Street Brewery:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass? Yes, but must be clean
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes, we sell empty howlers for $4
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? There is a price tier system based on glassware. A 16oz pint will be $10 for a howler fill and $15 for a growler. For 13oz drafts, it’s $15 for a howler and $20 for a growler. For beers that are 8.5% ABV, we charge $20 for a howler and $25 for a growler.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do not fill any beer above 8.5% ABV, nor barrel-aged beers or sours.
Any discounts or growler clubs? On certain holidays, we offer a discount on growler/howler fills

350 Brewing Company

Do you fill growlers? No
Do you sell crowlers? Yes – 32oz. INSANITY CANS
Do you have an average price or a range for your crowler fills? They range from $10-$14 depending on style/abv.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? *No small batch Sunday Detention fills*

5 Rabbit Cerveceria:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? 5 Rabbit sells and fills our own growlers only. We accept only 5 Rabbit growler returns – and fill with a new or clean, sanitized growler.
Do you sell / fill howlers or crowlers? We do not have/fill howlers or crowlers.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? An empty growler is $5.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler fills? For all beers that come in a pint glass (i.e.,the 5 series, the Gringolandia series and the Paletas series), fills are $10. For beers that come in a snifter, which generally have a higher ABV, (the Chingonas series), fills are $30.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We release a experimental beer every Wednesday, which we do not sell in growlers. Likewise, we do have the occasional limited run beer which we do not allow for growler fills.

Lastly, I’ll add: 5 Rabbit has a growler club. After 5 fills/refills, the 6th one is free.

Alarmist Brewing & Taproom:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? All growlers
Do you sell / fill howlers? We can fill others but we don’t have our own yet.
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $14 growler
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Currently all beers are available but that could easily change in the future.

Alter Brewing Company

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill any CLEAN and sanitized growler.
Do you sell / fill howlers? We don’t sell howlers anymore but we will fill a clean and sanitzed howler a customer brings in.
Do you sell crowlers? Yes
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4 for a growler
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $16-20 growler fill, crowlers are $10-$12
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Not everything is available to be sold in growler, crowler.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? We have $8 crowler and $14 growler fills available every Wednesday (all day), as well as around special holidays. We [also] have an annual growler club that people can sign up for in Nov/Dec. and begins Jan. 1. Space is limited and it comes with a lot of perks.

Band of Bohemia:

Do you fill growlers? Why yes we do.
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers?We will fill other growlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? We sell a 1 liter growler I prefer to call a “growlette.”
Do you sell crowlers? No,
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? On average $14 for a new growlette and fill.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All beers are available.

BBGB Brewery & Hop Farm at Hardware:

Do you fill growlers? No
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes — we only accommodate the BBGB Howlers
Do you sell crowlers? No
Do you have an average price or a range for your howler fills? $30 first fill , $10 to $12 second fill depending on the beer.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? na

Begyle Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? WE LOVE GROWLERS!
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill any growler that has a government warning attached to it.
Do you sell / fill howlers? We fill howlers but phased out new glass sales recently in anticipation of the next question…
Do you sell crowlers? We will be launching crowler sales soon, date TBD, maybe for CCBW.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Empty glass is $4.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $12-$20 for 64oz; $8-$12 for 32oz.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most beers are available for growler filling unless it is a limited release batch like barrel aged.

Black Horizon Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? No
Do you fill any growlers (ie: other than your own branded glass) or will you only your specific growlers? We do fill other breweries 32oz. howlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5.00
Do you have an average price or a range for your howler fills? $12 – $18
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Some specialty one off beers may not be available.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? We do seasonal and event discounts, we send out notifications of these on social media and our email listing.

Blue Island Beer Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill other growlers, but if ours are brought back we swap with a clean fresh growler.
Do you sell / fill howlers? We sell and fill them
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $10-30 for growlers and howlers are half that
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Not everything goes in growlers, but we usually offer bottles and cans of those that aren’t

Blue Nose Brewery:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes but glass must be clean.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Sell no, fill yes
Do you sell crowlers? Yes
Do you have an average price or a range for your crowler fills? Crowlers are $9-$15
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All beers available in crowlers.

Bosacki’s Homebrew:

Do you fill growlers? Yes, we will rinse all growlers before filling to be sure the beer is as fresh as possible. We fill growlers as full as possible to reduce the loss of carbonation and to keep the beer fresh as long as possible.
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes we will fill other standard growlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes, we fill and sell howlers.
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? The empty glass Howlers sell for $5.50, Growlers sell for $6.50.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? The regular and seasonal beer fill usually sell for $8.00 for Howlers, $14.00 for Growlers. Our “Specials” will be slightly higher.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? The premise of our Brewery is to “Take Home Fresh Beer” to share with friends and family. All our beers are available in howlers and growlers. Occasionally, we may need to limit quantities on our smaller batch specials.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Please join our Growler Cub. Fill 12 growlers and get the 13th regular fill free.

BuckleDown Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes.
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? If it’s clean, we will fill other branded growlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5 for 64 or 32 oz glass.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler fills? $18-21
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Generally everything…no barrel aged stuff or very rare things.

Burnt City Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes.
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill any growler that appears to be clean (we rinse every growler before filling)
Do you sell / fill howlers? No.
Do you sell crowlers? No.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Growler Fill price range from $12 to $22.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We generally don’t offer our barrel-aged beers in growlers, as we make them in extremely limited quantities.

Byway Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass? Yes
Do you sell / fill howlers? Sell, no – fill, yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $7
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $15-$20 for most beers.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Small batch /one-off beers are not available in growlers, but those are noted on the beer menu.
Any specials or discounts? 20% off growler fills on Thursdays.

Church Street Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? ONLY Church Street
Do you sell / fill howlers? No
Do you sell Crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $14-18
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most. Only a very select few we don’t.

Corridor Brewery & Provisions:

Do you fill growlers? Yes!
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, we fill outside growlers. We just put one of our stickers (has our name, address, etc.) on the growler to ensure that it’s a legal fill.
Do you sell / fill howlers? No.
Do you sell crowlers? Yes!
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? The 64oz growler glass is $4.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Yes. Average price for a 64oz growler fill is $13-15. Average price for a 32oz crowler is $9.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Yes. All beers are available.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? We offer a Growler Saturday deal. Details: $5 crowlers / $7 64oz growler fills for 1 one of our beers. The beer on special changes each week.

Crown Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill growlers from anyone, but we will place a sticker on it with our logo.
Do you sell / fill howlers or crowlers? We sell and fill howlers, but not crowlers.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? An empty growler is $5 and an empty howler is $4.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler fills? Prices range from $9.00 to $16.00 for a growler fill depending on the beer style, e.g. a cream ale is $9.00, but a IPA would be $15.00. We have a special on Wednesdays where we fill growlers of our flagship beers for $8.00!
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most of our beer is available in growlers with the exception of some of our experimental batches, barrel aged beers, etc.

Cruz Blanca Brewery:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill all growlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes, sell and fill.
Do you sell crowlers? No.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Prices range from $10-36, with an average of $20.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Specialty (small-batch, bbl-aged) may not be available, but we always have a variety of options and often times bottles as well.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Coming soon!

Crystal Lake Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill any standard sized growler.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes.
Do you sell crowlers? No.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Growlers are $4.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Core beer growler fills are $10. Premium/Seasonal fills are $16.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All production beers are available for growler fills. Pilot system beers are not available in growlers.

Dovetail Brewery:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We’ll fill any clean (we’ll sanitize and rinse for you, but if it’s stinky, it’s a no-go), undamaged growler (no chips or cracks, please!) — and throw out those caps (especially the white, paper-lined ones), breweries should always give you a new one!
Do you sell / fill howlers? We will fill howlers, but we don’t sell them.
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $18 for 64 oz fills; $12 for 32 oz fills.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? There may be some occasional exceptions, but for the most part, we’ll put most Dovetail beers into growlers.

DryHop Brewers:

Do you fill growlers? Yes!
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, we fill outside growlers. We just put one of our stickers (has our name, address, etc.) on the growler to ensure that it’s a legal fill.
Do you sell / fill howlers? No.
Do you sell crowlers? Yes!
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? The 64oz growler glass is $4.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Yes. Average price for a 64oz growler fill is $13-15. Average price for a 32oz crowler is $9.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Yes. All beers are available.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? We offer a Growler Saturday deal. Details: $5 crowlers / $7 64oz growler fills for 1 one of our beers. The beer on special changes each week.

Dry City Brew Works:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill any clean, glass growler
Do you sell / fill howlers? We don’t sell, but we will fill any clean, glass howlers
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? New growler is $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Growler fills avg. about $20
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do have occasional small batch beers that we do not offer in growlers.

Elder Brewing Co.:

Do you fill growlers? We fill howlers, but do not fill growlers
Do you fill any growlers (ie: other than your own branded glass) or will you only your specific growlers? we will fill other breweries howlers and put our sticker on it (we will not fill the generic ones that we can’t seal)
Do you sell / fill howlers? yes
Do you sell crowlers? no
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? 32 oz. howlers are $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler / crowler fills? howler fills are $10
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We don’t put some in howlers due to inventory reasons/special releases
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Not yet! We will soon.

Empirical Brewery: (info taken from their taproom page)

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? info not available
Do you sell / fill howlers? info not available
Do you sell crowlers? info not available
How much do you charge for the growler glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler fills? $12-$18
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? info not available

Evil Horse Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We will ours and others.
Do you sell / fill howlers? We do fill howlers, we do not sell them.
Do you sell crowlers? Not at this time
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5 for a growler
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Growler fill ranges from $15-22, Howlers Range from $7-11
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most beers can be filled in a growler, those that can’t we have bombers of.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Weekly discounts are as follows: Tuesday’s- $8 growler fill on brewmaster choice. (Usually two choices); Sunday’s – $5 off all growler fills.

Exit Strategy Brewing Co.:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, we fill growlers other than our own.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $7
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $16 refill / $23 new
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Yes unless there’s a super duper special small batch release….so yes.

Flesk Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We do fill growlers but don’t sell our own
Do you sell / fill howlers? We do sell and fill howlers
Do you sell crowlers? No crowlers
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Howler glass is $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Howler fills range from $12-$15
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most beers are available for fills but special one-offs may not be.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Tuesdays are $5 for all draft beers and Wednesday is $10 howler fills.

Forbidden Root:

Do you fill growlers? Yes!
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, as long as they’re clean and have the surgeon general warning.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes.
Do you sell crowlers? No.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? 64oz Glass Growler $5; 32oz Glass Howler $4
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? 64oz $17-$20; 32oz $9-$12
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We make almost all of our beers available, but typically anything above 10% ABV we don’t offer.

Flossmoor Station:

Do you fill growlers? Yes (Amber in color)
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We have on occasion filled other brewery growlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? No
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $12-$18 depending on style
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do not do growlers of our barrel-aged beer.

Goose Island’s Fulton Taproom:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, we fill any growler.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Neither
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? The glass is $4, price ranges from $16 – $20
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Avg is $16
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Not all beers on draught are available in growlers.

Greenstar Brewing at Uncommon Ground:

Do you fill growlers? Yes we do!
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, we will fill other growlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes we sell and fill howlers as well.
Do you sell crowlers? No, not currently
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? An empty glass howler costs $4, and an empty glass growler costs $5.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Prices vary widely based on the style and alcohol content of the beer, but will go from $12-$24 for a growler, and from $6-$12 for a howler.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most of our beers are available in growlers and howlers, except for the varieties that we occasionally put on nitro, and that’s because the beer will not be the same packaged in a growler or howler, once it gets home.

Half Acre Beer:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We’ll fill almost any clean 32oz or 64oz glass, ceramic or stainless steel growler with the required government warning information. Some swing-top growlers are either too tall or have too narrow of a mouth to fill with our set up. Growlers that incorporate CO2 canisters or dispensing spigots will not be filled. Homemade growlers, although impressive, will not be filled either. Thanks for for understanding.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? It’s a broad range, mostly between $12-22.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? For certain special releases we will not have growler fills available.

Half Day Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill any growlers (ie: other than your own branded glass) or will you only your specific growlers? Yes, any
Do you sell / fill howlers? No
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler / crowler fills? $15
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Some we don’t.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? $10 growler fills on Mondays

Haymarket Pub & Brewery:

Do you fill growlers? Yes!
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, any as long as it has a government warning and is clean
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes, but we only stock standard caps, so can’t really do the medicine bottle style howlers.
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? 3x the pint price, so ranges from $18 to $36 for a fill.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Some barrel aged styles are not available, it all depends on how much we have.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Our Local 737 Beer Drinkers Union members get $4 select pints daily, and on Union meeting days they get $10 fills of our feature beer. We also promote $10 fills for select holidays.

Hopvine Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Only our growlers (in accordance with local liquor laws)
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5.00 for growlers/ $3.00 for howlers
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Howlers $8.00 Signature/ $18 Premium, Growlers $15 Signature/ $30 Premium
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All are available for growler/ howler fills with the exception of a select few limited releases.

Horse Thief Hollow Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass? Yes
Do you sell / fill howlers? No
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5 for a 64oz. glass
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Between $14-20.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most all of our beers are available except very rare releases.

Imperial Oak Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes – if they are clean
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes – If they are clean
Do you sell crowlers? Yes
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? We do not charge for the Crowler can. Empty Growlers are $5.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Crowler average is $10, Growler is $20.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do not growler/crowler our small batch infusions or our barrel aged offerings.

Kinslahger Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We do not sell growlers but will fill them
Do you sell / fill howlers? We do not sell them, but will fill them
Do you sell crowlers? Yes
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? NA
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ crowler fills? Crowlers – $11, Growlers $22
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Generally all, exceptions do occur

Lake Bluff Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill all growlers, not just our own branded growlers
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4 for a Howler, $5 for a Growler
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Howlers range from $8-$18, Growlers range from $15-$25
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do not fill barrel aged beers and some specialty beers. Every other beer is available until we are on the last keg of inventory for that batch.

Lagunitas Brewing Company:

• Do you fill growlers? Yes
• Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass: No
• Do you sell / fill howlers? No
• Do you sell crowlers? Not at this time, but have plans later this year
• How much do you charge for the growler glass itself? $5 empty
• Do you have an average price or a range for your growler fills? $15 – $20
• Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Not all beers are available as there are some beers that we reserve for on-premise only.

Light the Lamp Brewery:

Do you fill growlers? Yes we fill growlers, crowlers and howlers.
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We will fill other people growlers and howlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? We don’t sell glass howlers.
Do you sell crowlers? Yes
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Our glass growler cost is $5.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Price for growler, crowler fills range from $10 to $26.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We don’t offer all of our beers for fills, but most we do fill.

Maplewood Brewery / Lounge:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, any 32oz or 64oz growler.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? Not yet.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5/$3
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $14-20/$8-$11 depending on the beer, most are toward the lower end of those ranges
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Some limited releases are not eligible for growlers since we don’t have as much quantity of those releases, but generally most everything we will fill

Metal Monkey Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? No, but we fill 32oz Howlers Only.
Do you fill howlers other than your own branded glass, or only your hrowlers? Yes, we’ll fill anyone’s howler
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes.
Do you sell crowlers? Not yet, but hoping to in the near future
How much do you charge for the howler empty glass itself? Empty howler is $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your howler fills? They’re either 12 or 15 for the fill, depending on the ABV of the beer.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in howlers? We don’t offer our barrel aged beers in howlers, they’re usually available for purchase in bombers or are a crazy one-off with limited quantities. But outside of those we will fill all of our other beers in howlers.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Weekly discounts – Teachers receive 20% on Fridays and Military, Law Enforcement & First Responders received 20% on Mondays. We don’t have any discounts on howler fills during the week, we occasionally run specials for holidays or other special events. We do have a howler club, “Metal Monkey Militia” with 2 tiers of membership that give you either 1 or 2 fills free per month, t-shirt and free birthday pint.

Miskatonic Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes, we fill growlers.
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes we fill all proper growlers, not just ours.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes we sell and fill howlers.
Do you sell crowlers? We do not sell crowlers.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5 for a Growler, $3 for a Howler; $30/$45 for double wall stainless
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Our Growler fills are priced based on three pints of whatever beer we’re filling with i.e. a $6 pint beer goes for $18 for the growler fill. The majority of beers we brew go for $18.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do not offer Barrel-Aged Beer or single keg specialty beers in Growlers and Howlers, but almost everything else is available.

Moody Tongue Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? No
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes, Moody Tongue howlers only
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Varies by beer
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All of our perennial beers are always available in howlers, plus a selection from our Tasting Room’s current releases

Motor Row Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes!
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We will fill any branded growler so long as it has the government warning about alcohol on it.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes!
Do you sell crowlers? We have 12oz cans of our flagship lager but we are not a crowler brewery.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Our howlers are glass they are $13 and come full and we sell Hydroflask brand growlers they are $50 and also come full both can be filled with any beer at the same initial cost.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Refills for howlers are $10, Growler refills are $13 for most beers [and] $18 for our higher abv beers. We do discounted fills on Sundays $8 for howlers $10 for growlers
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All of the beers we have available on draft are available for growler and howler fills.

New Oberpfalz Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $15-$40 for a growler, depending on the beer. Half of that for howlers.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? If we bottle it, we don’t growler it.
Any discounts or growler clubs? No discounts apply to growlers. We do have a mug club with discounted pints.

Noon Whistle Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We will fill others
Do you sell / fill howlers? No
Do you sell crowlers? Yes
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $8
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Growler Fill with Glass: $21 – $27, Refill $18 – $24 & Crowlers $10 -$14
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Almost all are available but select releases are sometimes not included in Growler fills
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? We have both. Every Thursday we select a beer that will be $7 for refills and $10 New. We update social media and our website on what beer is on special each week. We also have a Growler club that allows members to fill 2 or 3 growlers at a discounted price per month.

Old Irving Brewing Co.:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? All growlers
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes, fill
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Growler, $4
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $14 to 24 (see menu on website for exact pricing)
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Barrel aged beers
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Home Brewers Assoc gets a 15% discount for beer and merchandise (when shown card)

Only Child Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? -not growlers – howlers
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? -Preferably our own, but we’ll slap a sticker of over logos if need be 😉
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Most howler fills are about $8
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most are available, some are not
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? We do promotional specials frequently

On Tour Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Fill, yes — sell, no (crowlers only)
Do you sell / fill howlers? Fill yes, sell no
Do you sell crowlers? Yes!
Do you have an average price or a range for your crowler fills? Most styles are $8 per can.

One Trick Pony Brewery and Tap Room:

Do you fill growlers? Yes, we fill growlers but only REFILLS. We phased out growlers for crowlers (see below)
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We will fill any growler as long as we are comfortable with its cleanliness.
Do you sell / fill howlers? [We] do not sell howlers; we’d fill it if, as above, we are comfortable with its cleanliness.
Do you sell crowlers? Yes.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? We used to charge $4 for an empty growler.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Crowlers are priced at $9 (standard beers), $12 (high gravity), $15 (super premium, i.e. barrel aged)
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We have some beers bottled, small runs, for in house sales. If I have a bottled version, I will sell that and not a crowler. Eventually though, we will put anything in a crowler, they just get priced differently.

Oswego Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill any clean & sanitized growler that has a government warning attached to it.
Do you sell / fill howlers? We don’t sell howlers but we fill any clean & sanitized hrowler that has a government warning attached to it.
Do you sell crowlers? Yes
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5 for a growler
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Crowlers are $11-$16, Growler fills are $16-22.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We cannot fill with guest tap beer or cider. Beers brewed with limited volume are not available for growler/crowler fills.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Wednesday’s are Buy Two Crowlers, get 10% off, Buy Three Crowlers, get 15% off. We also have a Crowler Club with a yearly subscription; Includes 52 weeks of club fills, a branded 34oz insulated bottle, a t-shirt, and other perks. Club runs June-May.

Peckish Pig:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes
Do you sell / fill howlers? Sell no, Fill yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $16-$22
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All beers are available.

Penrose Brewing Company: (info taken from their growler page)

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We only fill Penrose-branded growlers.
Do you sell / fill howlers? We no longer sell howlers, but will fill Penrose-branded howlers
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $6 for just the glass, $4 with a fill
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $14-$18
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do not fill growlers with our barrel-aged or wild ales.

Piece Brewery & Pizzeria:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass? Yes.
Do you sell / fill howlers? No
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $3
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $17
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do not fill our highest gravity beers.

Pokro Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass? Both, but growlers must be clean
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5.99 for a growler, $3.99 for a howler
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Growler fills are typically $12-16, with higher ABV or specialty beers being more expensive. Howler fills also vary, but are typically $7-9
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Beers in limited supply are typically unavailable for growlers or howlers
Any discounts or growler clubs? Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we offer $2 off growler fills. We also offer growler fill discounts around various holidays.

Pollyanna Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We will fill anyone’s growler
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4 howler, $5 growler
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $10-$15 howler, $15-25 growler
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most are available in growlers with the exception of barrel aged stuff.

Prairie Krafts Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes.
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Any growler.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5 for 32oz or $6 for a 64oz.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler fills? 32oz $9-20, 64oz $15-36
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Very rarely we won’t, usually everything is available.

Revolution Brewing (Brewpub and Taproom):

• Do you fill growlers? Yes
• Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill all 64oz Growlers as long as they are clean and can be sealed.
• Do you sell / fill howlers? No
• Do you sell crowlers? No
• How much do you charge for the growler empty glass itself? Our 64 oz empty Growler price is $4
• Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Our Growlers range from $12-$28 for refills ($16-$32 for new). Most of our beers fall into the $12-$18 refill growler price category ($16-$22 for new).
• Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most of our beer is available in growlers. No growlers of the following: beers on nitro, special beer tappings in limited supply and our barrel aged beers.

Roaring Table Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill any growlers (ie: other than your own branded glass) or will you only your specific growlers? Yes
Do you sell / fill howlers? We fill but do not sell howlers
Do you sell crowlers? Not currently. Although, we’re in the process of purchasing a machine. We should be up and running with crowlers by April.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4.00
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler / crowler fills? Our prices for a fill currently range from $20 – $31
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We do not sell all of our beers in growlers.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? Growler fills are $4.00 off on Wednesdays.

Scorched Earth Brewing Company: (info taken from their taproom page)

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, we will fill other brands’ growlers, just not clear glass or other containers (milk jugs, etc.).
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? Not yet, but coming VERY soon.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Growler $5, Howler $3
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Growler $14-$23, Howler $8-$13
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most beers are available, just not some limited releases, wild/sours, etc. Please call to inquire about specific beers before visiting.

Skeleton Key Brewery:

Do you fill growlers? Yes!
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, we fill any growlers as long as they’re not dirty or stinky (mold or soap)
Do you sell / fill howlers? Nope
Do you sell crowlers? Nope
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Growler glass is $5 — barely above our cost
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? All growler fills (at this point) are $18.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Only limited-batch stuff isn’t available in growlers.

Sketchbook Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Any growlers
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Yes, 8 for Howlers, 15 for Growlers including taxes
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most are available. Some have a higher proice. Some very small batches are not available for growler fills as are beers that are very high in alcohol content.

Smylie Brothers Brewing Co.:

Do you fill growlers? Yes.
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass? We fill any clean growler.
Do you sell/fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? Empty Growlers are $6 and Howlers are $4
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Growler fills average around $18 for new and $14 for refills
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Most of our beers are available in Growlers

Solemn Oath Brewery: (info taken from their taproom page)

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We do not fill growlers other than SOB growlers. We will not fill growlers that smell moldy or funky.
Do you sell / fill howlers? na
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? na
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Prices vary by beer.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Not all beers are available in growlers.

Spiteful Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill any growlers: Yes
Do you sell / fill howlers? Only if standard growler lids fit the howler.
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler / crowler fills? $12-$25
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Everything that is not barrel-aged is currently available in growlers.
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? We have a Wednesday growler special: $2 dollars off all growler fills.

St. John Malt Brothers:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass? Yes
Do you sell / fill howlers? No
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5 for an empty growler
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $11
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Very rarely do we not fill a growler with any of our beers on tap
Any discounts or growler clubs? All growler fills are $3 off on Sundays

Temperance Beer Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4.55
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $14.66 for most beers, $17.24 for mid-range, $24.14 for specialty
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We have a few we won’t fill in growlers (barrel-aged, nitro, etc.)

Ten Ninety:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or onlyyour growlers? Yes, we fill other branded growlers, but charge for it
Do you sell / fill howlers? No
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the empty growler itself? $6
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Fill range from $16-$18
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We don’t fill growlers with barrel-aged beers.

Tighthead Brewing Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, any growler
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4/$6
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Growlers:$14-42 Howler:$6-26
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All available
Do you have any weekly discounts or growler clubs? We offer a growler punch card. After10 Growler fills you receive a free fill.

Two Brothers Artisan Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We will fill outside growlers as long as they have been properly cleaned.
Do you sell / fill howlers? N/A
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $3.99 (Plus Tax)
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? Prices vary by beer. Prices range from $9.99 to $22.99
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Not all beers are available in growlers.

Vice District Brewing Co.:

Do you fill growlers? Yes

Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We fill other branded growlers

Do you sell / fill howlers? We also sell howlers

Do you sell crowlers? Not currently but moving towards that option by the end of the summer.

How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $5

Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $12-$15

Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? Small batch one off releases and higher ABV (+8%) are not sold in growlers.

Werk Force Brewing:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Yes, we fill growlers other than our own – we will place our sticker on it
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $4.99 (either size)
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? 32oz. fill is $10, and 64oz. fill is $20
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? We have a selection of draft available for growler fills – not all beers are available for fills

Whiner Beer Company:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? We do not have our own branded growlers yet…but anyone can bring a growler from another brewery/brand and we will fill it.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Sell no, fill yes
Do you sell crowlers? No
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? The cost ranges from $22-$36 depending on the beer and size. Here is the price point:
32oz non barrel aged $12
32oz partial barrel aged (Le Tub, Miaou) $14
32oz rare barrel aged $20
64oz non barrel aged $22
64oz partial barrel aged $26
64oz rare barrel aged $36
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? All our beers can be filled with a growler.

Zümbier:

Do you fill growlers? Yes
Do you fill growlers other than your own branded glass, or only your growlers? Others must be legal and sealable.
Do you sell / fill howlers? Yes
Do you sell crowlers? No crowlers…yet.
How much do you charge for the growler/howler empty glass itself? $6 / $5.
Do you have an average price or a range for your growler/ howler fills? $9-$20 is the usual range.
Are all beers available or do you have some beers you won’t put in growlers? 13 taps; usually 10 are available for fills.

The following is a list of breweries that we believe fill growlers and reached out to. We could not find sufficient details on their website and received no response from: All Rise Brewing Company, Gino’s Brewing Co., Hailstorm, Hopewell.

About the Author

Karl

Karl has written about food, travel and beer for Chicago Magazine, Thrillist, Time Out Chicago, AskMen and more. His book, Beer Lovers Chicago, is now available via Amazon and other booksellers. If you're buying, he's likely having a porter or a pale ale.