Living in the state of Oregon allows us to be a little spoiled when it comes to craft beer. Sure, we’ve got 173 breweries in a relatively small state, yet the vast majority of those beers can’t be bought in the store. I love ya Fred Meyer, but seriously, even you can’t keep up with this kind of production. So, the original impetus for my journey to Bend was to investigate and complete the package that is my new Drink Tanks growler-keg that’s presently blowing my mind and convincing me to change how I buy beer.

 I’ve been slow to the growler concept and while I’ve only spent 4 years living in a culture where they’re much more prevalent, there’s no discounting the fact that I prefer buying my beer in something prepackaged. I’ve also never quite liked Big Glass Jug growlers because the carbonation doesn’t last very long and transporting them anywhere other than to the brewery and back home again seems like a dangerous idea.

Enter Drink Tanks: a successful kickstarter start-up that’s owned, operated and constructed in, you guessed it, Bend Oregon. Being the skeptical, set-in-my-ways type of person that I am, I was reticent to seek out something that seemed like just another growler, yet there’s much more to it than the old glass jug. It’s made of double-walled and vacuum sealed stainless-steel which means that there’s no condensation and your beer will stay cold up to 24 hours. It’s also got a big-ass handle so not only is there less chance of dropping it, you can take it just about anywhere like camping, tailgating or any of that outdoorsy, athletic shit I’m told Oregonians apparently do.

What got me into my car and off to Bend on a whim was what I initially forgot to order, the optional Keg-Cap, allowing you to keep the lid on your growler and thus maintaining carbonation. There’s a CO2 port and a keg tap with a hose coming from the top of this special cap that keeps the beer flowing and allows you to serve fresh beer for up to 5 days. Regular growlers keep a beer from going flat for about 2 days – day 3 is a crap shoot. 

Yes, there are other kickstarters offering something similar to this, yet Drink Tanks growler is something you can buy today, is a better product for outdoor enthusiasts (allowing you to go with or without the tap) and even offers custom engraving for breweries and for personal gifts.

So maybe we are a little spoiled up here in Oregon with products like this, but you know what? Growler fill locations are opening everywhere across the country and there’s no better way to sustainably enjoy locally made artisanal beers than with a growler. You may as well make it something that will last and allow your beer to stay fresh longer.