Crowler and growler are both correct words, but they do not name the same beer container.
A crowler is generally a large metal can filled with draft beer and sealed by machine. A growler is a jug or bottle used to carry draft beer and is commonly designed to be cleaned and refilled.
The two serve a similar purpose: taking draft beer away from a brewery, taproom, or other filling location. However, their material, closure, reuse, and typical handling differ.
Quick Answer
Use crowler when you mean a large metal can that is filled with draft beer and then sealed.
Use growler when you mean a jug or large bottle, often glass or stainless steel, that can usually be cleaned and refilled.
A common crowler holds about 32 fluid ounces. A traditional growler often holds 64 ounces, but size alone does not define the difference because growlers are available in more than one capacity.
The easiest distinction is:
- Crowler: metal can, machine-sealed, generally one-use
- Growler: jug or bottle, capped, generally reusable
Why People Confuse Them
The words look and sound similar because they refer to closely related ways of carrying draft beer.
Both may appear on the same brewery menu:
“32 oz. crowler fills available.”
“64 oz. growler fills available.”
Their purpose overlaps, so someone new to craft-beer terminology may assume crowler is a misspelling of growler. It is not.
Another source of confusion is size. Crowlers are strongly associated with 32-ounce cans, while the familiar growler is often 64 ounces. Still, calling them different only because of capacity misses the main distinction.
The physical package matters more: a crowler is a sealed can, while a growler is a jug or bottle.
Key Differences At A Glance
- Crowler: Usually an aluminum can filled and mechanically sealed at the place selling the beer.
- Growler: Usually a reusable jug or bottle that closes with a screw cap, swing top, or another suitable closure.
- Reuse: Growlers are commonly cleaned and refilled. Standard crowlers are generally treated as one-use packages.
- Size: Crowlers commonly hold about 32 ounces. Growlers often hold 64 ounces, although other growler sizes exist.
- Portability: Crowlers are lightweight and avoid the breakage concerns associated with glass.
- After opening: A typical crowler cannot simply be closed like an ordinary capped growler.
These differences make the words related, but not interchangeable.
Meaning and Usage Difference
Crowler is a noun for a large metal container used for take-home draft beer. The beer is placed in the can and the lid is mechanically sealed.
In everyday brewery use:
“We took home a crowler of the seasonal IPA.”
Growler is a noun for a jug or large bottle used to transport draft beer. Growlers may be made from glass, stainless steel, ceramic, or other suitable materials.
For example:
“I brought my clean growler back to the brewery for another fill.”
The words also have slightly different pronunciations.
Crowler sounds like KROW-ler, beginning with the sound in crowd.
Growler sounds like GROW-ler, beginning with growl.
That first sound matters because the words refer to different packages.
Tone, Context, and Formality
Both words are standard specialty vocabulary in the US beer world.
You are most likely to see them on:
- brewery menus
- taproom signs
- draft-beer takeout lists
- beer shop descriptions
- conversations among craft-beer drinkers
Neither word is especially formal. They are practical product terms.
However, growler is the older and broader beer-container term. Crowler refers more specifically to the large-can format.
Capitalization can vary in commercial material. Industry sources sometimes use Crowler® when referring to branded systems, while lowercase crowler also appears as an established dictionary word for the container type.
Which One Should You Use?
Choose the word that matches the actual container rather than simply the amount of beer.
| Context | Best Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A brewery fills a large metal can and mechanically seals it | Crowler | The container is a sealed can |
| You bring back a reusable jug for another fill | Growler | Growlers are commonly cleaned and refilled |
| You want the familiar large handled glass beer jug | Growler | That container is the classic growler format |
| You need a lightweight package with no glass | Crowler | The common crowler format uses metal |
| You want a container you can wash and reuse | Growler | Reusability is a key practical advantage |
| A taproom advertises a 32-ounce sealed can filled from the tap | Crowler | This matches typical crowler use |
| You are describing a 64-ounce draft-beer jug | Growler | Sixty-four ounces is a common growler capacity |
Do not choose only by size. A 32-ounce container is not automatically a crowler. Its form and closure matter.
When One Choice Sounds Wrong
Use growler incorrectly for a sealed metal can, and the listener may picture a reusable bottle instead.
Wrong for the intended container:
“The bartender put the lid on the aluminum growler and ran it through the can seamer.”
Better:
“The bartender filled the crowler and sealed it.”
The reverse can also create confusion.
Wrong for the intended container:
“I washed my glass crowler and brought it back for another fill.”
Better:
“I washed my glass growler and brought it back for another fill.”
A traditional glass beer jug is a growler, not a crowler.
Likewise, avoid assuming every growler holds exactly 64 ounces. That capacity is common, but the word refers to the container type rather than one mandatory size.
Common Mistakes (and Quick Fixes)
Mistake: Treating crowler as a misspelling of growler
Quick fix: Both are real words. Check whether the container is a sealed metal can or a reusable jug or bottle.
Mistake: Saying the only difference is 32 ounces versus 64 ounces
Quick fix: Use material, closure, and reuse as the main distinction. Capacity is only a common pattern.
Mistake: Calling every large beer can a crowler
Quick fix: In the usual brewery sense, a crowler is associated with draft beer placed into a large can and sealed for takeout.
Mistake: Assuming a crowler can be refilled like a growler
Quick fix: A standard crowler is generally a one-use package. A growler is commonly designed to be cleaned and refilled.
Mistake: Assuming every sealed crowler stays fresh for weeks
Quick fix: Do not rely on a universal shelf-life claim. Beer quality depends on how the container was filled, how much oxygen was introduced, the seal, temperature, and storage. Follow the brewery’s instructions and keep take-home draft beer cold.
Everyday Examples
Here are natural ways the two words appear in American English:
“The brewery was out of bottles, so I ordered a crowler of the pale ale.”
“Can you fill this growler with the house lager?”
“We grabbed two crowlers before heading home.”
“Make sure the growler is clean before you bring it in for a refill.”
“The bartender filled the can and sealed the crowler while we waited.”
“My stainless steel growler is easier to reuse than my old glass one.”
“We shared a crowler with dinner.”
“She keeps an empty growler in the car for visits to the local brewery.”
“The taproom offers both crowler and growler fills.”
“I chose a crowler because I did not want to carry a glass jug.”
Each sentence uses the term according to the container being described.
Dictionary-Style Word Details
Verb
Crowler: Not commonly used as a standard verb in US English. Use expressions such as fill a crowler, seal a crowler, or package the beer in a crowler.
Example: “They filled a crowler of the new stout.”
Growler: In the beer-container sense, growler is normally a noun rather than a standard verb. Use fill a growler, refill a growler, or bring a growler.
Example: “We had our growler refilled before the party.”
Noun
Crowler: A large metal beer container, commonly around 32 fluid ounces, that can be filled with draft beer and mechanically sealed.
Example: “He ordered a crowler to take home.”
Growler: A jug or large bottle used to transport draft beer, commonly from a brewery or taproom. Many growlers are reusable.
Example: “She brought an empty growler for a refill.”
Both are count nouns:
- one crowler, two crowlers
- one growler, two growlers
Synonyms
Neither word has a perfect one-word synonym that preserves every detail.
Crowler — closest plain alternatives:
- large sealed beer can
- take-home draft beer can
These phrases explain the object but are not exact replacements in every context.
Growler — closest plain alternatives:
- beer jug
- draft-beer jug
- refillable beer container
Again, these are descriptive alternatives rather than perfect synonyms.
There is no useful direct antonym for either word. They are names for container types, not concepts with natural opposites.
Example Sentences
Crowler:
“The taproom sealed a crowler of hazy IPA for us.”
“We bought a crowler to share at home.”
“The crowler fit easily in the refrigerator.”
“Once we opened the crowler, we planned to finish it that evening.”
Growler:
“I rinsed and cleaned my growler before taking it back.”
“They filled the growler with fresh lager.”
“Her stainless steel growler holds enough beer to share.”
“Check whether the brewery accepts outside growlers before bringing yours.”
Word History
Crowler: The modern beer term combines the ideas of a can and a growler. The format became closely associated with the craft-beer industry in the 2010s, including development work involving Oskar Blues Brewery and Ball. The word describes a can-based alternative to the traditional take-home growler.
Growler: The beer-container sense is much older. Historical evidence places growler in 19th-century American beer culture, when people carried beer away from taverns in containers such as covered pails, cans, or pitchers.
Several stories attempt to explain why the container became known as a growler. One popular story connects the name with a growling or rumbling sound, but the exact origin has not been firmly established. It is safer to treat the detailed etymology as uncertain rather than repeat one colorful explanation as fact.
Phrases Containing
Common combinations with crowler:
- crowler fill
- crowler can
- 32-ounce crowler
- sealed crowler
- crowler machine
Example: “Crowler fills are available until closing.”
Common combinations with growler:
- growler fill
- growler refill
- glass growler
- stainless steel growler
- growler station
Example: “The shop has a growler refill station.”
These are common descriptive combinations rather than fixed idioms.
Conclusion
Both crowler and growler are correct, but the right choice depends on the container.
A crowler is generally a large metal can filled with draft beer and mechanically sealed. A growler is a jug or bottle that is commonly reusable and refillable.
Remember the practical distinction: sealed can = crowler; reusable jug or bottle = growler.
Typical capacity can help you recognize them—a crowler is often 32 ounces and a traditional growler is often 64 ounces—but size is not the definition. Look at the package, how it closes, and whether it is meant to be reused.
