GrowlerWerks cuts waste on summer beaches with the uKeg

PORTLAND, Ore., July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The GrowlerWerks uKeg brings new meaning to the phrase "drink responsibly." The pressurized, vacuum-insulated growler, created to keep craft beer fresh, cold and carbonated wherever you want to be, is also allowing beer lovers an easy and responsible way to enjoy beverages on the beach, rivers, lakes or in campgrounds, without the bottles and cans usually associated with the activity.

Unfortunately, litter is a major issue on our coastlines. It has even inspired proposed alcohol and container bans on Oregon's public beaches. A misguided bill (House Bill 3441) didn't become law this legislative session. It was still in committee upon adjournment. But litter is a problem in our natural spaces; one that the uKeg can help fix. It eliminates the need to bring disposable bottles and cans to our beaches. Cheers to that.

The idea for the uKeg started one summer night around a beach bonfire. Shawn Huff, GrowlerWerks' founder and CEO, was serving some local beer to out-of-town friends from a glass growler. After a day of beach activity, Huff opened the growler, but he found the beer he brought had gone stale. "I took one sip and swallowed my pride. No one was ever going to be impressed by a flat IPA," said Huff. What was once some of Oregon's finest draft beer had turned into an unrecognizable grog.

Huff did what any good engineer would do in this situation; he went to the drawing board. After multiple rough drafts and help from Evan Rege and Brian Sonnichsen, fellow engineers and GrowlerWerks' co-founders, the uKeg was born. The pressurized growler uses recyclable CO2 cartridges and a self-regulating cap to keep beer fresh, and the uKeg comes in 64-ounce and one-gallon sizes.

"We saw a lot of fancy water bottles out there, but nothing that was designed to savor your beer the way the brewer intended it to be," said Rege. "We wanted to change that."

These three drinkers with an engineering problem created a vessel that keeps craft beer perfectly carbonated to the last sip -- and it's fighting waste on nature's playgrounds.

Summer's in full swing. Drink responsibly with a uKeg.

For more information, visit: www.GrowlerWerks.com, @GrowlerWerks, Facebook.com/GrowlerWerks.

SOURCE GrowlerWerks