@Kyeh Ironically when I drive across the country in Winter I always carry extra water in the cab of my truck using 32-64oz thermal jugs like this. If it gets real cold overnight (which it does sometimes) it keeps the water from freezing. I did once have a cheap single-wall non-thermal one that I found out had split open at a seam from the water freezing in it.
I did see someone say they fill theirs up with coffee, however, and it stays warm for a long time. Which: a) is good to know, and b) seems like an irresponsible amount of coffee to drink
actually that is about what a Mr Coffee carafe makes so this would be a good way to keep that pot of coffee tasting fresh without having to keep it on a burner
@chienfou@hchavers I have recently added a third person to the list of those who have been forced to self-medicate their ADD with caffeine because they cannot get access to anything effective via their doctor.
@mehvid1 It’s a medical industry policy issue. Until very recently, the official position of the medical industry was that adults don’t need ADHD medication, and that adults over 65 should never be allowed to have it anyway, because the risk is too great. The same medication is prescribed for other purposes. The whole thing is utter bullshit, and it has been acknowledged that sometimes adults really do need this crap. But getting through the entrenched layers of roadblocks and gatekeeping and hoops that you have to jump through causes most of us to just give up in despair and leave it untreated. Or we self-medicate with more caffeine than is good for us, which is even worse than the prescription med would be. And if you really want to hear me rant about it, I can get much more specific. I’d rather not.
@DrunkCat Ir is. I have two of them, but not the Coleman brand. They’re pretty much identical. The off-brand ones frequently sell for under 20 bucks at Wally world. I don’t know if they have them right now for that amount.
I bought a 64oz Stanley just to one-up everybody with their 40s, and it turns out it’s amazing. I’ll drink the whole thing in a day and I tend to feel great afterwards. It’s absurd, absolutely, but totally worth it.
@runkis I have a bunch of these vacuum insulated mugs and canisters, and I pay absolutely no attention to that hand wash bullshit. The worst that has happened is that the powder coat on a couple of them has become discolored. Otherwise, no problems at all. Just don’t put the freaking plastic lids down in the bottom rack, and don’t run your dishwasher on the heat dry cycle. Of course, if you run it on that cycle, you’re going to destroy lots of other shit as well.
@runkis@werehatrack Yeah a lot of the dishwasher warnings or ‘top rack only’ rules come from an outdated dishwasher design (probably from the 1960s) which puts a big oven burner element an inch below the bottom rack. Almost all mid-line and better dishwashers now no longer do this. Many circulate warmed air from an enclosed heating system behind or under the enclosed (often stainless steel) tub. I would not buy a cheap dishwasher these days. Also you don’t have to leave the house because the cheap ones are so loud. Trust me this is one appliance worth upgrading as soon as you can.
@pmarin@runkis@werehatrack Agreed. We were shopping for a new dishwasher at a big appliance store and were looking at a Bosch dishwasher (which Consumer Reports had given high marks). I asked the salesman how loud it was and he said “Um, it’s running right now.” I touched the washer to verify, let that sink in for a second and said “Sold!”.
Did not regret the purchase and bought a new model of the same brand when the first one wore out.
@macromeh@pmarin@runkis I originally had a low-price Whirlpool here, and its steel liner rotted through in one spot after about 12 years. It was rather noisy. I replaced it with a plastic-casing Whirlpool that I got for free from someone who was remodeling their house. It was OK, and there were things I liked about it, but the lower basket was rotting, and it was even more noisy. Then I got a chance to buy a used Kitchenaid for very little. (Yes, they’re also made by Whirlpool, but not as cheaply.) It’s MUCH quieter.
@macromeh@pmarin@runkis@werehatrack Just don’t but the very cheapest, even if for a rental, your MIL, etc. Paying just a little more will get you something much better. I’m not sure it’s true of other appliances, there the gain seems to be incremental, but with dishwashers that first step is huge.
@pmarin@runkis@werehatrack That’s not an archaic concept. Our dishwasher is only about 20 years old and most I see on a regular basis use a heated element under the bottom rack for their ‘heat dry’ function. However, I never use the heat dry option for the aforementioned melty reasons. (I have never seen adverse effects from just letting dishes air dry.)
I regularly use clones of this to carry extra ice along on long drives so that I can refill my 40 oz tumblers along the way. These will hold ice cubes for a day and a half. If you don’t have any water in there with them. Of course, they’ll be all stuck together…
@werehatrack some brands offer a wider lid that is better for getting ice cubes in/out. This is the narrower (I’m assuming sort of a standard) size top.
@pmarin The opening is big enough for typical ice cubes inserted end-first. If the opening was larger, the heat flow would be higher and the cold time would sag
I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of a “growler” (in the sense of a jug) before. So I looked it up to see how out of the loop I am. (if it’s new slang, I don’t care about not knowing it, but if showed up in a Jane Austen book or something, I better start throwing it around in conversations to show how cultured I am)
In any case, it’s alarmingly varied in meanings. Wiktionary has 8 entries, including such things as a horse-drawn carriage, an ice floe, a pork pie, a part of women’s anatomy, a fish, an electrical testing device….
@xobzoo I don’t know the “why” about the name, but as the micro-brewery trend started years ago, many small producers were allowed (depending on state laws) to sell beer “to go” in glass jugs, usually 64oz. You’d pay a small deposit on the jug, take your beer home and use over the next few days, then when you went back in you returned the empty jug and they gave you a new sterilized jug with whatever product you wanted. The old jug was cleaned and returned to duty. Or sometimes your old jug was just rinsed and given back to you with new contents. This would be used like that since it’s definitely your jug and not their standard jug/growler.
@craigthom@xobzoo A couple of local groceries briefly experimented with having a “growler bar” where people could get draft beer to go. They swiftly discovered that flat beer that cost too much was not a good market plan. All of the growler bars are now gone. And no local store calls this a “growler” in their shelf display.
@xobzoo Very standard for beer (we use the term in Canada too). There are also howlers (which are 32 US-ounce instead of 64) and crowlers (which are basically cans with lids which you can fill with on-tap beer, but generally you don’t reuse them and just toss them into your aluminum recycling).
@werehatrack@xobzoo There was a pause during the pandemic, but the breweries, a liquor store chain, and several restaurants here still fill growlers.
It’s cheaper than buying four pints at a bar or restaurant, which is the only other way to get most of the beers, and the few that are packaged are much better draft.
@pmarin@brennyn@craigthom@werehatrack@PhotoJim
Thanks everyone! (it turns out I just don’t hang with the right crowds to have been exposed to the term… although that doesn’t explain all the other weird definitions…)
Oh, what I really meant to come here and ask/clarify is that this is not a drink-straight-from-it jug. I mean, you probably could if you wanted to, but it’s not going to be as convenient as the Contigos for sale not long ago. (which my household already has several of, so of course I bought more…)
But it looks like it’s the “pour it into a cup” sort of thermos. I’m wondering if I would [accidentally] take that as a personal challenge to drink straight from the jug all the time. But a half-gallon of water (when it’s full) will be 4 pounds, plus the dry weight of the container. Maybe it counts as exercise, on top of hydration?
I’m not sure if I’m loving that handle and attached lid, but that’s probably one of the lesser details of this deal. I think I’ll sleep on it and see if Imy wife will talk me out of it tomorrow.
@xobzoo Yes. I normally use these for room temp water storage especially when traveling in a truck/RV. I used to use those 1gal plastic jugs you get when you buy purified or distilled water in grocery stores. I fill with reverse-osmosis filtered water from my house before hitting the road.
These have the benefit of
gallon jug cheap lid won’t pop off
Won’t get super hot
Won’t get frozen in freezing weather (for a few days anyway)
No plasticky taste
looks cool and rugged making you feel manly — ‘Baby blue’ color (do people still use that term?) notwithstanding.
@xobzoo I think this is really for taking a half gallon of draft beer home; hence the name.
Yesterday I bought one from Walmart that has a big loop mug handle, a flip up sip spot, and a straw. The straw hole has a spring valve that closes when you pull out the straw. I see that as a future point of failure, but it was $20.
It’s heavy, especially with four pounds of ice and water in it.
@craigthom Nobody down here in Texas seems to think that it’s a good idea to try carrying half a gallon of increasingly-flat beer home in a jug whose lid is tightly sealed and might blow out spewing that beer all over the inside of the cab on the next bump. Nossir. That’s just plain dumb. Besides, tallboys are cheaper, and a paper sack keeps the DPS away.
Oh great, I came up with another question, not related to my previous rambling.
Those claimed thermal times are a bit crazy. It makes me want to come up with a legitimate scenario where I’ll need to keep something cold for 3 days or hot for 2 days.
Maybe idea: taking milk camping when there’s no room in the cooler? Except…
Is it assumed that there are ice cubes in the cold things, and those have melted slowly over the 76 hours? If so, then I’d be interested to know what the “keep chilled things cold” duration is. (My first guess is that it’s closer to the 41 hours “hot stays hot” time.)
But now I need [at least] two of these, and a camping trip — or someone else to do it for me and report on how awesome it was —
one for chilled milk to go on cereal
one for some tomato basil soup
one for <insert favorite hot beverage here>
one more for water or another non-hot drink
But most of all I probably just need to go to bed.
The large size 64oz means greater volume “thermal mass” of the contents relative to the surface area where heat would be lost (or cold would be lost as heat moves in from the brutal outside world). So a larger container like this will keep things cold or hot longer than a smaller insulated bottle.
For cold things, pre-chill the container in a refrigerator. Then fill with cold milk or whatever you want. If possible set refrigerator to max cold as much you can without freezing. Then pour in the contents.
For hot things fill at least halfway with hot tap water or even water from a kettle and let it sit for a while, then put in hot soup.
See my earlier post for using these for storing room-temp filtered water for long road/camping trips. Any good-quality 32-64oz stainless insulated jug will be good for this.
You can look to brands like Yeti and they will work at least as well or better, and likely be better built (also heavier and much more expensive).
The cold times are valid only when the initial contents include a lot of ice, the container is not filled higher than 2 inches below the lid, and the container is stored standing up, not laying on its side I have not used one for hot contents for very long, but I would expect the same admonitions about fill level and position will apply. Most heat gain or loss is through the lid, so keeping the liquid inside away from the lid is important
For hot things fill at least halfway with hot tap water or even water from a kettle and let it sit for a while, then put in hot soup.
Removing the hot water before adding the soup, right?
For our other containers of this style (though not this size) we’ve never tried to keep things super cold for very long — we occasionally pack them with ice and then pour water in, but it seems like we always drain the water long before the ice melts. But that’s neither here nor there.
I’ve done the pre-heat-with-boiling-water trick for hot items before, but we rarely need it to stay hot for long enough to matter much, so we usually don’t bother.
@Zott All it does is make heat flowing into or out of the container proceed at a very low rate. But the flow increases considerably if the container is laying on its side with the liquid contents in contact with the cap. [edit] And it does nothing about heat flow within the contents; they will reach a local equilibrium pretty quickly.
@ergomeh@werehatrack@Zott My first thought at mention of “stasis field” was the one I remember in a Known Space story. I first thought it was brought by Phssthpok the Pak Protector (who arrived at Sol in 2125), but as I was doing some quick research for this I’m now thinking it was probably built by Jack Brennan (the first Human Protector). It’s been too many years since I read any of those books, so my memory of it is very fuzzy.
In any case, I’ve long dreamed of a stasis field refrigerator. No longer would you need to chill all your food and reheat it, now you can [maybe] store your ice cream and hot soup side by side! (except that I assume the field deactivates when the door is open, so a certain amount of care and planning is still needed.
But you say a stasis field is unlikely before 3749, so I guess that means we won’t be contacted by any Pak anymore. Or at least it won’t turn out quite the same as recorded by Niven.
I already have one of these for transporting/sharing beer while keeping it cold and pressurized. (However it did cost significantly more than today’s offering. )
@pmarin@rpstrong We have a few around, Father’s day gifts I think. They take a 8g CO2 cartridge in the lid and there’s a knob that pierces the cartridge after everything is sealed up.
Microkeg is exactly right! @werehatrack used the same name the manufacturer did. (They use the fancy mu, though, meaning X10^-6: μKeg) They’re great at a bbq for margaritas or Moscow mules, too, actually – the CO2 can be left on LOW and just push the liquid out, or it can be left on HIGH and actually add carbonation to a (cold enough) beverage.
All the tips up above about prechilling (overnight in fridge) for cold beverages or preheating (boiling water) for hot definitely match my experience with these guys.
The manufacturer also sells refills but you can get them cheaper from the Bezos plantation as “Seltzer Chargers.” [ B00NJ3SQYW etc ] They look the same as ones from the sporting goods stores, for use in CO2 pellet pistols, but I haven’t actually tried using the 8g airgun cartridges.
Check it out here, and @ me if they ever end up on Meh! We like ours but I doubt I’d buy one at full retail for myself…
@2palms@pmarin@rpstrong@werehatrack Whoa, they’ve almost doubled the price since I got mine from Amazon!
Although it looks retro-cool, the tap on my classic one gets sticky and it’s hard to clean since it doesn’t disassemble. There is a newer, simpler model that looks easier to clean (I bought the newer model for my son and he is happy with it).
@ergomeh@ZPB It’s well into genericized trademark territory now but most companies still avoid using it because using the name of a competing product would be silly.
@brennyn@ergomeh@ZPB Most smart manufacturers would still avoid using “thermos” because those of us who recall that product first-hand also remember how exasperatingly fecking fragile they were. Set one down a little too hard, or knock it over on a hard surface, and the glass liner shattered.
@richrauch Exact rates of change will depend on contents, storage position, ambient temp, insolation load, etc. The key is that the main point of thermal transmission is small relative to the volume.
@richrauch Think of it as a way to protect your beer better after you buy it than as a way to keep it cold. I have an aspiration to use mine to get cold beer to a campsite after a day of paddling, but it’s certainly going to be useful to get beer from a craft brewery to a hotel room (or to my home if I’m doing a day trip) and still have the beer be in good shape at the end.
@richrauch@werehatrack There’s a(t least one) differential equation for that. Get out that old college math book you kept just for sitations like these. Or a good thermo physics book.
@phendrick@richrauch@werehatrack I was briefly tempted to explain the differential equations used to model heat transfer and all that, but then decided “It depends” is the answer that was probably wanted.
As a summary, though, heat will transfer faster when the difference in temperature is greater. So there’s no set “X° per hour” lost or gained. And as werehatrack pointed out, a lot of little details matter but the main one is that most of the gain or loss will occur at/near the opening. So avoid having your contents touching that directly (such as letting it tip over). And…
(I started off with “as a summary” but didn’t properly stay in summary mode. Oops.)
I’ve been thinking of getting one of these, and haven’t had luck finding one, so to find them on meh and at such a good price … take my money.
Maybe I’m boring but I plan to use these for the intended purpose - beer! Sometimes I haul beer for hours when I travel because an interesting craft brewery is between where I’m coming from and where I’m going. Not a huge problem if it’s November in Canada or the northern US, but a problem if it’s warm out, or even if it’s really cold out.
Also, I’m thinking I might be able to chill one of these to near-freezing, stick it in my kayak, paddle all day, and actually have pleasantly cool beer to drink at the end of the day. Tell me that wouldn’t be great!
@PhotoJim Yup, pre-chilling something like this would definitely help. Similarly pre-heating with some hot water before adding hot beverage or soup will also greatly improve its effectiveness.
@PhotoJim The container’s mass is low and the material is stainless steel; chilling it will have little effect on the outcome. Don’t freeze it while it’s even partially filled; the expansion of the water can split the interior.
@PhotoJim@werehatrack OK I’ll grant that, but it’s not negligible. I’m thinking (especially in the case of hot contents which might be 190 degree tea or soup). I’m thinking of the initial drop in temp that would happen assuming room-temp metal. Why let it drop a few degrees when it can be avoided?
For chilled stuff it’s not as significant because if you are putting 40 degree cold beverage into a 70 degree metal container, yes there’s not as much to gain, but I’d still say it would help. Definitely freezing with contents in it is not a good idea. (As I mentioned I had a metal bottle split on me in freezing weather overnight, but it was a cheap single-wall container, but even something like this or even a Yeti would succumb to the Night King eventually)
@mediocrebot@phendrick It’s clearly just topped with another container, also having an imperfect seal. I’m not sure how one is intended to extract the beer, though.
@mediocrebot@phendrick@rpstrong@xobzoo If there really would be the suggested (suggestive) tap right below the picture, and the container was indeed full of beer, I’m pretty it would be a hit a college parties!
@Euniceandrich@pmarin Sometimes the number is higher than 3. This item is unlikely to get opportunistic sales to arbitrageurs and other leeches, so they can let you stock up.
I will note that although WallyWorld is selling similar unit for $15, it’s taller and a bit narrower than this one. There are trade-offs. This one will be a bit more inconvenient to clean with a bottle brush, but this one’s wider stance will make it easier to keep upright in a moving vehicle. Overall, even though I have two of the WW units, I’m really tempted to order one of these for that stability gain.
Anyone know how strong the seal is on the lid? I’m tempted to try and store milk in this thing. (Although I’m sure clean-up will be a hassle for non-water liquids.)
Might order. I have a very similar Hydraflow one from Big 5 that doesn’t insulate worth crap. I think these things have a failure mode where air gets into the vacuum layer and that kills the thermal barrier. Other than that I like the idea.
Specs
Product: Coleman Stainless Steel Vacuum-Insulated 64oz Growler
Model: 2191991
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$43.85 at Walmart
More reviews at Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, Jul 18 - Monday, Jul 22
/showme a dog named Coleman that is a growler
Seasonally appropriate merchandise again?!?
(If it arrives soon enough, that is.)
@Kyeh Ironically when I drive across the country in Winter I always carry extra water in the cab of my truck using 32-64oz thermal jugs like this. If it gets real cold overnight (which it does sometimes) it keeps the water from freezing. I did once have a cheap single-wall non-thermal one that I found out had split open at a seam from the water freezing in it.
@pmarin Oh! I wouldn’t have thought of that.
actually that is about what a Mr Coffee carafe makes so this would be a good way to keep that pot of coffee tasting fresh without having to keep it on a burner
@chienfou Caffeine, the legal pick-me-up drug. And I need a lot these days.
@chienfou @hchavers I have recently added a third person to the list of those who have been forced to self-medicate their ADD with caffeine because they cannot get access to anything effective via their doctor.
@werehatrack Don’t mean to pry, but is this a pharmaceutical supply issue (or an insurance/financial issue)?
@chienfou now if I were to fill it with coffee concentrate….
@mehvid1 It’s a medical industry policy issue. Until very recently, the official position of the medical industry was that adults don’t need ADHD medication, and that adults over 65 should never be allowed to have it anyway, because the risk is too great. The same medication is prescribed for other purposes. The whole thing is utter bullshit, and it has been acknowledged that sometimes adults really do need this crap. But getting through the entrenched layers of roadblocks and gatekeeping and hoops that you have to jump through causes most of us to just give up in despair and leave it untreated. Or we self-medicate with more caffeine than is good for us, which is even worse than the prescription med would be. And if you really want to hear me rant about it, I can get much more specific. I’d rather not.
this is the perfect tool to carry frozen margaritas around in during the summer street festival season.
or kids sports games.
just sayin’
@alacrity Yeah they missed a perfect write up margarita moment with this product.
That doesn’t look like 64oz.
@DrunkCat Ir is. I have two of them, but not the Coleman brand. They’re pretty much identical. The off-brand ones frequently sell for under 20 bucks at Wally world. I don’t know if they have them right now for that amount.
64 oz. is half a gallon. Looks like half a gallon.
@zerocircle Problem is they forgot the Banana for Scale
@pmarin @zerocircle Here you go. (Not a Coleman, but pretty much identical.)
@pmarin @werehatrack @zerocircle Hello, fellow Fingertech official banana for scale owner!
/giphy temperate wooden animal
@somf69 so cute…
Wait, what’s with the finger thing?
@pmarin @somf69
That must be Robin Day’s hedgehog Frank.
I bought a 64oz Stanley just to one-up everybody with their 40s, and it turns out it’s amazing. I’ll drink the whole thing in a day and I tend to feel great afterwards. It’s absurd, absolutely, but totally worth it.
I’m tired of this hand wash only nonsense!
@runkis I have a bunch of these vacuum insulated mugs and canisters, and I pay absolutely no attention to that hand wash bullshit. The worst that has happened is that the powder coat on a couple of them has become discolored. Otherwise, no problems at all. Just don’t put the freaking plastic lids down in the bottom rack, and don’t run your dishwasher on the heat dry cycle. Of course, if you run it on that cycle, you’re going to destroy lots of other shit as well.
@runkis @werehatrack Yeah a lot of the dishwasher warnings or ‘top rack only’ rules come from an outdated dishwasher design (probably from the 1960s) which puts a big oven burner element an inch below the bottom rack. Almost all mid-line and better dishwashers now no longer do this. Many circulate warmed air from an enclosed heating system behind or under the enclosed (often stainless steel) tub. I would not buy a cheap dishwasher these days. Also you don’t have to leave the house because the cheap ones are so loud. Trust me this is one appliance worth upgrading as soon as you can.
@runkis these things take a minute to wash with a bottle brush.
@pmarin @runkis @werehatrack Agreed. We were shopping for a new dishwasher at a big appliance store and were looking at a Bosch dishwasher (which Consumer Reports had given high marks). I asked the salesman how loud it was and he said “Um, it’s running right now.” I touched the washer to verify, let that sink in for a second and said “Sold!”.
Did not regret the purchase and bought a new model of the same brand when the first one wore out.
@macromeh @pmarin @runkis I originally had a low-price Whirlpool here, and its steel liner rotted through in one spot after about 12 years. It was rather noisy. I replaced it with a plastic-casing Whirlpool that I got for free from someone who was remodeling their house. It was OK, and there were things I liked about it, but the lower basket was rotting, and it was even more noisy. Then I got a chance to buy a used Kitchenaid for very little. (Yes, they’re also made by Whirlpool, but not as cheaply.) It’s MUCH quieter.
@macromeh @pmarin @runkis @werehatrack Just don’t but the very cheapest, even if for a rental, your MIL, etc. Paying just a little more will get you something much better. I’m not sure it’s true of other appliances, there the gain seems to be incremental, but with dishwashers that first step is huge.
@pmarin @runkis @werehatrack That’s not an archaic concept. Our dishwasher is only about 20 years old and most I see on a regular basis use a heated element under the bottom rack for their ‘heat dry’ function. However, I never use the heat dry option for the aforementioned melty reasons. (I have never seen adverse effects from just letting dishes air dry.)
Trying to decide if I have reason for a second one. Meanwhile…
/giphy bragging-surprised-judge
I regularly use clones of this to carry extra ice along on long drives so that I can refill my 40 oz tumblers along the way. These will hold ice cubes for a day and a half. If you don’t have any water in there with them. Of course, they’ll be all stuck together…
@werehatrack some brands offer a wider lid that is better for getting ice cubes in/out. This is the narrower (I’m assuming sort of a standard) size top.
@pmarin The opening is big enough for typical ice cubes inserted end-first. If the opening was larger, the heat flow would be higher and the cold time would sag
Does that reverse in Texas in the summer?
@phendrick Not even close, but the cold time will sag in full sun or inside a hot vehicle
@phendrick It only reverses if you go below the equator.
@alnielsen @phendrick But at least you don’t have to twist the cap the other way.
@phendrick Probably, but one time I filled one of these with beer in Saskatchewan in November and the beer was still cold in April!
@phendrick @PhotoJim In Saskatch in the winter, everything stays cold by itself unless you manually do something to heat it up.
I really don’t need this. Nope.
/buy
@Pony It worked! Your order number is: succinct-gory-minister
/showme succinct gory minister
Living in Washington State I appreciate the Mariners Blue reference. Also the clicky face ice cube is cool.
/giphy milky-probable-toothpaste
I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of a “growler” (in the sense of a jug) before. So I looked it up to see how out of the loop I am. (if it’s new slang, I don’t care about not knowing it, but if showed up in a Jane Austen book or something, I better start throwing it around in conversations to show how cultured I am)
In any case, it’s alarmingly varied in meanings. Wiktionary has 8 entries, including such things as a horse-drawn carriage, an ice floe, a pork pie, a part of women’s anatomy, a fish, an electrical testing device….
@xobzoo I don’t know the “why” about the name, but as the micro-brewery trend started years ago, many small producers were allowed (depending on state laws) to sell beer “to go” in glass jugs, usually 64oz. You’d pay a small deposit on the jug, take your beer home and use over the next few days, then when you went back in you returned the empty jug and they gave you a new sterilized jug with whatever product you wanted. The old jug was cleaned and returned to duty. Or sometimes your old jug was just rinsed and given back to you with new contents. This would be used like that since it’s definitely your jug and not their standard jug/growler.
@xobzoo I hear them called growlers all the time but that’s probably because I’m around breweries too often.
Probably apocryphal, but I’ve heard the term comes from the sound made by one that’s filled with beer and capped with an imperfect seal.
@xobzoo It’s been the standard term for a 64 oz glass bottle to take home draft beer for at least a couple of decades.
@craigthom @xobzoo A couple of local groceries briefly experimented with having a “growler bar” where people could get draft beer to go. They swiftly discovered that flat beer that cost too much was not a good market plan. All of the growler bars are now gone. And no local store calls this a “growler” in their shelf display.
@xobzoo Very standard for beer (we use the term in Canada too). There are also howlers (which are 32 US-ounce instead of 64) and crowlers (which are basically cans with lids which you can fill with on-tap beer, but generally you don’t reuse them and just toss them into your aluminum recycling).
/showme a person filled with beer and topped with an imperfect seal
@werehatrack @xobzoo There was a pause during the pandemic, but the breweries, a liquor store chain, and several restaurants here still fill growlers.
It’s cheaper than buying four pints at a bar or restaurant, which is the only other way to get most of the beers, and the few that are packaged are much better draft.
@pmarin @brennyn @craigthom @werehatrack @PhotoJim
Thanks everyone! (it turns out I just don’t hang with the right crowds to have been exposed to the term… although that doesn’t explain all the other weird definitions…)
/giphy the more you know
Whatever. The edit window is closed now.
Oh, what I really meant to come here and ask/clarify is that this is not a drink-straight-from-it jug. I mean, you probably could if you wanted to, but it’s not going to be as convenient as the Contigos for sale not long ago. (which my household already has several of, so of course I bought more…)
But it looks like it’s the “pour it into a cup” sort of thermos. I’m wondering if I would [accidentally] take that as a personal challenge to drink straight from the jug all the time. But a half-gallon of water (when it’s full) will be 4 pounds, plus the dry weight of the container. Maybe it counts as exercise, on top of hydration?
I’m not sure if I’m loving that handle and attached lid, but that’s probably one of the lesser details of this deal. I think I’ll sleep on it and see if
Imy wife will talk me out of it tomorrow.@xobzoo Yes. I normally use these for room temp water storage especially when traveling in a truck/RV. I used to use those 1gal plastic jugs you get when you buy purified or distilled water in grocery stores. I fill with reverse-osmosis filtered water from my house before hitting the road.
These have the benefit of
@xobzoo I think this is really for taking a half gallon of draft beer home; hence the name.
Yesterday I bought one from Walmart that has a big loop mug handle, a flip up sip spot, and a straw. The straw hole has a spring valve that closes when you pull out the straw. I see that as a future point of failure, but it was $20.
It’s heavy, especially with four pounds of ice and water in it.
@craigthom Nobody down here in Texas seems to think that it’s a good idea to try carrying half a gallon of increasingly-flat beer home in a jug whose lid is tightly sealed and might blow out spewing that beer all over the inside of the cab on the next bump. Nossir. That’s just plain dumb. Besides, tallboys are cheaper, and a paper sack keeps the DPS away.
@pmarin @xobzoo …and [hopefully] little to no microplastic consumption…
Oh great, I came up with another question, not related to my previous rambling.
Those claimed thermal times are a bit crazy. It makes me want to come up with a legitimate scenario where I’ll need to keep something cold for 3 days or hot for 2 days.
Maybe idea: taking milk camping when there’s no room in the cooler? Except…
Is it assumed that there are ice cubes in the cold things, and those have melted slowly over the 76 hours? If so, then I’d be interested to know what the “keep chilled things cold” duration is. (My first guess is that it’s closer to the 41 hours “hot stays hot” time.)
But now I need [at least] two of these, and a
campingtrip — or someone else to do it for me and report on how awesome it was —<insert favorite hot beverage here>But most of all I probably just need to go to bed.
POPSOCKETS! COURT DOCKETS! FOLK ROCK HITS! AWESOME!
@xobzoo
For anyone up at this hour (either up very late or very early depending on time zone) I would say rambling is not only allowed but expected.
@xobzoo My further thoughts on the ramblings:
@pmarin @xobzoo From long experience using them…
The cold times are valid only when the initial contents include a lot of ice, the container is not filled higher than 2 inches below the lid, and the container is stored standing up, not laying on its side I have not used one for hot contents for very long, but I would expect the same admonitions about fill level and position will apply. Most heat gain or loss is through the lid, so keeping the liquid inside away from the lid is important
@pmarin
Removing the hot water before adding the soup, right?
For our other containers of this style (though not this size) we’ve never tried to keep things super cold for very long — we occasionally pack them with ice and then pour water in, but it seems like we always drain the water long before the ice melts. But that’s neither here nor there.
I’ve done the pre-heat-with-boiling-water trick for hot items before, but we rarely need it to stay hot for long enough to matter much, so we usually don’t bother.
Wait, so it keeps hot things hot and cold things cold…how does it know?
@Zott The phone app has a list of common foods and beverages.
@Zott All it does is make heat flowing into or out of the container proceed at a very low rate. But the flow increases considerably if the container is laying on its side with the liquid contents in contact with the cap. [edit] And it does nothing about heat flow within the contents; they will reach a local equilibrium pretty quickly.
@werehatrack @Zott wait, so if I want to take soup and ice cream for lunch I need two? So it doesn’t really keep hot things hot and cold things cold…
@ergomeh @werehatrack that would confuse it for sure
@ergomeh @Zott Thermal stasis fields are unlikely to be implemented in this system before 3749 on this timeline.
@ergomeh @werehatrack @Zott My first thought at mention of “stasis field” was the one I remember in a Known Space story. I first thought it was brought by Phssthpok the Pak Protector (who arrived at Sol in 2125), but as I was doing some quick research for this I’m now thinking it was probably built by Jack Brennan (the first Human Protector). It’s been too many years since I read any of those books, so my memory of it is very fuzzy.
In any case, I’ve long dreamed of a stasis field refrigerator. No longer would you need to chill all your food and reheat it, now you can [maybe] store your ice cream and hot soup side by side! (except that I assume the field deactivates when the door is open, so a certain amount of care and planning is still needed.
But you say a stasis field is unlikely before 3749, so I guess that means we won’t be contacted by any Pak anymore. Or at least it won’t turn out quite the same as recorded by Niven.
@ergomeh @werehatrack @xobzoo @Zott
Love me some Larry Niven and Known Space stories.
I’m a sucker for Mariners blue. The team, not so much, but they’ve got spirit, dammit.
/showme nauseating-enchanted-shrimp
The /showme command is a member feature. Join membership to try it out.
@mediocrebot damn I gotta do that again too!
@whiskeyish Blue Jays fan here. I’m not sure my team has any spirit. The bullpen certainly doesn’t.
@mediocrebot @whiskeyish Oh, what the hell:
/showme nauseating-enchanted-shrimp
I already have one of these for transporting/sharing beer while keeping it cold and pressurized. (However it did cost significantly more than today’s offering.
)
@macromeh That is a proper microkeg.
@macromeh @werehatrack I definitely want one of those! Seriously, where can I order one? (I’m assuming not here…)
EDIT how does it get pressurized?
@macromeh @pmarin It gets pressurized by the beer. That’s why you want it to be pretty doggone full.
@macromeh @pmarin @werehatrack Twist the knob on top of the lid and out pops a shaft going go a pneumatic pump - kinda like we used to have.
OK, I’m guessing - but I bet I’m close.
@pmarin @rpstrong We have a few around, Father’s day gifts I think. They take a 8g CO2 cartridge in the lid and there’s a knob that pierces the cartridge after everything is sealed up.
Microkeg is exactly right! @werehatrack used the same name the manufacturer did. (They use the fancy mu, though, meaning X10^-6: μKeg) They’re great at a bbq for margaritas or Moscow mules, too, actually – the CO2 can be left on LOW and just push the liquid out, or it can be left on HIGH and actually add carbonation to a (cold enough) beverage.
All the tips up above about prechilling (overnight in fridge) for cold beverages or preheating (boiling water) for hot definitely match my experience with these guys.
The manufacturer also sells refills but you can get them cheaper from the Bezos plantation as “Seltzer Chargers.” [ B00NJ3SQYW etc ] They look the same as ones from the sporting goods stores, for use in CO2 pellet pistols, but I haven’t actually tried using the 8g airgun cartridges.
Check it out here, and @ me if they ever end up on Meh! We like ours but I doubt I’d buy one at full retail for myself…
https://perfectwerks.com/collections/shop
@2palms @pmarin @rpstrong @werehatrack Whoa, they’ve almost doubled the price since I got mine from Amazon!
Although it looks retro-cool, the tap on my classic one gets sticky and it’s hard to clean since it doesn’t disassemble. There is a newer, simpler model that looks easier to clean (I bought the newer model for my son and he is happy with it).
/buy
@uvassassin It worked! Your order number is: vital-noted-drug
/showme vital noted drug
I just want to say that I got bait-and-switched by the portable shower photo. I was really more interested in potentially durable camp shower options.
Why do they call it a “growler” and not a “thermos”?
@ZPB isn’t Thermos a brand name? (Maybe someone less lazy than me can check)
@ergomeh @ZPB It’s well into genericized trademark territory now but most companies still avoid using it because using the name of a competing product would be silly.
@brennyn @ergomeh @ZPB Most smart manufacturers would still avoid using “thermos” because those of us who recall that product first-hand also remember how exasperatingly fecking fragile they were. Set one down a little too hard, or knock it over on a hard surface, and the glass liner shattered.
@werehatrack Heh, I broke one by shaking it to see how full it was.
@ZPB Growlers are containers to store beer poured from taps. That’s the purpose of this jug, although it can be used for other things.
When they say it “stays cold” or “stays hot” (I’m guessing they mean) it loses how many degrees over that amount of time?
But since I’m not too interested in adding this to my growler collection today, I’m just curious, that’s all.
@richrauch Exact rates of change will depend on contents, storage position, ambient temp, insolation load, etc. The key is that the main point of thermal transmission is small relative to the volume.
@richrauch Think of it as a way to protect your beer better after you buy it than as a way to keep it cold. I have an aspiration to use mine to get cold beer to a campsite after a day of paddling, but it’s certainly going to be useful to get beer from a craft brewery to a hotel room (or to my home if I’m doing a day trip) and still have the beer be in good shape at the end.
@PhotoJim @richrauch unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a solution for it becoming empty after repeatedly pouring from it.
@richrauch @werehatrack There’s a(t least one) differential equation for that. Get out that old college math book you kept just for sitations like these. Or a good thermo physics book.
@phendrick @richrauch @werehatrack I was briefly tempted to explain the differential equations used to model heat transfer and all that, but then decided “It depends” is the answer that was probably wanted.
As a summary, though, heat will transfer faster when the difference in temperature is greater. So there’s no set “X° per hour” lost or gained. And as
werehatrackpointed out, a lot of little details matter but the main one is that most of the gain or loss will occur at/near the opening. So avoid having your contents touching that directly (such as letting it tip over).And…(I started off with “as a summary” but didn’t properly stay in summary mode. Oops.)
@PhotoJim But will it seal well enough to keep your beer’s carbonation intact?
I’ve been thinking of getting one of these, and haven’t had luck finding one, so to find them on meh and at such a good price … take my money.
Maybe I’m boring but I plan to use these for the intended purpose - beer! Sometimes I haul beer for hours when I travel because an interesting craft brewery is between where I’m coming from and where I’m going. Not a huge problem if it’s November in Canada or the northern US, but a problem if it’s warm out, or even if it’s really cold out.
Also, I’m thinking I might be able to chill one of these to near-freezing, stick it in my kayak, paddle all day, and actually have pleasantly cool beer to drink at the end of the day. Tell me that wouldn’t be great!
@PhotoJim Yup, pre-chilling something like this would definitely help. Similarly pre-heating with some hot water before adding hot beverage or soup will also greatly improve its effectiveness.
@PhotoJim The container’s mass is low and the material is stainless steel; chilling it will have little effect on the outcome. Don’t freeze it while it’s even partially filled; the expansion of the water can split the interior.
@PhotoJim @werehatrack OK I’ll grant that, but it’s not negligible. I’m thinking (especially in the case of hot contents which might be 190 degree tea or soup). I’m thinking of the initial drop in temp that would happen assuming room-temp metal. Why let it drop a few degrees when it can be avoided?
For chilled stuff it’s not as significant because if you are putting 40 degree cold beverage into a 70 degree metal container, yes there’s not as much to gain, but I’d still say it would help. Definitely freezing with contents in it is not a good idea. (As I mentioned I had a metal bottle split on me in freezing weather overnight, but it was a cheap single-wall container, but even something like this or even a Yeti would succumb to the Night King eventually)
/showme a person filled with beer and topped with an imperfect seal
@mediocrebot doesn’t look like a seal
@mediocrebot @phendrick It’s clearly just topped with another container, also having an imperfect seal. I’m not sure how one is intended to extract the beer, though.
@mediocrebot @phendrick @xobzoo There’s a tap that was cropped out of the picture.
@mediocrebot @phendrick @rpstrong @xobzoo If there really would be the suggested (suggestive) tap right below the picture, and the container was indeed full of beer, I’m pretty it would be a hit a college parties!
EDIT “kids these days…”
/showme a seal at the bar
@mediocrebot so you do know seals
/showme a navel seal with a fish
@mediocrebot
/showme music artist Seal performing kiss from a rose
Something went terribly wrong. Please try again.
/showme the music artist KISS performing “seal from a rose”
@phendrick
No tricky hands/fingers to render.
/giphy bigger-sexy-beetle
/giphy knowing-lone-rice
“quasi-teal”? Is that the new name for baby blue?
at this moment 676 sold. Is that a record, at least in recent times?
Psst… don’t tell them or they will raise the price next time.
@pmarin Either a typo or a big oopsie occurred. It tells me 177 sold right now.
I haven’t started my data collection project yet, so I don’t know if that’s extremely high (for recent history) or just a little high.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And now it shows 762 sold.
I think I’m most impressed that someone bought 4, but more people seem to have purchased 6.
@Euniceandrich I didn’t think you could buy more than 3 of anything. And total is at 805 now and still available to order!
@Euniceandrich @pmarin Sometimes the number is higher than 3. This item is unlikely to get opportunistic sales to arbitrageurs and other leeches, so they can let you stock up.
Also…
https://www.walmart.com/ip/TAL-Stainless-Steel-Ranger-Water-Bottle-64oz-Blue/5217250933?variantFieldId=actual_color
PIJO I’ll guess 850 total to be sold, but only because it’s summer and I’m thirsty.
I will note that although WallyWorld is selling similar unit for $15, it’s taller and a bit narrower than this one. There are trade-offs. This one will be a bit more inconvenient to clean with a bottle brush, but this one’s wider stance will make it easier to keep upright in a moving vehicle. Overall, even though I have two of the WW units, I’m really tempted to order one of these for that stability gain.
Oh, hell.
/buy
@werehatrack It worked! Your order number is: lopsided-mindless-street
/showme lopsided mindless street
I really need to stop talking myself into these things.
@mediocrebot Gosh, that architecture looks familiar.
@mediocrebot @werehatrack “That architecture looks familiar” You’ve also had retina surgery?
@mediocrebot @phendrick No, we just have very interesting lapses in the building codes around here at times.
Anyone know how strong the seal is on the lid? I’m tempted to try and store milk in this thing. (Although I’m sure clean-up will be a hassle for non-water liquids.)
Might order. I have a very similar Hydraflow one from Big 5 that doesn’t insulate worth crap. I think these things have a failure mode where air gets into the vacuum layer and that kills the thermal barrier. Other than that I like the idea.
@phr Many of them use a soft-metal seal in the concealed part of the bottom end, and that seal can fail a bit too easily.