Beer To Go: Schnebly Introduces “The Growler”

This past weekend, Schnebly Winery and Brewery introduced “The Growler,” a 32oz. fat-boy that packs a bare-knuckle punch with your choice of four hand-crafted tropical fruit infused beers. What’s that you say? Why put a wimpy fruit beer inside such an intimidating bottle? The beers are anything but weak and the taste of the Gator Tail Ale, Shark Attack, Redland IPA and Big Road Key West Ale matches in size of taste accordingly with the monster bottle ($17.) 

Schnebly, a Production Brewery, which makes and now bottles its beer on-site, claims it is the only true brewery in Miami. “What about all the new breweries I’ve been hearing about lately?” I ask Sean, one of the main “beer-tenders.” He explains that the ever-popular Titanic in Coral Gables, is a brew-pub, not a Production Brewery, because they serve food (hence their full name: Titanic Restaurant and Brewery.) “Usually brew-pubs put more of an emphasis of matching food with beer, but here, we’re able to concentrate on the the flavor of the beer,” says Sean. 

(Gravity Brewbar and Wynwood Brewing Company have yet to officially open their own space while CerveTech is more of a brew lab.)
The secret to how the beer stays fresh once it leaves the tap from the keg to “The Growler,” is by first purging the previous beer from the Pressure Growler Filler and then filling “The Growler” with the beer of your choice under CO2 pressure; “The Growler” has a “beugel” or swing-top stopper to preserve freshness.