My first Crowlers
Crowlers have officially arrived in Austin and it’s all thanks to Cuvee Coffee owner Mike McKim and Oskar Blues Brewery. Crowlers are one-time use, recyclable 32-ounce cans that you can fill and seal on-site with your choice of craft beer to bring home with you.
Crowlers were thought up by Oskar Blues Brewery out in Colorado, and McKim stumbled upon the idea of bringing them to Austin while doing research for his nitro cans of Black & Blue cold brew coffee, by far Cuvee’s most famous beverage.
With an ever-expanding beer scene, Austin seems to be the perfect place for a growler alternative. Crowlers seem to be in for even more popularity once spring and summertime roll around because they provide a growler option you can take to the lake, on a camping trip or to any of the countless outdoor activities where glass is banned.
Libby works the crowling machine
Crowlers have the potential to fit in seamlessly as the recyclable, green and sanitary cousin to the growler, especially with the growing can movement in the craft beer industry as a whole. “We love the idea of people enjoying fresh craft beer on the go,” McKim told the Austinot. “It was just the perfect scenario for us and ATX.”
McKim saw his upcoming Austin Beerworks Sputnik (a seasonal Russian Imperial Coffee Oatmeal Stout) release party as a perfect opportunity to unveil his new Crowlers and crowling machine. “We’ve been huge fans of the craft beer scene as long as we’ve been roasting coffee, so when I saw the Crowlers at their brewery (Oskar Blues), it seemed like the perfect fit for our Sputnik release party,” McKim said. “We love Austin, we love big cans and we love Sputnik.”
Dressing the Crowler (Credit: Cuvee Coffee)
The release party and Crowler introduction had Cuvee’s flagship location at 2000 E 6th St packed on a weekday night. “Tonight was amazing. A worthy celebration for Sputnik and the Crowler. Thank you to all who came out,” the company’s Twitter feed read as the event concluded.
Packed house for the Sputnik/Crowler Release Party (Credit: Cuvee Coffee)
While Cuvee Coffee is the first Austin location to have a crowling machine, they aren’t the first in Texas. Two North Texas locations, Collective Brewing Project in Fort Worth and Lone Star Taps & Caps in Lewisville, were the first to bring crowlers to the state.
Oskar Blues Brewery is now selling crowling machines to venues all across the country as crowlers gain buzz and popularity within the industry. While they’re almost guaranteed to spread within the city, only time will tell who will be next in Austin to order their own crowling machine.
@mattchampionatx wants to know:
Do you see yourself taking advantage of the new Cuvee Crowler?
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