PBS, NPR and local perspective for western Mass.

New Growler Rules For Mass. Breweries

Employees at Tree House Brewing in Monson, Mass., fill beer growlers.
Jesse Costa

Craft beer enthusiasts in Massachusetts looking to take home growlers from their favorite breweries now won't have to rely just on glass jugs provided by the beer maker.

In an attempt to clarify regulations, the state'sAlcoholic Beverages Control Commission said that customers can get their own beer growlers filled, so long as there's nothing printed on the outside.

Chris Post of Wandering Star Brewery in Pittsfield said that means they "won't be able to fill growlers that were originally issued by other breweries" because of the logos on them.

Post said that before this rule, they'd just slap their own bumper sticker over another brewery's name to show where the beer came from.

There had been a recent proposal in the legislature to allow customers to use growlers from one brewery at another, but that failed to gain traction. And, as Post points out, that leaves beer connoisseurs in Massachusetts with a lot of unwanted glassware.

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Adam joined NEPM as a freelance reporter and fill-in operations assistant during the summer of 2011. For more than 15 years, Adam has had a number stops throughout his broadcast career, including as a news reporter and anchor, sports host and play-by-play announcer as well as a producer and technician.