With all the new production breweries around the area, it is becoming easier and easier to find locally produced beer around the city. Some of prefer the dimly lit bars and their draft lines to satiate the need for sudsy deliciousness. Others prefer the creature comforts of home to imbibe in.

Regardless of your structural preference, the ability to get growlers in this city has been spotty at best. DC Brau and Chocolate City have had very successful growler fill days that often look more like social get-togethers of close friends than simply a means to transport fresh beer home. But other than that, the motion to get growlers legal in the city has been an uphill battle.

Growlers represent a convenient way to get beer as fresh as it can be in a container that can be stored for a few days with proper sealing. It represents the best of both worlds to some: fresh from the brewery tastes with the ability to pour a pint anywhere your legally-drinking heart cares to be. So it makes sense that our city’s brewpubs and brewpubs in the works want to also get in on this as soon as possible.

Thor Cheston, our city’s resident beer knight and former beer director at Brasserie Beck, is in the process of getting his brewpub “Right, Proper” into the fray of not only producing beer, but also of prodding the D.C. Council to allow him to fill growlers. He has started a petition to pass the Sustainable Bottle Amendment Act of 2011, which was introduced in December and would allow establishments with Class-C Tavern/Brewpub licenses to sell beer in growlers.

As Cheston mentions: “Selling house-brewed beer in reusable containers—growlers—is a cornerstone of brewpub culture in the United States” and should be included in the culture of our city as a testament to supporting local business and local beer, 64 ounces at a time.