Our lovely town used to recycle glass, but when fuel prices went up, it became to expensive to drive it to Bozeman (at least I think that's where it went).
And, though I am not a big drinker, my passion for all things food-related includes microbrews with meals. The end of the glass recycling program put a big damper on my Bayern Dancing Trout with bison burgers or Big Sky Mooose Drool with pizza. I just hated tossing bottle after bottle into the garbage. There are some places that offer a few varieties of high-quality beer in cans, but I quickly grew tired of the lack of options. It's like being forced to eat one flavor of ice cream for months - I couldn't do it anymore!
Ah.... but then a solution presented itself. Many breweries offer pig services, and there's one just a few blocks from my house called The Kettlehouse. Their Double Haul IPA is great, the Coldsmoke is fantastic, and the Lake Missoula Amber absolutely delicious - the amber being a favorite around here. All of which are often offered in the pig.
Now, to explain this whole pig-business. The pig is a reusable beer container that holds 2.25 gallons at a time. Everything stays fresh and comes out carbonated via a self-inflating pressure pouch. Unlike growlers which come in large juice-like, glass containers (but are also reusable and a good idea if you don't want a pig taking up residence in your refrigerator), the pig lasts as long as you need it to.
Without further ado, here is a pig:
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This particular pig has been living in my fridge since early December. Unfortunately, I haven't been around much the last few months, and the handyman has been under the weather and not drinking as much when he's over here. So, I do think I've found somewhat of an expiration date - three months might be a little long to let that pig sleep in the cold box. Tonight I'm swapping this one in for a new pig.
Because, after you put down a deposit (ours was $20) for your pig, you take the empty back and trade it in for new one that runs about thirty bucks. It's a little pricey up front, but you don't end up opening more beers just because you want a little more. Instead, you go fill half a glass from the pig to enjoy with the last few bites of that lasagna...
1 comment:
A ha! I need to get one of those for a certain boy I know who loves beer. Out here we have growlers. Do you have those too?
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