The Growler Guys, the Bend-based chain of franchise growler fill stations, is expanding into new territory and adding metal to its fill options.

That’s metal as in aluminum cans.

Now consumers can buy freshly tapped beer, poured and packaged in a 32-ounce sealed aluminum can, at the two growler fill stations The Growler Guys operate in Bend.

Franchisees have the option to acquire the system for use in their fill stations, said Kizer Couch, co-owner of the 3-year-old company. The Growler Guys started canning beer for individual customers 1½ months ago, he said.

“The response is great,” he said. “We see there’s a niche for people who want to take craft beer to a state park or beach or festival. There’s no glass, and it’s a sealed container.”

Couch said fill stations for cans started with the Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, Colorado . The brewery developed the fill system for 32-ounce cans with the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry and the aluminum cans, called Crowlers, with Ball Corp., the Broomfield, Colorado-based multinational packaging corporation, according to the Oskar Blues website. Oskar Blues Brewery has sold the system around the country. The Growler Guys employ the same system, Couch said.

“It’s growing like wildfire,” said Jared Brody, Ball Corp. manager of marketing and business development. “They’re great for taking beer places where glass can’t go.”

The system works like this: After cleaning the can, the filler purges the can with carbon dioxide, which fills the bottom of the can. The beer flows through a fill hose into the can from the bottom up, forcing air out ahead of the carbon dioxide. Once the can is filled, it’s capped with a seam that is folded twice around the lid. The beer is sealed off from air and light. It all happens while you wait.

“For a true craft beer lover, it’s the best way to drink craft beer,” Couch said.

Chris Furnari, editor of Brewbound, an online newsletter for the craft brewing industry, said he’s familiar with Crowlers mostly from the handful of craft brewers who use them. Growler fill stations are popping up around the country, where state laws allow them; a canning option may add to their popularity, he said.

“I can see it catching on,” Furnari said. “It won’t make that much of a dent in terms of significant sale … (but) it’s another way that craft brewers are being creative.”

The price of beer in a Crowler is about the same as an equivalent amount of beer in a glass container at The Growler Guys, Couch said. The fill stations have a variety of beers available and price varies according to brand, he said.

Meanwhile, the company has expanded to Spokane, Washington, and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and is helping another franchisee get started in Ashland, Couch said. The Growler Guys are in 10 locations, he said.

“We’re really happy,” he said. “Customers enjoy what we’re doing … and the breweries are really fun to work with.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7815, jditzler@bendbulletin.com