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The growlers are lurking.

Growlers — 64-ounce jugs meant to carry beer, typically craft beer — are a throwback to an age when suds were as local as the shop down the street.

Ray's Wine & Spirits, 8930 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, adds its own twist on the bottles with the Growler Gallery, set to open in June.

The store is renovating its tasting and education area to include Ray's Growler Gallery featuring taps for six beers that will rotate rapidly and often. First up will be a Hinterland brew made especially for Ray's.

The plan is to work with Wisconsin breweries to create Ray's exclusive beers, said Kaleb Schwecke, Ray's craft beer specialist. Hinterland opens with IrRAYsistable Rye, "big bitter beautiful" beer made with Falconer's Flight hops.

Schwecke said growlers are growing in popularity on both coasts and uses craft-beer-loving Oregon, where 70% of beer sold is sold by the growler, as an example.

Ray's has plans to work with Madison's Karben4 and Solemn Oath Brewery of Naperville, Ill. The majority of taps will be reserved for local and regional beers, but customers can also expect to find beers from all over the country, including New Belgium and Oskar Blues.

The Growler Gallery mission is to feature beers made exclusively for the gallery, rare brewery-only releases or a special selection that will not be available anywhere in a bottle. Ray's also plans to stock the taps with small-batch beers, which can mean they might only have one barrel of that style of beer.

Growlers will come in two sizes — the standard 64-ounce and the smaller 32-ounce size Ray's has named "Duckie." The idea is that the beer is fresh — growlers can stay fresh for up to a week unopened but should be consumed within a day from opening for optimal freshness. Orey Laev, vice president for Ray's, and Schwecke see growlers being used for parties and tailgating.

In addition, Ray's plans to sell different styles of growlers, including throwback versions that can be saved for collections. The store also will refill growlers that are not its own.

In the beginning, the Growler Gallery will work as a growler-filling station only. Samples will be offered but customers won't be able to purchase a pint of the beer on tap.

The tentative opening date for the Growler Gallery is June 14, with hours tentatively scheduled as 1 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tasting and educational classes will still be held Monday through Wednesday.

Ray's Growler Gallery joins several brewpubs, Groppi's Market and Riverwest Filling Station in selling growlers. Nathaniel Davauer plans Craft & Vessel, a hybrid store/tasting room expected to open in Shorewood in July.