a firkin is
To answer Mary's comment, a firkin is a small keg, usually made of wood that holds the equivalent of 9 Imperial gallons of beer.
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January 30, 2008
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Rob Kasper, a features columnist, has been writing about beer for 20 years, and he remembers when Anchor Christmas and Noche Buena were about the only beers at a holiday tasting and Sisson’s was the only brewpub in Baltimore. A collection of his columns, "Raising Kids and Tomatoes, Amusing Tales and Appetizing Recipes," was published in 1998. He lives with his wife, Judith, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, in a downtown Baltimore rowhouse. They have two grown sons, who come home from time to time and drink their father’s beer.
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Comments
You forgot to mention that a firkin beer is usually served at a temperature around 50-55 degrees Farenheidt.
Posted by: Steve | January 30, 2008 11:57 AM
Its name comes from the fact that it's a fourth of a (36-gallon) barrel, via Dutch. A cask the capacity of half a firkin (4.5 gallons) is a pin, half a barrel (18 gallons) is a kilderkin (from "kinderkin", small child in old Dutch), a cask equal to a barrel and a half (54 gallons) is a hogshead and two hogsheads make (pardon my language) a butt ...
Posted by: Terry Collmann | January 30, 2008 5:39 PM
Terry, excellent description of cask ale container sizes. Are you a fan of real ale? If so you must be familiar with the Chesapeake Chapter of the SPBW - you definitely need to join us for a pint of real ale at some stage!
Posted by: Joe Gold | January 30, 2008 9:58 PM
Sorry I can't join you guys tonight. I have a previous committment, but Metropolitan will be welcomed with open arms and mouths. Anyone interested in finding out more about real ale can join in with the SPBW group tonight. We have a great meeting planned for Sat., Feb. 9th with a tour of the Wild Goose brewery (free sampling) followed up with a visit to Brewers Alley.
Posted by: Dominic Cantalupo | January 31, 2008 11:53 AM
I'll second Joe's praise of Terry's firkin exegesis, and then add these comments. Most firkins these days are NOT made of wood but of stainless steel -- less romantic but more practical. A UK barrel is indeed 36 gallons, but that's 36 UK gallons, which, in US volumetrics, is the equivalent of a tad over 43.2 US gallons.
Posted by: Thomas Cizauskas | February 3, 2008 7:57 AM