July 1 First Freakin’ Firkin Friday

Technically, a Firkin is a specific size of a cask. It is 1/4 barrel or 10.8 gallons. There are other sizes as well. Pin (5.4 gallons) and Kilderkin (21.6 gallons).

Casks were originally made of wood but are now most commonly made of metal – they look just like mini-kegs.

Casks were originally used to produce Cask Conditioned beer; also known as Real Ale.

Now many breweries use Firkins and other size casks to infuse beer with unique flavors.

For many, the word Firkin has simply replaced the term cask.