DURANGO, CO. – Steamworks Brewing Co. continues with its special monthly “firkin” tapping Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, featuring a specialty beer in the spirit of a British Yuletide treat: Figgy Pudding. The cask will be tapped at 3 p.m.
“The base for our Figgy Pudding is our Lizard Head Red,” said Steamworks Brew Master and Certified Cicerone Ken Martin. “I made a beer reduction sauce with diced figs, dates, ‘craisins,’ sweet orange peels, brown sugar and brandy, then steeped it with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. The result should be a nice caramel and toffee-noted beer with hints of the dark dried fruits and holiday spices.” During Firkin Friday Steamworks will also tap a “mystery” firkin as a holiday bonus for craft beer aficionados.
A firkin is an old English unit of volume, typically a wooden cask equal to approximately one-quarter of a regular barrel, or nine/ten gallons. The word “firkin” is derived from the Middle Dutch word vierdekijn, which means “fourth” as in one-fourth the size.
In the United Kingdom cask-conditioned beer, which Steamworks calls a firkin, is known as “real ale.” Authentic cask ale must be kept at “cellar temperature” – which is about 54 degrees – as it’s conditioned in its cask. This is done in Steamworks’ “cellar” – the basement at the brewpub on E. 2nd Ave.
In cask conditioning, the yeast transforms the sugar into alcohol within the cask, and carbonation results from the trapped carbon dioxide occurring as a byproduct. Firkin beer is unpasteurized and unfiltered and served at cellar temperature – cool but not cold.
Steamworks initiated its Firkin Fridays to introduce unusual, specialty craft beers to patrons, and augment its regular, award-winning offerings.
Steamworks Brewing Co.
Open 11 a.m. to closing seven days a week, located at 801 E. Second. Ave., Durango, CO.970.259.9200). For further information about brewery or Frikin Fridays, call 970-259-9200 or visit www.steamworksbrewing.com.