We were just perusing our calendar, and came across this Beer Week listing for this Friday, March 7th:
Philly Beer Week 2008 presents: Meet the Brewer: Flying Fish: Head Brewer Casey Hughes will knock the top off a firkin of his Flying Fish E.S.B. in a bid to break the “Philly’s fastest firkin record”. 7pm. Free. Good Dog, 224 S 15th St.
Wait, is that, like, a pubic wig? Oh no, that’s a merkin. Crud. To the Wikipedia!
“Well, old chap, I suppose if it was absolutely necessary, I could cover your naughty bits.”
A Firkin is an old English unit of volume. The name is derived from the Middle Dutch word vierdekijn, which means fourth, i.e. a fourth of a full-size barrel.
For beer and ale a firkin is equal to nine imperial gallons or a quarter of a barrel (40.91481 litres). Casks in this size (themselves called firkins) are the most common container for cask ale.
Ah. Nine gallons. What’s that you say, Robert?
Nor need you mind the serial ordeal
Of being watched from forty cellar holes
As if by eye pairs out of forty firkins.
— Robert Frost, “Directive”
No need to get weird, dude. Just drink up.
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