First firkin in Hannibal MO in probably 50yrs. I was given the privilege of tapping it last night.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jO9I9QDJk4 ... =c4-feed-uSo what was it?
It was Tallgrass Brewing’s Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat, and they put ancho, chipotle, jalaeno and chocolate in the firkin. Had a nice dark chocolate flavor with sweet vanilla notes, plus a low lingering spicy heat from the peppers. It had a generous creamy tan head, and was fairly light like a dry stout. The malt really shone at the temp it was served.
I’m guessing that’s gonna be your next project Lennie!
I’ve never had beer from a firkin. I understand the aesthetic appeal to it, which in itself could certainly enhance the enjoyment of the beer. But aside from that, is there a significant objective difference in beer from a firkin?
I’ve done mini-firkins in 5L kegs, it turned out great. Dry hops and a fining, and you have a very fresh-tasting product. I haven’t done an actual firkin just because of the volume and they only last a few days. I see it as a great special event enhancement for a bar, and brewpubs cask-conditioned ale on all the time.
As for there being anything different, I can’t say that two beers served at the same warmer temp would taste much different. Youd have to let your regular drw set for ten minutes to let it warm up though. The firkins that the commercial breweries are sending out are also generally very limited production specialty beers so you get some interesting new one-off flavor combinations.
