First Firkin Friday at the Rhino

By RYAN NEWHOUSE

On Friday May 6, Missoulians will flock downtown for the monthly “First Friday” festivities, but for the Rhino bar (158 Ryman) it will mark their second “First Firkin Friday.” For the May event, the crew will be featuring a Cream Ale from Blackfoot River Brewing Co.

Participants can show up to the Rhino between 5 – 8 p.m., pay $5 and be treated to three carefully selected 7 oz. pours of beer, including a draw from the firkin of Cream Ale, as well as some common “First Friday” nibbles – cheese, crackers, meats. The two non-firkin beers sampled will complement the traditional malty creaminess of the Cream Ale.So you might be asking, “What the heck is a firkin and what’s so freakin’ special about ‘First Firkin Friday’?” Well, since you asked this tongue-twister, a firkin is an old English unit of volume equivalent to nine imperial gallons, 72 pints, or roughly 10 U.S. gallons.

In terms of firkin beer, it means the beer has been cask-conditioned, not force-carbonated with carbon dioxide. Nor are they filtered or pasteurized.

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