How many imperial (UK) gallons of beer are in a firkin?

Firkin

The ale or beer firkin (from Middle Dutch vierdekijn meaning "fourth") is a quarter of an ale or beer barrel or half a kilderkin. This unit is much smaller than the wine firkin. Casks in this size (themselves called firkins) are the most common container for cask ale.

Beer firkin: From the mid 15th century until 1824 the beer firkin was defined as 9 ale or beer gallons. Imperial beer or ale firkin. The beer or ale firkin was redefined to be 9 imperial gallons in 1824. It is therefore exactly 40.91481 litres or approximately 1.445 cubic feet.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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29 Comments

Ed Bona

I don't firkin know.

Denise Currie

A firkin of beer is 9 gallons yet a firkin of ale is 8 gallons

Denise Currie

The obscure weights and measures were always printed on the back of school exercise books and I can recall quite a few of them. Good trivia

Marilyn Mumper Fisher

dictionary definition of "firkin" says it is "9 gallons", not "not 9 imperial gallons". As the Imperial gallon is about 10% larger than a us gallon, why would the firkin not be 8 Imperial gallons??

Cari G.

Good trivia, I had heard of a firkin, but didn't know a firkin thing about them.

Lisa Rodrigues

Ted E. Schutzbank, An imperial gallon is not the same as a gallon. In the Americas, a gallon is equivalent to 128 fluid ounces or 3.785 liters (American spelling). But in the UK, it's 160 fluid ounces or 4.546 litres (British spelling). http://www.hoppytrailsbeernews.com/beer-trivia/what-the-firk-is-a-firkin/