Steamworks’ Monthly Firkin Friday to Feature Ruby Red IPA

02 Sep 2014 --- As is tradition on the first Friday of the month, Steamworks Brewing Co. hosts Firkin Friday on Sept. 5, 2014, offering up a new and interesting take on a strong IPA. The Ruby Red IPA firkin will be tapped at 3 p.m.

“The base is our Conductor, an Imperial IPA and our most heavily hopped beer,” said Steamworks Brew Master and Certified Cicerone Ken Martin, noting that it also has a high ABV at 8.7 percent. “Then we added an alcohol-based grapefruit extract. The variety of hops we use in the Conductor – Simcoe – already has flavor and aroma properties similar to that of ruby red grapefruit. We thought it would be a natural fit, and our trials confirmed it.”

According to Brewer and Certified Cicerone Spencer Roper, Simcoe is a relatively new variety of hop from the Yakima Valley in Washington state, and exclusive in the industry.

“Simcoe is a proprietary strain, which very few are, so only a select few farmers can grow it, and only one broker can sell it” said Roper. “It’s one of the more difficult hops in the industry to procure, which makes the Ruby Red IPA firkin extra special.”

By definition, 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.

Firkin beer is unpasteurized, unfiltered and naturally carbonated, or conditioned, in its cask. It is served at approximately 55 degrees – cool but not cold, and contains no preservatives, so is designed to be consumed after tapping.

Steamworks initiated its Firkin Fridays to introduce unusual, specialty craft beers to patrons, and augment its regular, award-winning offerings. Steamworks, open 11 a.m. to closing seven days a week, is located at 801 E. Second. Ave., Durango.