DURANGO, Colo. — Fans of Steamworks Brewing Co.’s firkins will have two opportunities to enjoy the March offering — the popular “Irish Car Bomb” — as one firkin will be tapped during the traditional Firkin Fridays on Mar. 1, 2013, and a second tapped at the annual Steamworks “Clam Bake” at Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) on Friday, Mar. 15.
“The Irish Car Bomb has consistently been our most popular firkin,” said Steamworks Brew Master and Certified Cicerone┬« Ken Martin. “So, I see no reason not to repeat it during this time of year. We’ve made two firkins this year, so we can have one at the brewpub, and people supporting the Clam Bake can have a treat as well.”
The Irish Car Bomb is named for the beer’s effect and not intended as a political statement. It has as its base Steamworks’ Backside Stout, which features complex malt and oat flavor. Its second fermentation is with Irish Cream and Jameson whiskey flavors.
“We want to remind everyone, it’s a very smooth brew, but it could hit you hard, and you probably won’t feel it coming,” said Brewer and Certified Cicerone┬« Spencer Roper.
The Clam Bake, now an annual Steamworks tradition at DMR, features slope-side service on “the beach” outside Purgy’s for skiers and riders: a fresh, hot bowl of “steamed” clams (including corn-on-the-cob and potatoes) plus a Steamworks brew for $7. Proceeds benefit La Plata County Search and Rescue.
A firkin is an old English unit of volume, typically a wooden cask equal to approximately one-quarter of a regular barrel, or nine gallons. Unlike most draft beers, firkin beer is served at about 55 degrees – cool but not cold, and is unpasteurized, unfiltered. Because it contains no preservatives, a firkin beer is designed to be consumed after tapping.
Reminded Martin, “Firkin beer is unpasteurized, unfiltered and naturally carbonated, or conditioned, it its cask. The yeast transforms the sugar into alcohol within the cask, and carbonation results from the trapped carbon dioxide occurring as a byproduct.”
Steamworks initiated its Firkin Fridays to introduce unusual, specialty craft beers to patrons, and augment its regular, award-winning offerings.
Steamworks Brewing Co., open 11 a.m. to closing seven days a week, is located at 801 E. Second. Ave., Durango, Colo.