Milwaukee’s Firkin Beer Fest

Milwaukee’s favorite beer fest, Firkin Fest, returns to Cathedral Square Park on Saturday, June 8 from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Spend an afternoon in the sun sampling a variety of nearly 150 different craft beers and ciders, including more than 50 cask-conditioned ales created by nearly 50 local breweries.

So what is a firkin, exactly? Derived from the Dutch word vierdekjin (meaning fourth), a firkin is a small wooden barrel or covered vessel containing small batch brews—typically holding about nine gallons or a quarter of a traditional keg barrel. Not filtered, clarified, pasteurized or force carbonated, each brew’s batch has a flavor unique to every firkin keg.

Aside from over 150 brews to taste, Firkin Fest offers a Breweriana tent filled with beer memorabilia, live entertainment by Paradise Jazz Band, on-site food trucks and a commemorative pint glass. Attendees are encouraged to vote for their favorite brew at www.milwaukeefirkinfest.com, where the winning brew will be presented the “Big Firkin Award” following the event..

This year’s brewers and home brew clubs include: 1840 Brewing Co, 3 Sheeps Brewing Company, Beer Barons of Milwaukee, Bos Meadery, Broken Bat Brewing Co., Central Waters Brewing Co., Cider House of Wisconsin LLC, Gathering Place Brewing Company, Great Dane Pub & Brewing, Hacienda Beer Co, Indeed Brewing Company, Island Orchard Cider, Lakefront Brewery, Liftbridge Brewing, Lost Valley Cider Co., Melms Brewing, Milwaukee Area Brewers Group / Chicago Area Brewer, New Barons Brewing Cooperative, New Glarus Brewing Company, North Shore Brew Club, O'so Brewing, One Barrel Brewing, Pabst Milwaukee Brewery & Taproom, R'Noggin Brewing Company, Raised Grain Brewing Co., Sprecher Brewing Co, The Explorium Brewpub, The Fermentorium, Third Space Brewing, Waukesha Homebrew Club

To join in the Firkin fun, purchase your Firkin Fest ticket starting at noon on April 3, at www.milwaukeefirkin.com/tickets. Multiple ticket packages are available at different price points, including VIP, VIP Designated Driver, Gold Pass and General Admission.

For more information about Firkin Fest, please visit www.milwaukeefirkin.com.