BARLEY'S SMOKEHOUSE & BREWPUB PRESENTS
6th ANNUAL 2008 MINI REAL ALE FEST
Real Ale Lineup (with an introduction)

Updated April 20, 2008

Our annual Mini Real Ale Fest was started in direct reaction to the cancellation of the national competition Real Ale Fest, held in Chicago for years. We didn't want the art of the firkin to die, so we started our own "mini" festival

This year, we hope to have more firkins than ever. We'll update this page periodically, so you can see in (near) real time what we'll have on tap. Scroll down for the line up.

What's a firkin, you say? The dictionary defines it thus:

firkin (fûr'kin) n.
1. A small wooden barrel or covered vessel.
2. Any of several British units of capacity, usually equal to about 1/4 of a barrel or 9 gallons (34 liters).
[Middle English ferken, ferdekin, probably from Middle Dutch *verdelkijn, diminutive of veerdel, one-fourth : veerde, fourth + deel, part.]

To expand on that definition, For beer and ale a firkin is equal to 9 Imperial gallons (about 40.915 l) or a quarter of a barrel. Casks in this size (themselves called firkins) are the most common container for cask ale.

So, a firkin at Barley's is 10 gallons of real ale. It is also cask-conditioned, as above. Other than the size of the vessel, there is one other important difference. For our cask conditioned ales, drawn via beer engine, no air is ever introduced to the cask. Therefore, the ale can remain drink-worthy for several weeks. (Barley's does not pasteurize any of it's ales, and therefore has a shorter shlef life. Good thing all of you don't let it sit around too long!)

This year's limited edition tasting glass art, with your paid ticket.

With our firkin, though, it is dispensed by gravity. We tap the firkin, pull the spile on top to let air in, and open the faucet to fill your pint. We pull the spile for the same reason that you have to put a second hole in a juice can--it equalizes the pressure in the vessel with that in the atmosphere. It allows the beer to flow.

Once tapped, this form of real ale is extremely perishable. We allow the firkin to be consumed for only about 40 hours. Luckily, many times the firkin expires empty in about eight. Once air is introduced, the ale tends to go flat and develop off-tastes.

This is a tedious and arduous process. Frankly, it's a pain the the butt. So, why do we do it at all?

We do it because this is how ale was served from the time beer was first discovered in Babylonian times. Since firkin ale is so perishable, we tap one only on Friday. When you order a Barley's ale from the firkin, we'll pull the spile and open the tap to pour you a pint of ale. Real ale.

The way they've done it for thousands of years. Naturally low in carbonation with no nastiness added, because we don't have to. We brew only ten barrels at a time. Take that, multinational brewers!

The Mini is our chance to collect beer from other craft brewers who have decided that it's worth it to them to produce beer in this time-honored tradition. Not all beer at the Mini will be out of a firkin, because we don't want to pass up a great offering that isn't available in a firkin. For those beers, we'll make a note. OK, that's enough of an introduction... onto the final line up.

NOTE: At past Fests, many of you have asked if you could get your hands on a copy of the posters. While we're not set up to do that, you can click on any of the "mini versions" you see below. That will lead you to an 11" x 17" poster, the same that will be at the event. Save that file, then upload it to a printing service such as Kinko's or Staples. These are the same posters you'll see at this year's event. For a couple of bucks, you can finally have that poster you want. WARNING: These are large files and make take some time to load. Cheers!

Mother Earth Fifteenth Anniversary Ale
Organic Strong Ale

Centennial IPA
American IPA
Barley's Brewing Company, downtown Columbus

Highland Hammer (dry hopped with Sterling)
A Bold Brewery Blend

Hoptopus
Imperial Pale Wheat
Barley's Smokehouse & Brewpub, Columbus

ESB
A copper colored, 5 % alcohol beer, brewed with brown sugar and Styrian Golding hops then dry hopped with Willamette and Cascade hops.

John Harvard's Brew House, Pittsburgh

Special Double Cream Stout
Sweeter and smoother than Kalamazoo Stout A beer for special winter occaisions. Great with chocolate desserts.

Java Stout
The satisfying elements of both a stout and coffee come together in this full-bodied treat. A marraige of Sumatra's best with rich chocolate and reoasted malt provides for a truly enlightening beer.

Bell's Brewery, Inc, Michigan

Amarillo Black Ale
(1,000th batch)
After eleven years Church Brew Works is proud to unveil their 1,000th batch of beer. The brew crew wanted to do something off the wall to help celebrate this momentous occasion. So they give to you M. This beer can not be categorized into one beer style. It incorporates two styles into one brew. The first style and base of the brew is a stout. The beer is as dark as their oatmeal stout and has a rich full body. They achieved this with the addition of a significant amount of chocolate malt. The second style incorporated into the brew is an IPA. There is a significant hop aroma from the use of the Pacific Northwest Amarillo hop. They achieved this by dry hopping the brew with twenty pounds of Amarillo in the fermenter. Upon first sip you will taste espresso and chocolate similar to a good stout. After that, the citrus hop bite kicks in and lingers on the palate through the finish like a good IPA. They went all out on this brew to reward their loyal customers,
and we're lucky they offered some for our Fest.

The Church Brew Works, Pennsylvania

Columbus Barley Wine

Columbus Brewing Company, Columbus

Wheat Hop
Pale Wheat with an insane addition of hops

East End Brewing Company, Pennsylvania

Lake Erie Monster
Imperial IPA

Rockefeller Bock
Bock
Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland

B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout
Intensely deep roasted and full-bodied flavor. A robust hop character adds a refreshing balance. 9.4% ABV


Hoppin' Frog Brewing Company, Akron

Mad Hatter IPA
New Holland's first ever firkin in the State of Ohio!
Mad Hatter not only explodes with complex flavors, but it echoes with subtle, balanced malt notes. This sensory symphony is punctuated by a distinctive hop aroma that's the most wonderful punch in the nose you'll ever experience.

New Holland Brewing Company, Michigan

Old Leghumper
A robust porter, dark brown in color and full bodied with a malty sweet taste. Deep roasted, yet silky smooth! Two types of roasted malts, including deep-roasted chocolate malt, are used to give this porter a rich, chocolaty taste.
Note: this special batch is brewed with triple Belgian yeast.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company, Akron

Victory Hop Devil IPA (cask)

Victory Brewing Company, Pennsylvania

Royskatt Winter Amber
Deeply malty and sweet, but with a lingering bitterness
that balances nicely in the finish. Spicy hop flavors poke
out in the middle and tantalize the palate. 5.2% ABV

Weasel Boy Brewing Company, Zanesville

Check back often as we update the list. Cheers!