Firkin (unit) Firkin (unit) A firkin is a unit of volume or mass used in several situations. Its etymology is likely to be from the Middle English "ferdekyn", probably from the Middle Dutch diminutive of vierde ‘fourth’ (a firkin originally contained a quarter of a barrel). A firkin is an American unit of dry measure. 1 firkin = 9 US gallons = 34 litres. A firkin was a British unit for the sale of butter and cheese. 1 firkin = 56 pounds = 25 kilograms A firkin is also a British unit for the sale of beer. It is one quarter of
Firkin Brewery of which brewed beer on site. In 1999, Punch Taverns bought the entire chain and the rights to the Firkin brand, and then sold 110 of the pubs to Bass, leaving 60 Firkin pubs under Punch ownership. The brewery side of the chain was wound up, and in March 2001 Punch announced that the Firkin brand was to be discontinued. After several corporate restructurings, most of the Bass sites ended up in the Mitchells and Butlers pub company formed in 2003. Many have been rebranded as O'Neill's, Scream, or Goose pubs; the Scream and Goose sites were among those sold