Firkin Brewery
The Firkin Brewery was a chain of pubs in the United Kingdom. The original UK chain is now defunct, but a number of pubs operate under the Firkin name in other countries. The chain took its name from the firkin, an old English unit of volume.
Established in 1979 by David Bruce as Bruce's Brewery, the Firkin Brewery grew as a chain of mostly brewpubs offering cask ale. It was acquired by European Leisure in 1988 and then by Allied Domecq in 1991, rapidly expanding thereafter.[1] In 1999, Punch Taverns bought the entire chain and the rights to the Firkin brand,[2] and then sold 110 of the pubs to Bass, leaving 60 Firkin pubs under Punch ownership.[3] The brewery side of the chain was wound up, and in March 2001 Punch announced that the Firkin brand was to be discontinued.[4]
Most of the pubs are now owned by Mitchells and Butlers (formerly Bass), and many have been rebranded as Scream, O'Neills or Goose pubs. Some of the Punch Taverns-owned Firkins were rebranded as Mr Q's or Bar Room Bar pubs. A small handful of establishments still retain the Firkin branding.
The pubs were distinguishable because they all followed the same naming convention: The ---- and Firkin, where ---- was usually a word, beginning with either "F" or "Ph", which had some connection to the pub building or to the local area.
The Firkin Brewery also gave out T-shirts for anyone who managed at least 12 pubs in the Firkin Crawl. A "passport", issued by the Brewery, would be filled with a stamp from each pub visited, and public transport directions to the nearest pub in the crawl would also be in the "passport". Although there was not stipulation in the rules that the 12 pubs must be completed on the same day, this was often the goal of participants
Firkin pubs outside the UK
North America
Firkin pubs in Canada and the United States operate under the Firkin Group Of Pubs franchise, a chain of English theme pubs founded in Ontario, Canada in 1987.[5] The naming scheme for the pubs is similar to that of the UK chain (for example, "The Crown and Firkin", in Whitby, Ontario, Canada), and many Firkin Group pubs in fact share their names with former UK Firkin Brewery pubs. In the United States, the franchise pubs are named with "Firkin" first, as in "The Firkin & Beaver" as opposed to "The Beaver & Firkin".
The pub chain credits itself as being the "largest and fastest growing" group of pubs in North America. However about 10 pubs have closed out of the about 25 pubs that have opened since 2005. New pubs have opened about every 6 months, keeping the overall number of open pubs around 18. Typically the demographic ranges from parents with children during the day to an older drinking crowd in the evenings and late night. Although the menu is somewhat limited, the food is on pace with other more well known bar & grill resaurants.
The current list of active pubs in the United States as of June 2009 is listed below.
Australia
A number of independent English-style pubs in Australia use "Firkin" in their names, such as the Firkin and Hound in Alice Springs.[6]
List of Firkin pubs
U.S. Firkin Group Pubs
| Firkin Name | City | State | Year Est. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firkin & Phoenix | Houston | TX | 2006 |
| Firkin & Kegler | Orlando | FL | 2008 |
| Firkin & Hound | South Riding | VA | 2006 (Closed 2008) |
| Firkin & Hound | Visalia | CA | 2008 (Closed 4/09, might re-open) |
| Firkin & Frog | Vancouver | WA | 2008 (Closed 6/2009) |
| Firkin & Frigate | Newport News | VA | 2006 |
| Firkin & Friar | Tucson | AZ | 2007 |
| Firkin & Crown | Cumming | GA | 2009 |
| Firkin & Fox | Albany | NY | 2005 (Closed 04/09 - now is under a new name) |
| Firkin & Pheasant | Chicago | IL | 2009 |
| Firkin & Fox | Burton | MI | 2005 |
| Firkin & Fox | Carson City | NV | 2008 |
| Firkin & Fox | Glen Ellyn | IL | 2006 (Closed 08/07 Now the "Tap House") |
| Firkin & Fox | Des Moines | IA | 2007 (Closed 06/09) |
| Firkin & Fox | Dulles | VA | 2006 |
| Firkin & Fox | Modesto | CA | 2008 |
| Firkin & Fox | Morgantown | WV | 2007 (Closed 2008) |
| Firkin & Bull | Wichita | KS | 2008 |
| Firkin & Beaver | Tracy | CA | 2008 |
| Firkin & Fox | Bradenton | FL | 2008 |
| Firkin & Bulldog | Stafford | VA | 2008 |
UK pubs
| Firkin Name | Location | Current Name | Current Brand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabricant and Firkin | Huddersfield | Warehouse | Scream |
| Faculty and Firkin | Aston University, Birmingham | Gosta Green | Scream |
| Factor and Firkin | Paisley | Clancy's | |
| Fahrenheit and Firkin | Woking | O'Neills | |
| Fair and Firkin | Nottingham | Horn In Hand | Scream |
| Falcon and Firkin | Hackney, London | The Victoria Park now called The Britannia | |
| Fantail and Firkin | Muswell Hill, London | O'Neills | |
| Faraday and Firkin | Battersea, London | The Goat | |
| Farmyard and Firkin | Aylesbury | The Harrow | |
| Fathom and Firkin | Worthing | The Assembly | |
| Fatling and Firkin | Hornchurch, London | ||
| Faun and Firkin | Leicester Square, London | Fudge | |
| Fayre and Firkin | Ashby De La Zouch | The Bulls Head | |
| Feast and Firkin | Leeds | The Library | Scream |
| Featherie and Firkin | St. Andrews | The Raisin | Scream |
| Fedora and Firkin | Luton | Bellini | |
| Felis and Firkin | Kenilworth, Warwickshire | The Lion | |
| Felon and Firkin | Leeds | O'Neills | |
| Felons and Firkin | Knowle | The Red Lion | |
| Fermenter and Firkin | Wolverhampton | Billas Bar | |
| Ferret and Firkin (see note below) | Chelsea, London | Lots Road Pub and Dining Room | |
| Fettler and Firkin | Paddington, London | ||
| Fettlers and Firkin | Nuneaton | ||
| Fairfield and Firkin | Govan, Glasgow | ||
| Fez and Firkin | Reading | The Turks (reviving its pre-Firkin name, The Turk's Head) | |
| Fiddler and Firkin | Croydon, London | The Duke's Head | Mr Q's |
| Fielder and Firkin | Sutton, London | The Prince Regent | |
| Fieldmouse and Firkin | Moseley, Birmingham | Goose | |
| Figurehead and Firkin | Bristol | The River | |
| Filament and Firkin | Newcastle | Goose | |
| Filibuster and Firkin | Darlington | Retro | |
| Finch and Firkin | Liverpool | The Brookhouse | Scream |
| Fine Leg and Firkin | Swansea, Wales | ||
| Finings and Firkin | Warley | The Bridge | |
| Finn and Firkin | Stirchley | The Hibernian | |
| Finnesko and Firkin | Norwich | The Reindeer | |
| Firecracker and Firkin | Crawley | The Railway | |
| Firefly and Firkin | Bournemouth | The Inferno | Scream |
| Fish and Firkin | Southend-on-Sea | The Alex | Scream |
| Fitchew and Firkin | Rugby, Warwickshire | The Bull | |
| Fitter and Firkin | Partick, Glasgow | Boho Club | |
| Fitzooth and Firkin | Broomhill, Sheffield | Nottingham House | |
| Fizgig and Firkin | Exeter | Starz Bar | |
| Flag and Firkin | Watford | The Flag (echoing the original name of the smaller former benskins brewery pub 'the pennant'.) | |
| Flamingo and Firkin | Kingston upon Thames, London | Kingston Tup | |
| Financier and Firkin | Kingston upon Thames, London | Now a Pizza restaurant | |
| Flanker and Firkin | Coventry | The Hare and Squirrel | |
| Flapper and Firkin | Birmingham | The Flapper | |
| Flare and Firkin | Aberdeen | The Holburn | Arena |
| Fledgling and Firkin | Hertford | Blackbirds | |
| Fleece and Firkin | Bristol | The Fleece | |
| Flicker and Firkin | Richmond upon Thames, London | The Lot | Scream |
| Flock and Firkin | Walsall | The Wheatsheaf | |
| Floozey and Firkin | Woodseats, Sheffield | Woodseats Hotel | |
| Flounder and Firkin | Holloway, London | Bar Cosa | |
| Flower and Firkin | Kew, London | ||
| Fly and Firkin | Middlesbrough | Southfield | Scream |
| Flyhalf and Firkin | Cardiff | The Queen's Vaults | |
| Flyer and Firkin | Reading | Oakford Social Club | |
| Flyman and Firkin | Central London | O'Neills | |
| Fog and Firkin | Newcastle | Stereo Bar | |
| Font and Firkin now called The Font | Brighton | ||
| Fool and Firkin | Plymouth | ||
| Footage and Firkin (previously called The Flea and Firkin) |
Manchester | Footage | Scream |
| Footbridge and Firkin |
Clifton, Bristol | The Mall | |
| Ford and Firkin | Romford, London | The Bitter End | |
| Forger and Firkin | Guildford | The Drummond Arms | |
| Forester and Firkin | Stafford | The Firkin | |
| Formula and Firkin | Weybridge | Hand and Spear | |
| Fort and Firkin | Windsor | Browns | |
| Forum and Firkin | Bath | O'Neills | |
| Fo'c's'le and Firkin | Hull | ||
| Foundry and Firkin | Sheffield | Bar S1 | |
| Fourpence and Firkin | Leicester | O'Neills | |
| Fowl and Firkin | Coventry | The Aardvark | Scream |
| Fox and Firkin | Lewisham, London | The Fox | |
| Franklin and Firkin | Canterbury | The Old Buttermarket | |
| Freebooter and Firkin | Plymouth | ||
| Freedom and Firkin | Tooting, London | The George (now Gardenhouse)[7] | |
| Freelance and Firkin | Dundee | The Doghouse (closed until further notice) | |
| Freetrader and Firkin | Bristol | The Crown | |
| Fresher and Firkin | Cambridge | The Graduate | Scream |
| Friar and Firkin | Central London | The Rocket | Scream |
| Friary and Firkin | Lancaster | The Friary | Scream |
| Friesian and Firkin | Clapham, London | The Calf | |
| Fringe and Firkin | Shepherd's Bush, London | O'Neills | |
| Frog and Firkin | Central London | (closed on its original site (now a Russian restaurant named Babushka's) and relocated to ladbroke grove where it continued until 2003, after which it returned to its original name, the Elgin) | |
| Fruitmaker and Firkin | Glasgow | O'Neills | |
| Fuggle and Firkin | Oxford | Goose | |
| Fullback and Firkin | Leicester | Polar Bear | Scream |
| Fulmar and Firkin | Holborn, London | Parker Place
[Currently Closed, undergoing refurbishment] |
|
| Furze and Firkin | Streatham, London | Goose | |
| Fuzz and Firkin | Portsmouth | Goose | |
| Fuzzock and Firkin | Leicester | The Donkey | |
| Goose and Firkin | Southwark, London | The Duke of York | Shepherd Neame |
| Phantom and Firkin | Plaistow London | (demolished 2002) | |
| Phantom and Firkin | Loughborough | Phantom | Scream |
| Pharaoh and Firkin | Fulham, London | (now closed) | O'Neills |
| Pheasant and Firkin | London | The Old Ivy House | |
| Philanderer and Firkin | Oxford | The Jericho | |
| Philanthropist and Firkin | St Albans | O'Neills | |
| Philatelist and Firkin | Bromley, London | O'Neills | |
| Philosopher and Firkin | Oxford | The University and City Arms | |
| Phizog and Firkin | Newport | The Six Bells | |
| Phoenix and Firkin | Camberwell, London | The Phoenix | |
| Photographer and Firkin | Ealing, London | O'Neills | |
| Phrenologist and Firkin | Slough | The Assembly | |
| Physician and Firkin | Edinburgh | The Crags | Scream |
| Physio and Firkin | Leicester | The Phizz! |
Note: The full name of the Ferret and Firkin, in Chelsea, was "The Ferret and Firkin in The Balloon Up The Creek". This referenced the original name of the pub - The Balloon - and its location, Chelsea Creek.
Continental European pubs
| Firkin Name | Location | Country | Current Name | Current Brand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiddler and Firkin | The Hague | The Netherlands | Fiddler | |
| Florin and Firkin | Utrecht | The Netherlands | Florin |
References
- ^ The Firkin Pubs
- ^ Allied says yes to Punch but leaves door open to bidders
- ^ Industry Watch 1 - the Major Players
- ^ Firkin chain to go as Punch Taverns looks to future - Telegraph
- ^ Company Details
- ^ fox hound alice springs british at firkinhound.com
- ^ http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/53/531/George/Tooting George, Tooting, London, http://www.beerintheevening.com, URL last accessed 2007-05-29