The Scranton Half Marathon Race Committee is pleased to announce that the countdown to the 11th Scranton Half Marathon kicks off Friday, January 19 at 5:00 PM with a Firkin Friday celebration at Cooper’s Seafood House – 701 N. Washington Ave, in Scranton. Scranton’s 2024 Half Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, April 7 so lets start training!

The Firkin Friday event runs from 5:00 PM till the cask runs dry and the Firkin will be tapped at 5:00 PM. There will be basket raffles, admission is free and all proceeds from every pint sold from the Charity Cask will go directly to supporting The Scranton Half Marathon Foundation Dective Gilmartin.

What is a Firkin? What Is Cask Beer?

What is cask-conditioned beer? It’s fresh beer that is transferred to a sealed cask where it undergoes secondary fermentation and clarification. If you have heard of the bottle-conditioned beer popular with Belgian breweries, this is a similar concept.

Naturally produced CO2 carbonates the beer at a moderate level and the beer is served at cellar temperature to allow for these beers to showcase their malt and hop profiles unlike a brite tank-conditioned beer would.

Once tapped (with a giant mallet) at the time of the event, they are best enjoyed that night because the beer is manually
dispensed out of a spigot. Unlike keg beers,

The cask beer can be best served at 55°F, as in this temperature, you can enjoy the beer’s unfiltered texture and allow it to emerge in its original flavor.