|
POSTED 8 May 2008 JASPER WINS! JASPER WINS! THE YOUTUBE VERSION Philadelphia's "only true man of leisure" and Quizzo master Johnny Goodtimes took time from his busy scheduled to attend last Sunday's Bock Festival and Goat Race and he brought his video camera along: |
|
POSTED 5 May 2008 JASPER RACES TO MAIBOCK CROWN IN LARGEST GOAT RACE EVER First time entrant Jasper won the seventh annual Bock Festival Goat Race at Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery by a nose over perennial challenger Entrekin on Sunday, May 4 before the largest crowd in festival history. The two goats finished in a dead heat in the championship run against the four winners of earlier heats. A record 42 goats were entered in the 2008 races.  The one-year old goat, owned by Chris & Alycia Eckerd of Skippack, was swamped by admirers as Jasper Maibock was tapped by brewmaster Brian O'Reilly and Chris Eckerd, who ran with his winning goat. The brewery's annual Maibock is named for the winning goat each year and the owner receives a $75 gift card good at Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville and Sly Fox Brewery & Restaurant in Royersford.Entrekin has run in four previous Sly Fox races and has finished second twice and third twice. The 2007 winning goat, Sundae, finished third this year. O'Reilly, delighted with the turnout out (estimated at 2,900 people by the local daily, The Phoenix) and the participation, noted that the annual gathering is very much a family event and reminiscent of the classic German-style biergartens which were once a large part of the American beer scene. "Look around," he said. "There are kids all over the place, running around and having a good time, enjoying the time together. There are a lot of people with dogs too. Everybody having a good time, drinking responsibly and enjoying the food and music, it's just a perfect family Sunday afternoon. We keep saying that beer is the most convivial drink of all and this is a perfect example of that."  In addition to the Maibock, Sly Fox had a wide range of Bock beers on tap, including Slacker Bock, Instigator Doppelbock, Helles Bock and Eis (ice) versions of the latter two. That lineup makes the festival arguably the largest Bock Beer Event in the nation every year. Other German style beers were also pouring, including Royal Weisse, Rauchbier and Pikeland Pilsner.At right, Chris Eckerd enjoys one of the first glasses of Jasper Maibock while the victorious goat relishes his moment in the sun. And sun there was, despite early predictions of rain throughout the day. The possibility of inclement weather inspired Sly Fox management to have two 30' X 60' tents erected in front of the brewpub, providing 3600 square feet of covered space which was welcome relief from a blazing May sun. "We're going to make the tents a permanent part of the event," said John Giannopoulos, "because they seem to tie everything together and make the whole thing work. Every year we get things a little bit better, I think." The Giannopoulos family owns and operates the Sly Fox locations and Pete Giannopoulos, managing partner at the Phoenixville location, concurred, while expressing his own amazement at the way the festival has grown. "Just when I think we can’t get any more people in this lot, they surprises me again." Both brothers agreed with bandleader Emil Schanta that the Bock Fest is "our own Kentucky Derby." The Schanta Band kept the crowd cheering and hoisted toasts throughout the afternoon and has become one of the welcome stapes of the festival, which is held on the first Sunday of May each year. Reporter Dennis Wright's story in The Phoenix about the event is available on line here.    
Photos by Jack Curtin |
|
POSTED 2 MAY 2008 BOCK FEST & GOAT RACE UPDATE: TENTS & ADDITIONAL PARKING ADDED The event will go on, rain or shine, and several last minute changes have been made to deal with possible bad weather and the parking situation. Two 30' X 60' tents have been rented and will be erected directly in front of Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery to provide a total of 3600 square feet under cover. Cover has also been provided for the band so that they can perform in comfort. Also, in a last minute arrangement made possible by the sale of the lot adjacent to the Pikeland Village Square parking lot, free parking will be available there as well as the Kimberton Fire Company Fair Grounds a mile west on Rt. 113 (with shuttle buses running from 10:30am until 6pm). Sly Fox extends its gratitude to STS Tire & Auto Centers, the new lot owners, for their cooperation and generosity. The party will go on. See you there. |
|
POSTED 10 April 2008 OFF-SITE PARKING ARRANGED FOR 2008 BOCK FEST & GOAT RACE In an effort to ease crowded conditions and traffic issues on Rt. 113 in front of Pikeland Village Square, and also to be fair to merchants in the Maple Lawn Shopping Center on the other side of that road, Sly Fox Brewing has arranged for off-site parking for all attendees at the 2008 Bock Festival and Goat Race on Sunday, May 4. There will be short-term parking allowed at Pikeland Village Square for customers of other businesses which are open, but anyone coming to Sly Fox will be directed to the Fairgrounds. The parking area is located at the Kimberton Fire Company Fairgrounds, roughly one mile west of Pikeland Village Square on Rt. 113. Shuttle buses will run throughout the day between there and the pub, starting at 10:30am. The last bus back to the parking area will leave Sly Fox Phoenixville at 6pm, and anyone wishing to stay can then move his car up to the pub. There will be a $2 donation to the Kimberton Fire Company required for those taking advantage of the parking and buses. "We want to be good citizens and this arrangement helps us do that, plus it has the added benefit of freeing up more space in front of and around the pub for the day's activities," said co-owner and Phoenixville manager Pete Giannopoulos. "In the past, once we used up all our parking spaces, our customers were parking across the street and filling up that lot as well, which wasn't fair to either the stores over there or the local residents who wanted to use them. Not only that, but with this event getting bigger and bigger every year, we'd have had to find an off-site parking facility in any case. This solves our problem and also allows us to help support the local fire company, which is an important resource for our community." |
|
POSTED 19 March 2008 PHOENIXVILLE COUPLE WIN FREE IRELAND TRIP Terence Bishop and Amy Coleman of Phoenixville won a free trip to Ireland on St. Patrick's Day as a result of their participation in the annual St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp conducted on Wednesdays and Thursdays at both Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville and Sly Fox Brewery & Restaurant in Royersford for the ten weeks leading up to the big day.  The couple were in attendance at Phoenixville when the winning ticket was drawn at Royersford on the first try. "I didn't even know it was drawn at the other pub," said Bishop the day after. "My wife was checking the numbers and when they went up on the board, we, and everybody else, just went crazy."Participants in Boot Camp received tickets for each night they attended. Winners of the Ireland trip and other prizes must be in attendance at one of the pubs in order to claim their prizes. Tickets from both sites are mixed together and divided between locations and are drawn alternately at each site which are in telephone communication. [PHOTO: Sly Fox owner Pete Giannopoulos, winners Terence Bishop and Amy Coleman, Sly Fox bar manager Corey Reid, the man who conceived Boot Camp. Photo by Katie Piccerillo] Bishop and Coleman have lived in this area for roughly a year and a half and he says "I go to the Phoenixville pub several times a week." She is in the Marketing Department at Cabrini College in Radnor while he works from home, selling music and books from his eBay store. "I was working at half.com, an eBay company in Conshohocken, and when they cut back on the staff and I was let go, I figured I use what I'd learned. So far, it's been going pretty well." Bishop has never been out of the U.S. before other than a visit to Canada, but his wife has been to Ireland in the past. "We're thinking about going over in the fall at this point," says." We've already talked to some people who were there recently and they said the weather was nice then and it wasn't over-crowded with tourists. |
|
POSTED 26 February 2008 FIRST GEEMACHER KEGS ARRIVE IN U.S., SECOND SHIPMENT ON THE WAY The initial shipment of beer kegs produced by Geemacher LLC, a partnership between Sly Fox Managing Partner John Giannopoulos and Christian Messmacher formed last spring, arrived from China in January and the 850 units (500 half-kegs, 350 sixtels) are now in the hands of their purchasers: Sly Fox itself, Yards Brewing of Philadelphia, Otto's Brewery & Pub in State College, Butternuts Beer & Ale in New York, Court Avenue Restaurant & Brewing in Iowa and Mission Brewery in San Diego. A second container of pre-sold, embossed kegs shipped February 21, Giannopoulos said, adding that Geemacher hopes to introduce quarter-kegs into its line before year's end and is "really hoping to do firkins before the year is out as well. That's a pretty underserved segment of the market." The company is currently booking orders for the fifth container of kegs.  The first Geemacher kegs actually arrived in the U.S. in October, production samples which were tested by Tosca, Ltd. in Green Bay, Wisc., one of the country's leading companies servicing and managing returnable containers.Geemacher's manufacturing partner is an ISO-9002 certified stainless steel manufacturer located in Penglai in northern China. Currently, all kegs are embossed at the factory but Giannopoulos and Messmacher are in the process of developing a piece of equipment which will allow them to emboss already assembled and formed kegs in their Royersford warehouse. "Kegs at the factory are embossed while the metal is still flat, so it's a bit tricky figuring out to do it on a curved surface." Giannopoulos said. "Our business plan is to cater to craft brewers and we want keep a inventory of blank kegs in our warehouse so that, when someone calls and needs 50 of them right away, we can emboss the buyer's name right there and ship them out within two or three days." "While we are hearing that our prices are a little lower than those of our competitors," he noted, "we're not selling on price, but on service." The new company was created to meet a clear market demand. The rising price of stainless steel, an increase in stolen or non-returned kegs by customers who then sell them for scrap, the loss of the major US manufacturer of kegs last year and the need arising from the growth of the craft beer segment in recent years have made it both expensive and difficult for breweries to buy additional cooperage. |
|
POSTED 18 February 2008 DUNKEL LAGER, INCUBUS TRIPEL HONORED IN USBTC WINTER JUDGING Sly Fox Dunkel Lager was named Best of the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast region in the Dark Lager category at the recently completed United States Beer Tasting Championship Winter Competition judging. Incubus Tripel finished second in the regional voting among all Belgian Ales and both Odyssey Imperial IPA and Christmas Ale were also highly rated, according to an email sent to brewmaster Brian O'Reilly by USBTC Co-founder Jeff Glor. The awards are part of a continuing pattern of recognition at USBTC competitions since the brewery's packaged products were first entered in 2006. In the Summer 2007 judging, Saison Vos was selected as the best Saison the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast regional judging and Phoenix Pale Ale was given an Honorable Mention in the Pale Ale category. For Summer 2006, Rt. 113 IPA was named the best India Pale Ale in the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast Region. The United States Beer Tasting Championship is a semiannual event that strives to identify the best tasting beers in the United States. The competition is held in multiple stages, beginning with a series of field trials wherein judges sample beers of similar styles and select the best to advance on to subsequent rounds. Field trials determine regional winners in each category and the top beers are then pitted against each other in order to name a national grand champion. The USBTC is held each year in two separate sessions, one in July (for spring/summer beers) and one in December (for fall/winter beers). |
|
POSTED 9 February 2008 SLY FOX RECORDED GROWTH OF OVER 29 PERCENT IN 2007 Sly Fox Brewing Company recorded a 29.3% overall increase in production in 2007 and moved to just shy of $1 million in total beer sales. Total barrelage was 4,643, up from 3,600 in 2006. Specifically, 4,290 barrels of the total were brewed in Royersford, a 32% increase, and 353 barrels were brewed in the Phoenixville brewpub, a slight increase over 2006. In terms of dollars, sales broke down to 52% draught, 22% bottles, 26% cans in the company's second full year of packaging in addition to draught. "A big key to our performance was the change in wholesalers to Origlio here in the Philadelphia market and Manhattan in the New York City market, two of the largest and best wholesalers in the East," says managing partner John Giannopoulos. "To have that type of higher profile distribution allowed us to penetrate the market a little bit deeper and faster. We're going to concentrate our efforts on growing the existing Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey markets even further in the immediate future. We have no plans to enter any new markets in 2008, except maybe to fill in some areas in Pennsylvania where we're not represented, perhaps make some changes in the western part of the state. We will eventually expand, of course, but we want to do it right and not overreach our capabilities to meet demand. Our long term goal is to be at 10,000 barrels by 2010, which means maintaining about the same rate of growth we had this year." "Slow and steady is the way we want to approach things," agrees brewmaster Brian O'Reilly. "The idea is to stay in this plant as long as we can, until it makes sense to jump to a 40bbl brewhouse rather than spending money to move the current brewhouse and then outgrowing it in a couple of years. Ideally, when we do move, it will be to a new brewery of our own rather than a rented space. Maybe that's just a dream, but it's a nice dream."  The existing Royersford brewery grew considerably in 2007, with the addition of two 40bbl fermenters and three 40bbl brite tanks (its first). Overall, there are now nine 40bbl fermenters and six 20bbl fermenters along with the three brites. Crowded conditions in the plant, especially when there are pallets of contract brews for clients like Southampton Publick House of New York and Brewers Art of Maryland awaiting pick-up, will be alleviated greatly by a new off-site 7,000 sq. ft. warehouse which includes a large cold box, a used unit which the company purchased and refurbished. Deliveries of glass, malt and other supplies are already being received there and, once the cold box is fully operational, shipping will be moved there as well.(The photo at left shows the nearly full current cold box at the Royersford site, a condition which will be alleviated when the new box is ready and both kegged and packaged beers can be moved to the offsite location for pickup by wholesalers.) "It's somewhat inefficient, trucking beer over there for shipping and supplies back over here when we need them," says brewery operations manager Tim Ohst. "The ideal would be to have the space to do everything right here. But it's all part of making this plant as functional as it can be and building toward that larger brewhouse and eventual move." A new piece of equipment which went online last fall is an inkjet date coder for cans. "It cost us $9,000," notes O'Reilly, "one of those expenses that the public doesn't always recognize although they appreciate the information it provides. We stamp a 'best by..' date on the cans for consumers so they can be sure the beer is fresh. It helps us as well. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of everything just based on our memories or to know exactly when beer returned from a wholesaler was actually brewed and packaged." O'Reilly and Ohst say that just keeping up with demand for the existing year-round beers and the large number of existing seasonals and special releases will preclude the introduction of many new products this year, but that there are places for an Imperial Stout and a Smoked Weizenbock on the schedule, the latter a style requested by Mike "Scoats" Scotese of the Grey Lodge Pub. "Scoats has been one of our great supporters from the beginning," O'Reilly laughs, "so we try to give him what he wants." The brewers also assure concerned fans that the IPA Project, imperiled by the current industry hops crisis, will survive. "We have commitments now for enough hops to do ten varietals," Ohst says. "We might not make that many if something goes wrong, but we will definitely have enough beers to make the program work. Also, by switching to sixtels for off premises accounts rather than halves, we will be able to expand the Project further into the New York market, where there is incredible demand." Another item that customers have shown a strong interest in, O'Reilly's Stout in nitro cans, has moved to an experimental stage. "We finally got in a half pallet of 16oz widget cans," says O'Reilly, "and doing that wasn't easy, trust me. We are going to be testing them to see what we can do. The big issue is getting the amount of nitrogen in equal proportions into every can using our canning line. Even if we can achieve that, it would take a really large investment of funds. I'd say this year would be a long shot for that project, but we want to do it if we can pull it off." Finally, the dormant cask ale program still lurks enticingly just over the horizon. "We want to do it, we have the handpumps in place in Phoenixville, we just need the time and the money to buy enough firkins, assuming we can find firkins," says O'Reilly. "I really want to make true cask ale, do it right, because I think we could build a real customer base for that product. And it would be a smash hit for New York, where they do a lot more real cask ale than we do down here." Sly Fox has a broad and probably unique packaging program featuring its four canned beers, Pikeland Pils (a Gold Medal winner at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival), Phoenix Pale Ale, Royal Weisse and Dunkel Lager. The first two are year-round releases; the latter two are spring/summer and fall/winter seasonal releases. There are five beers packaged in caged, corked 750ml bottles: Ichor Quadruple, Incubus Tripel, Saison Vos, Black Raspberry Reserve and Christmas Ale. The flagship Rt. 113 IPA is available year-round in the increasingly popular 22oz "dinner bottle" size, Oktoberfest and Odyssey Imperial IPA are released in that format seasonally and there is a rotating 22oz-packaged beer released every January. In 2007 it was Instigator Doppelbock (a Bronze Medal winner at GABF 2007); for 2008 it is Gang Aft Agley Scotch Ale. In addition to the year-long IPA Project, which culminates on IPA Project Day each December, a date on which all the varietals are on tap at once and Odyssey Imperial IPA, brewed with all those varietals, is released, Sly Fox has two other major events which draw beer aficionados from states as far away as North Carolina and Maine to its Phoenixville Pub. The annual Bock Festival and Goat Race is held on the first Sunday of May and is marked by the release of the annual Maibock, which is named on the spot after the winning goat in the day's multi-heat competition, and the Robbie Burns Birthday Bash every January, celebrating Scotland's most famous poet, during which Gang Aft Agley makes its annual debut. Finally, the annual ten-week St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp draws a steady stream of O'Reilly's Stout fans to both the Phoenixville and Royersford locations from mid-January to March 17, at which a drawing determines the winner of a free trip to Ireland. |
|
POSTED 22 October 2007 MORE HONORS FOR SLY FOX BEERS AS USBTC SELECTS SAISON VOS BEST SAISON IN MID-ATLANTIC/SOUTHEAST REGION Sly Fox Saison Vos was selected as the best Saison the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast regional judging during the 13th annual United States Beer Tasting Championship (USBTC) summer session and Sly Fox Phoenix Pale Ale was given an Honorable Mention in the Pale Ale category. USBTC examined a total of 421 beers from 169 breweries across 12 different beer categories this summer. Within each category, the USBTC determined both a Grand Champion and the best entry from each of six U.S. regions: Northeast, id-Atlantic/Southeast, Midwest, Rockies/Southwest, California and Northwest/Pacific, along with an honorable mention beer when merited. While additional rankings are not revealed, USBTC officials noted in their email announcement of the awards that Pikeland Pils and Instigator Doppelbock finished third in their categories. Those two beers won a Gold and Bronze respectively at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival in Denver this month. Four other Pennsylvania breweries took various honors in the competition. Pittsburgh's Penn Brewing was both the Regional and Grand Champion in the Weisse Beer category. Victory Brewing of Downingtown took top honors in the Pilsner and India Pale Ale categories and an honorable mention behind Saison Vos in the Saison category. General Lafayette Inn of Lafayette Hill won a first among Fruit and McKenzie Brew House of Malvern won honorable mentions among Amber Ales and Pilsners. |
|
POSTED 13 October 2007 PIKELAND PILS WINS GABF GOLD MEDAL, INSTIGATOR DOPPELBOCK TAKES A BRONZE Sly Fox Beer and brewer Brian O'Reilly won two medals  at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival in Denver today, a Gold Medal for Pikeland Pils in the German-Style Pilsener category and a Bronze Medal for Instigator Doppelbock in the Strong Bock category.
This was the first double-win for both Sly Fox and O'Reilly. Pikeland Pils won a Bronze Medal in 2003 and O'Reilly won a Gold at the short-lived New Road Brewhouse in 2000. There were 47 entries in the Pilsener category and 22 iin the Strong Bock category. Sly Fox was one of five local breweries to win a Gold Medal this year and one of four local breweries to win two medals. GABF sold out completely for 2007 and a record-breaking attendance figure topping last year's 41,000 is expected to be reported when everything is tallied up. This year, 107 certified judges from seven countries tasted 2832 beers which were entered by 474 breweries in 75 style categories and 222 medals were awarded. There were 408 breweries on the festival floor, pouring 1884 beers, an estimated 25,000 gallons in all. In the photo at right, taken by Ed Levandoski, Brian O'Reilly salutes the crowd at the Sly Fox booth in the Denver Convention Center late Saturday afternoon following the Medal Ceremony. Complete results from GABF 2007 can be found here. |
|
POSTED 11 October 2007 GREEN PEPPERCORN TRIPLE IS FIRST BREWER'S ART BEER BREWED AND PACKAGED AT SLY FOX ROYERSFORD Under a contract similar to the one it has with New York's Southampton Publick House, Sly Fox Beer will be brewing and bottling four beers annually for The Brewer's Art, the popular and highly rated Baltimore brewpub. The first phase--240 cases of Green Peppercorn Triple--was completed last month. The shipment was picked up on Tuesday, October 9, and will be released at the Maryland brewpub later this month when it has finished conditioning in the bottles. "We had been exploring the possibility of doing some 750ml packaging of our beers for some time," said Brewers Art co-founder Volker Stewart. "When I was up in New York about a year ago, I picked up a Southhampton bottle and saw that it was brewed and bottled in Royersford and knew that meant that Sly Fox was doing it for them. I'd met [Sly Fox brewmaster] Brian O'Reilly at some beer shows on a few occasions and thought very highly of his beers, so one day I called and asked if they would be interested in doing something for us." Small, select contracts such as these are a boon for Sly Fox, says O'Reilly. "From a business standpoint they provide another income stream, which is always good. From a personal perspective, they offer an opportunity for us to work and brew with people we like and respect and to make beers which are among the best in the nation. This is another benefit we enjoy because we are set up to do larger bottles rather than the standard 12oz size." The primary impetus The Brewer's Art has for bottling is to keep some of its popular seasonal releases available for longer periods. "Our brewery is under a lot of pressure just to keep up with the demand for Resurrection Ale, our flagship beer," said Stewart. "Most of our seasonals are on draught for about six weeks and then gone for another year. People keep asking when they'll be back and the bottles will cut down on the time they have to wait." He added that bottles will also serve the needs of out-of-town visitors who want to take beer home. Green Peppercorn Triple was chosen to be the first bottled because it is the most popular Brewer's Art seasonal. "It was the logical one to start with because of the great demand," Volker explained. "Canard, our 8% Strong Belgian Ale, will probably be the second and then we'll decide which ones come next." The majority of the bottles will be sold on-premises, he added, although some will be released to retailers in Maryland and "a very limited" supply will be sent to Washington, DC and back here to the Philadelphia market. |
|
POSTED 06 September 2007 SLY FOX METRO NEW YORK DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS ACQUIRED BY MANHATTAN BEER DISTRIBUTORS Sly Fox beers in the metropolitan New York City area and on Long Island will now be distributed by Manhattan Beer Distributors, Inc., the fourth largest beer wholesaler in the country according to Beverage Age magazine. The first shipment to their warehouses, the largest ever in Sly Fox history, will be picked up at the Royersford brewery tomorrow. Distribution rights to the Sly Fox brand for the five-county Philadelphia area were acquired by Origlio Beverage, the largest wholesaler in the region, in April. Taken together, the two moves give Sly Fox beers extensive additional exposure and availability in two of the major beer markets in the nation. "The nice thing about all this," says Sly Fox managing partner John Giannopoulos, "is that these major distributors came after us and our brand. Both Origlio and Manhattan formed Specialty Beer divisions this year and both of them wanted Sly Fox as a major player in their expansion in the craft beer segment." "The worrisome thing about all this," laughs Sly Fox brewmaster Brian O'Reilly, "is that we have to be able to make all the beer these guys can sell. Success is wonderful but it brings with it some of its own problems. Of course, for a brewer, there are a lot worse issues to deal with than having people clamoring for your beer." Giannopoulos said that Sly Fox is looking into ways to expand its production capabilities in the short term and might consider building its own new plant in the future. "We are in the process of leasing a off-location site nearby to install a second, much larger cold box we've just acquired, as well as to store pre-filled cans and glass, and maybe some of our hops, malt and other supplies. The idea is to free up space in the brewery for additional tanks and open the possibility of running a second shift as needed to fill demand." "Beer is already moving out of here almost as fast as we can package or rack it," admits brewery operations manager Tim Ohst. "Scheduling and logistics are really vital matters at this point." Manhattan Beer Distributors serves more than 20,000 accounts through five facilities, one each in Brooklyn, Queens, Hudson Valley,and Long Island. It acquired Sly Fox by buying Niche Brands, a small specialty distributor created by Manny Calderon, primarily to sell Sly Fox beer. Sly Fox's original Philadelphia distributor was Edward I. Friedland, which had several other local craft brands and a wide range of imports, mostly Belgian, in its portfolio. Friedland was purchased by Kunda Beverage in 2006 and Origlio negotiated a deal with that company to get the Sly Fox brand early this year. Orgiglio started as a small retail operation in 1933 and expanded into distribution in the 1950s. Today the company is one of the nation's fastest-growing beer wholesalers. |
|
POSTED 19 AUGUST 2007 CRAIG LABAN SINGS THE PRAISES OF ROYAL WEISSE IN TODAY'S PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Nationally renowned restaurant critic Craig LaBan features one of Sly Fox's most popular beers, Royal Weisse, in his regular "Drinks" column in the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer this morning. In the piece, which is topped by a photograph of Royal Weisse in both its colorful blue and gold can and the traditional, logo-ed Sly Fox weissebier glass, says this: Royal Weisse is one of four canned beers offered by Sly Fox, along with Pikeland Pils and Phoenix Pale Ale year-round and Dunkel Lager, which is the winter seasonal release, alternating with Royal Weisse in the line-up.Stick your nose into the foamy crown atop a tall pint of Sly Fox's Royal Weisse, and imagine the fresh flavor of summer in a Bavarian beer garden. This amber brew from the Royersford brewery is cloudy with unfiltered yeasty flavor, and the wheat-baked aromas are vivid, tipped with banana and clove and a tangerine finish. |
|
POSTED 9 July 2007 SUMMER FUN: 2007 INCUBUS BOTTLES RELEASED, SLY FOX NEWSLETTER LAUNCHED, BLOBFEAST ADDED TO JULY SCHEDULE Incubus Tripel, one of the most popular beers produced by brewmaster Brian O'Reilly and the Sly Fox brewing team, made its 2007 debut in 750ml bottles during the monthly Incubus Friday at Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville on July 6. Cases went on sale at both Phoenixville and Royersford on that date as well and a limited supply of cases are being released to wholesalers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey this week. For the first time, draught Incubus, until now only poured at Phoenixville on the first Friday of each month, is also being released to the market, in very limited supply. Incubus Friday will continue as a monthly tradition and will regain its unique status as the on-premise draught supplies sell out. All this information, and more, became available today in the first edition of Sly Fox News, our brand new email newsletter. You can read this first issue using the link here, from a link which will now appear regularly on our opening "splash" page and, best of all, by subscribing to be sure you don't miss an issue, which can be done from within the newsletter itself, at the bottom. Sly Fox News will appear irregularly throughout the rest of 2007, as conditions warrant, and is expected to move to a regular publishing schedule in 2008. Another new "face: in the Sly Fox world is BlobFeast, being held in conjunction with the annual BlobFest celebration at Phoenixville's Colonial Theater this coming weekend. If you're not familiar with what this is all about, here's the theater's BlobFest website and this cartoon from today's Philadelphia Daily News will give you another perspective. BlobFeast will be held this Saturday, July 14, at both pubs. Phoenixville will feature a special dinner ("the BLOB-iest meal you'll ever eat") for $15.99, which includes a pint of the specially brewed (by director of brewery operations Tim Ohst) Blob Ale. At Royersford, there be a special menu as well and customers can also use the coupon to order off the regular menu. Blog Ale will also be on tap. Coupons will be available at both pubs and the theater. These will entitle users to the special $15.99 Phoenixville price and will insure that 20% of the tab of all those who submit coupons at either pub will be donated to the Colonial Theater. "BlobFest is a great Phoenixville tradition," says Pete Giannopoulos, "and we've been wanting to show our support for it and the Colonial Theater for some time. This is a great chance for us to do so and have some fun with the whole thing. Plus, carrying the celebration over to our Royersford location makes perfect sense since, while not a lot of people know it, some of the scenes from the movie were actually filmed there on the site where our brewery and restaurant now stand." About that special dinner in Phoenixville: it will feature items like "Blob-a-mole" and "Ghoul-ash" and, while nobody's talking, we're hearing a big, red Blob of stuff has been seen in the kitchen. |
|
POSTED 5 June 2007 SLY FOX'S JOHN GIANNOPOULOS FORMING KEG-MANUFACTURING PARTNERSHIP Sly Fox Managing Partner John Giannopoulos is taking a "do-it-yourself" approach to the cooperage problem which is plaguing brewers of all sizes these days, especially smaller craft breweries such as his own. Or, more accurately, "make-it-yourself." The rising price of stainless steel, an increase in stolen or non-returned kegs by customers who then sell them for scrap, the loss of the major US manufacturer of kegs last year and the demand arising from the growth of the craft beer segment in recent years have made it both expensive and difficult to buy additional cooperage for breweries trying to keep up with demand. Now, Giannopoulos and partner Christian Messmacher have formed Geemacher LLC and entered into an agreement with an ISO-9200 certified stainless steel manufacturer in China to produce 1/6, tall quarter and half kegs in that country for American breweries. The plant is located in Penglai in northern China. "I have 12 years experience as a manufacturer's rep sourcing both plastic and metal component parts and products out of China," explained Giannopoulos. "We see ourselves as an alternative source for both the mainstream brewers and for smaller craft breweries, for whom we will offer the opportunity to purchase smaller quantities at fair and reasonable prices." For the last year, virtually all kegs purchased by US breweries have been imported from Europe after South Carolina's Spartanburg Stainless, the major US manufacturer, decided to withdraw from the market and focus on its core products. Spartanburg's keg division was acquired by the Switzerland-based Franke Group in November 2006. Manufacturing was relocated to Louisiana and executive offices relocated to Hatboro, Penna. The company plans to return to the market this summer with half kegs and to add 1/6 kegs to its line in December. Geemacher Is on roughly the same schedule. The company launched at the Craft Brewers Conference in April and Giannopoulos expects to have the first 1/6 keg production samples available by the end of this month. Quarter and half kegs should be available by Fall and the company hopes to begin producing firkins before year's end. "Larger orders will be embossed at the manufacturing plant," Giannopoulos said, "but we will also maintain unembossed inventory in the US and expect to be able to do quick embossing here for lower minimum orders by year's end." Geemacher is in the process of developing a website where contact information is already posted; John Giannopoulos can be contacted via email or by phone: 610.948.3700. |
|
POSTED 6 May 2007 IT WAS SUNDAE ON SUNDAY AS A NEWCOMER (LITERALLY) EARNED THE MAIBOCK CROWN Before a roaring crowd estimated at 2500 goat-loving beer drinkers, nine-week-old Sundae raced into Sly Fox history on Sunday, May 6, to win the Maibock crown and become the youngest, smallest ever winner of the annual Bock Fest Goat Race to name the eagerly awaited seasonal beer. .jpg) Alyssa Zawislak, a 12-year old veteran of two previous goat races, brought Sundae home ahead of fierce competitors Onager and Keely and then joined Sly Fox brewmaster Brian O'Reilly in tapping the first keg of the beer which will proudly bear the name Sundae Maibock in 2007.As O'Reilly hoisted the first pint from the keg and the crowd boisterously sang the traditional German drinking song to the accompaniment of the Emil Schanta Band, which entertained throughout the afternoon, Alyssa hugged her favorite ruminant and promised to bring her back next year. "Definitely," she said. "It would be nice to have the first goat to win two years in a row." Sundae, given her smugly satisfied expression in the photo at left, seems confident she can accomplish just that (Photo by Mary Giannopoulos). Zawislak's win was a long-waited triumph for the local 4-H Goat Club. She is a member of that group which has been a prominent supporter of the Sly Fox event from its beginning. She won a $75 Sly Fox Gift Card for her family as the handler for the winning goat, while Sundae received a the traditional Gold Medal in addition to the distinction of having the Maibock named in her honor. That piece of jewelry was not designed for one as small as she, reaching down to tangle with her feet on the ground when it was slipped around her neck. The 2007 races were the most fiercely contested to date, with Sundae barely making it into the final round when she finished in a dead tie with Keely in the third heat. Keely is owned and was raced by Simmer Doughery of Chester Springs, who said her third-place finisher was a "rescue goat. The man who owned her and her sister was going to put them down, but I convinced him to sell them to me instead." Dougherty only learned of the goat races on Saturday, when a friend forwarded her a story which had appeared in the free newspaper,  The Metro, on Friday. "I'm very proud of Keely," she said. "She's big and she's fat and she almost won."Second place finisher Onager comes from a proud racing tradition. She is owned by local veterinarian Leslie Gall, who ran with previous competitor Entrekin (third last year) and finished back in the pack in heat one. Her son, Sean Bellay, led Onager across the finish line just behind Sundae. The family has had goats in every Sly Fox race and one of them has finished among the top three every time. "We've never won it all, but I think we claim to have, overall, the fastest goats in Chester County," laughed Gall, who resides in Nantmeal Village. The Bock Festival and Goat Race, which has grown steadily each year, appeared to take a quantum leap for 2007, with the crowd estimate jumping up some 700 attendees from the 2006 figure of 1800. The crowd filled the two story pub and surrounding parking lot on a festive sun-bright afternoon, enjoying the Maibock and the rest of Sly Fox's beer lineup, which was adjusted for the day to feature, aside from the flagship O'Reilly's Stout, all the Bavarian style beers which the brewing staff produces. A special German menu, together with the beer and music, made it a Sunday to remember. Especially for Sundae. (NOTE: As usual, the races made the front page of The Phoenix. You can read Dennis Wright's coverage here). |
|
POSTED 9 April 2007 ANNUAL SLY FOX BOCK FESTIVAL AND GOAT RACE SET FOR SUNDAY, MAY 6 As is the case on the first Sunday of every May, Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery will bring a touch of spring in Bavaria to Pikeland Village Square again this year. Four German-style bock beers, plus eis (ice) versions of two of them, will be pouring at the Fifth Annual Bock Festival & Goat Race, a day-long celebration which draws in excess of 1,000 visitors every spring, intrigued by the selection of outstanding beers and by event's centerpiece-- a multi-heat race in which local goat fanciers match their favorite ruminants against one another for the honor of naming the brewery's new Maibock. In addition to the Maibock (which proudly bears the name of the victorious goat and is tapped for the first time by the winning goat's owner and Sly Fox brewmaster Brian O'Reilly at the end of the final heat), Slacker Bock, Helles Bock (a vintage release this year, from 2006) and Instigator Doppelbock will be on draught; two of those four traditional bock beers will also be served as Eisbocks (beers which are frozen to remove most of the water content, to create a stronger, more flavorful beer). In keeping with the day's German influence, other favorite beers of that nation which will be featured are Royal Weisse, Rauchbier, Pikeland Pils and Helles Golden Lager. The Rauchbier ("smoke" beer), a style which is relatively rare, has been a particular favorite in recent years because it is well matched with the German menu served throughout the day as a lively Oompah band plays German music and traditionally clad dancers swirl about in front of the bandstand. The fun begins at 11am on the brewpub's patio, with goat registration starting at 12:30pm. The race heats begin at 2pm. Goat owners interested in participating can contact Phoenixville bar manager Corey Reid at 610.935.4540. While you're waiting, you can get more information, sing the Bock Fest song along with previous winner Weird Beard and run your own online goat race right here. |
|
POSTED 2 April 2007 ROYAL WEISSE BECOMES FOURTH SLY FOX CANNED BEER Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated Sly Fox canned beer of all is being officially released today as Royal Weisse joins Pikeland Pils, Phoenix Pale Ale and Dunkel Lager in that popular and highly successful packaging.  The beer, which has been available at both the Phoenixville and Royersford pubs for the past ten days began going out to wholesalers and retailers as of this morning.Royal Weisse is a traditional unfiltered Bavarian-style wheat beer made with German Pils and Wheat malts and hopped with German Northern Brewer hops. It is 5.6% alcohol by volume and the canned version will be a seasonal release for spring and summer on the brewery's schedule. It is available year-round on draught. "Of all our beers, this is the one which people have been asking about since the very first day we announced we'd be canning beers," says head brewer Brian O'Reilly. "It's been very popular on draught and is an ideal style for warmer weather at the beach or on the golf course. It's also a style that very few breweries make available in cans, especially in a traditional unfiltered form." Sly Fox's canned beers were at the heart of the brewery's stunning 94.4% growth in 2006, together with the emergence of O'Reilly's Stout as a popular addition to the taps at pubs and restaurants all over the Philadelphia region. "Now that's a beer we'd really like to get into cans someday," O'Reilly admitted, "16oz nitro cans so that it can be served at home or at a party just the way it is on draught. Unfortunately, that's a very expensive proposition and not something we can leap into at this time." |
|
POSTED 29 March 2006 TONY & STEPHANIE KRZYWANSKI OF PHOENIXVILLE WIN BOOT CAMP IRELAND TRIP A lifelong native of Phoenxiville and his wife held the winning raffle ticket in the St. Patrick's Day drawing at Sly Fox, marking the third straight year that residents of the brewery's hometown have come up lucky.  Tony Krzywanski is in the IT department at Vanguard; wife Stephanie is a self-employed meeting and event coordinator. They were married five and a half years ago. They are regulars at Sly Fox Phoenixville but this was the first year that they participated in the annual St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp promotion.The pair was shocked by their good fortune, Tony said. "We noticed the signs promoting Boot Camp at the pub in February and we tried to get there every week after that to earn our tickets, but we probably didn't have as many as a lot of people. She's the lucky one. I've never won anything, but Stephanie won a Palm Pilot in a raffle a while back and she also won a basket of wine from a winery." He added that the couple were looking at early summer to take their journey to the Emerald Isle, "maybe late June." Boot Camp, conceived by Phoenixville bar manager Corey Reid in 2003, is a ten-week program in which customers sign up to attend weekly "meetings" at either Sly Fox location to earn raffle tickets which are then tossed randomly into tubs at both pubs on March 17. Tickets are drawn alternately at the sites until the winner, who has to be present, is selected. This is the third year that a Ireland trip has been the grand prize. Previous winners were Bob and Priscilla Sager in 2005 and Ted and Amanda Siuta in 2006. |
|
POSTED 17 March 2007 FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE LISTS PHOENIX PALE ALE AS A "MUST TASTE" FOR 2007 The January 2007 issue of Food & Wine has Sly Fox's flagship Phoenix Pale Ale among its top recommendations for food and drink products its trendy readers should seek out this year in a feature entitled "100 Tastes to Try in 2007." Phoenix Pale, which is identified as "a notably spicy and hoppy pale ale," is #11 on the list, right ahead of Dale's Pale Ale from Colorado's Oskar Blues Brewing ("a rich and balanced beer") and Porkslap Pale Ale from New York's Butternuts Beer and Ale in ("a malty floral brew") in 13th position. Those three, all available in cans, were the only beers on both the original list and a second, web-only compilation of 15 additional items. The introduction to the feature reads: "New year, new trends, new flavors. Here's F&W’s guide to the 100 must-tastes of 2007." The complete list can be read online here. |
|
POSTED 5 March 2007 THE BEST LAID PLANS OF MICE AND BREWERS.... No, we're not talking about Sly Fox's Gang Aft Agley Scotch Ale, but rather a change in plans with regard to the release of Phoenix IPA, the second beer in the 2007 IPA Project series, which was scheduled to be on tap at both pubs this Friday, March 9. "Due to some mechanical and other problems at the 10bbl Phoenixville brewhouse, the new batch of Phoenix was not up to our standards and we have dumped it," brewmaster Brian O'Reilly said today. "We will re-brew it and plan to release it with Amarillo IPA on Friday, April 13, to get things back on track. Sly Fox will never release a beer to market which does not meet our high standards and might compromise our reputation. We've arranged for a special shipment of hops direct from the United Kingdom to deal with this issue and will adjust our brewing schedules as necessary to deal with the re-brew." While he offered his apologies to customers who count on a new varietal IPA from Sly Fox each month, O'Reilly suggested that there was a silver lining to all this as well. "Usually, fans of the IPA Project have to wait for the second Friday in December when all the varietals are on draught in order to taste them side by side. Come April, they'll have a chance to get a preview of that great day with both Phoenix and Amarillo on tap." |
|
POSTED 3 March 2007 IRISH TRAVEL COMPANY PARTNERS WITH SLY FOX ON IRELAND TRIP FOR BOOT CAMP WINNER Authentic Ireland Travel, a vacation and tourism company located in Ireland, will provide the arrangements and planning for the lucky winner of a free trip to the Emerald Isle in the drawing to be held simultaneously at both Sly Fox locations on Saturday, March 17, St. Patrick's Day. "Signing up Authentic Ireland as a co-promoter for the event should make it an even better experience for the winner and offer him or her several new options," said Sly Fox managing partner John Giannopoulos. "These are people with a world-wide reputation who specialize in allowing tourists to enjoy every moment they spend in Ireland." St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp began in January and is conducted every Wednesday night in Phoenixville and every Thursday night in Royersford between now and March 15, then culminates in a drawing held at both pubs simultaneously (alternating the draws between the sites) to see who will win this year's Ireland adventure. The winner must be present at one of the pubs during the drawing to claim the prize. More information about Authentic Ireland and the trip can be found right here. |
|
POSTED 22 February 2007 SLY FOX ANNOUNCES IPA VARIETAL SCHEDULE, DECEMBER DATE FOR IPA PROJECT DAY Sly Fox Brewery Operations Manager Tim Ohst announced today that the brewery will now shedule the release of the varietal IPAs brewed as part of IPA Project 2007 for the second Friday of each month, beginning with the release of Phoenix IPA on March 9. "Because the demand for these beers is greater than ever before and we can only brew a limited supply, each one will only be available at our two pubs for a limited period, probably no longer than a week," Ohst explained. "By brewing and releasing them on a regular schedule, we can make it possible for customers who want to sample every one to plan accordingly." The beers will be on tap at both Royersford and Phoenixville when the doors open each second Friday and then go to wholesalers the following week. There will be a limited release of the IPA Project series off-premises (scroll down to story posted February 9), and each will be available at the venues which signed on to be part of the year-long event at the owners' discretion. As things now stand, Amarillo IPA will be released April 13, Nelson Sauvin IPA May 11 and Chinook IPA June 8, Ohst said. "We're still tracking down the other six hops we plan to use and, since we didn't get started until February, there will be a second beer released in late November, the final varietal before IPA Project Day on Friday, December 14, when all 11 will be on tap in Phoenixville and the 2007 Odyssey Imperial IPA, brewed with all the varietals, will be released." The release events will be marked on the Sly Fox online calendar each month and fans of the series should keep an eye out there just in case, Ohst cautioned. "I'm a big fan of the 'best laid plans go awry' theory," he laughed. "If something goes wrong, either hops not getting here on time or an equipment breakdown, the schedule could be thrown off in any give month. I don't think that will happen but if it does, we'll get the information onto the calendar as soon as possible." |
|
POSTED 19 February 2007 SLY FOX TO CELEBRATE BREWER SCOTT MORRISON AS "THE DUDE IN EXILE" ON MARCH 30 When Scott (The Dude) Morrison, the award-winning brewer at McKenzie Brew House, was unexpectedly fired from his position just before Christmas because of a dispute with management, it sent shockwaves through the beer geek community. "What can we do to help?" was the question on everyone's lips, leading Sly Fox brewmaster Brian O'Reilly to come up with an unique solution. O'Reilly and Morrison are old friends, each getting his start as a brewer while working with the legendary Phil Markowski of Long Island's Southhampton Publick House when Markowski was brewing in New England, so O'Reilly has invited his old pal to brew his popular Biere de Garde at Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville on Friday, March 9. After the beer ages in the tanks for three weeks, it will be served exclusively at Phoenixville for a special, one-time-only "The Dude In Exile" beer event on Friday, March 30. O'Reilly will help Morrison with the brew and both will be on hand March 30. "This seemed like a good way to let Scott earn a few bucks and keep his hand in while he figures out his next step," said O'Reilly. "Also, it never hurts to have a very popular and very good brewer working on the premises, even if only for a day. Scott has a big following in this area and I think we'll have a great crowd to wish him well on March 30." |
|
POSTED 9 February 2007 FIRST IPA PROJECT 2007 BEER GOES ON TAP MONDAY The initial IPA Project 2007 varietal beer, Galena IPA, will go on tap at both Sly Fox locations on Monday, February 12. It is one of 11 varietals Sly Fox will release this year. Galena was among the hops used in the second IPA Project in 2005. It and the other ten varietals in this year's program will all also be used to brew the 2007 Odyssey Imperial IPA. Odyssey will be released, on draught and in 22oz bottles, on December 7 as part of a day-long IPA festival at which all 11 varietals will be on draught at Phoenixville. This event, the largest IPA event in the world held by a single brewery featuring only its own beers, always marks the culmination of this unique annual brewing program. The IPA Project series beers are brewed on the original 10bbl system at Phoenixville by Brewery Operations Manager Tim Ohst and are a limited release, draught only product. Always scarce and hard to find because of their popularity, they will be even more so in 2007, Ohst says. "The yield on this first batch was 9.5 barrels and we've already allotted 9.2 barrels, which hardly leaves me any room for spillage when I'm filling the kegs," he laughed. "That's pretty much the highest yield we can get out of the Phoenixville system. As for off-site availability, the Grey Lodge Pub, Drafting Room Exton and Union Jack's on the Manatawny all signed on for 2007 and the Conshohocken Boat House will get theirs through the Beer Yard in Wayne. The Beer Yard also gets a few sixtels to sell to retail customers, as does Exton Beverage. "In New Jersey, Andy's Corner in Bogota and The High Street Grille in Mount Holly both are on board and our New York distributor contracted an impressive eight accounts before we had to cut off orders: The Collin's Bar, The Ginger Man, George Keeley's, Barcade, Hop Devil Grill, Spuyten Duyvel, Waterfront Brooklyn and Waterfront Manhattan all signed on right away. The result of this is that we've even had to cut back the amount of beer we kept for our own pubs, so each release will disappear from our taps rather quickly, I'd guess within a week or so. The nice thing is that there's always another one coming up, and another after that." A massive warehouse fire in Yakima, Washington, which destroyed roughly two million lbs. of U.S. grown hops last October, has left several varieties in short supply or completely sold out for the year, Ohst said, so only the next four brews following Galena have been determined. They will be, in order: Phoenix, Amarillo, Nelson Sauvin and Chinook. "Nelson Sauvin is a high-alpha hop from New Zealand with a great aroma," he said, "and I'm looking forward to working with it." He added that availability will determine the rest of the hops used and that New Zealand varieties will likely be involved further. "There's a hop called Sticklebract that I'm attracted to if only for its name." |
|
POSTED 22 January 2007 SLY FOX NEARLY DOUBLES PRODUCTION IN 2006 Sly Fox Brewing recorded a 94.3% increase in production last year over 2005, reflecting the first full year of packaged as well as draught beer. Twelve new packaged products, both year round and seasonal, were introduced and distribution expanded beyond the primary Philadelphia regional market into Western Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. Going back even further to 2004, when the 20bbl Royersford brewery was up and running only the last two months of the year, the production growth last year was 206%. The total barrelage packaged was 3,600, with all but 343 barrels of that produced in the Royersford plant. "I don't know for sure, but I have to believe that the production levels we hit, and especially the number and variety of packaged beers we brought to market, set some sort of record," said brewmaster Brian O'Reilly. "We released five beers (Ichor Quadruple, Incubus Tripel, Saison Vos, Black Raspberry Reserve and Christmas Ale) in caged, corked 750ml bottles, four beers (Rt. 113 IPA, Instigator Doppelbock, Oktoberfest and Odyssey Imperial IPA) in 22oz `dinner' bottles and three beers (Pikeland Pils, Phoenix Pale Ale and Dunkel Lager) in 12oz cans. "That's a dozen new beers on the shelves, ranging from good solid everyday beers to some of the more difficult and innovative styles. I think it was an astonishing achievement." "2006 was a pretty good year for us," Sly Fox Brewing managing partner John Giannopoulos said, then he laughed. "Okay, a very good year. But we made some mistakes along the way and had a few unexpected problems, so there's still a lot to do. We don't expect to see anything close to that growth this year--nor do we want to grow at that sort of rate. One of the big mistakes in any new business is to grow too fast. Everybody here wants to see us reach that magic $1 million sales level, of course, but that will come in due time. "Our attention in 2007 will be focused on our existing markets, especially our home market, making sure we expand our taps and sales at a manageable rate and that we maintain and even improve quality control." O'Reilly agrees. "I think we have to be both practical and realistic at this point. We now have a year's worth of statistical evidence on all our core brands and package products, information which will help us set our guidelines for the coming months. We will move forward slowly for the most part and don't expect to add any additional markets while we solidify those we already have. "Only one new packaged product is currently in our plans, the long-awaited and, from what we've heard, highly-anticipated canned version of Royal Weisse, which is scheduled for this spring. Otherwise, we plan to cut back a bit. For example, Ichor, which will be released this month, is going to be draught-only for 2007. However, we did hold back some cases from 2006 so that we can offer a 'vintage' version through selected outlets and maintain its identity as an on-shelf product. "A big new project for 2007 will be the creation of a true, British-style cask ale for the Phoenixville pub, where we've already installed three handpumps. The plan is to have that cask-only beer available at all times and to use the second and third pumps for special releases and on Third Friday Firkin Fest nights and other special occasions. "With the Friday firkin night and Incubus Friday as monthly events, plus the Robbie Burns Birthday Bash every January, the ten-week St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp from January to March, the Bock Festival and Goat Race on the first Sunday of May and the IPA Project Day in early December, I think our events programming is solid as it stands. Maybe we can come up with something for summer or early fall, though. We'll see." Not surprisingly, given the output, the Sly Fox brewing staff has doubled in size since the plant opened in November 2004. O'Reilly and director of brewing operations Tim Ohst are now supported by brewer Steve Jacoby, who came aboard in early 2006, and assistant brewer Keith Barnaby, who was added at the beginning of this year. |
|
POSTED 11 January 2007 LAST YEAR'S IRELAND TRIP WINNERS CHECK IN WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF OF THEIR "WONDERFUL TIME" JUST AS ST.PATRICK'S DAY BOOT CAMP 2007 GETS UNDERWAY The Fifth Annual St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp started last tonight at Phoenixville and continues tonight at Royersford, and last year's winners of the ten-week event's grand prize--a free trip to Ireland--marked the occasion by sending in a trip report and photo taken on the Emerald Isle during their sojourn there last October. "Thanks to everyone at Sly Fox…we had a blast!!!" wrote Ted and Andrea Siuta when they submitted the photo below, together with their description of the grand time they enjoyed. How good was it? Not even an ill-timed Tom Jones concert could spoil their fun:  "Here we are standing in front of Ross Castle in Killarney with our Sly Fox sign! We had a wonderful time in Ireland. We opted for the self-drive tour for a week. We flew into Shannon on October 18, and left out of Dublin a week later on the 25th. They handed us the keys to a little Nissan Micra, and off we went! It took Ted about 10 minutes to get used to driving on the left, and he passed his first slow driver before getting out of the airport."We visited the Cliffs of Moher, Kilkee, Killrush, Tralee, Dingle Peninsula, Killarney, Blarney, Cobh, Middleton, Waterford, and Dublin--about 1000 miles! We stayed in B&B’s most nights, and got pub-grub for lunch and dinner. The people were great, the sights were fantastic, the beer was awesome, and the weather cooperated for the most part. Our only problem? We wanted to stay in a hotel in Dublin City but our first-choice was completely booked, even though we were traveling off-season. In fact, the next 8 hotels we called were all booked! It was all due to a Tom Jones concert on October 24! We found a very nice hotel on the 9th try. Now that Boot Camp is starting again, you can be sure that we will be back at it again! We’re actually looking forward to helping this year’s winner with travel tips. The Siutas, who had more than 50 tickets entered, earned at both sites, won on a ticket they got at Royersford and were at that pub last March 17 to claim their reward. The 2005 winners, Bob and Priscilla Sager, also of Phoenixville, won with a ticket they earned at Phoenixville. St. Patrick's Day Boot Camp will be conducted every Wednesday night in Phoenixville and every Thursday night in Royersford between now and March 15, then culminate in a drawing held at both pubs simultaneously (alternating the draws between the sites) to see who will win this year's Ireland adventure. The winner must be present at one of the pubs during the drawing to claim the prize. Details, rules, official Boot Camp ID cards necessary to participate and earn raffle tickets and, yes, perfect pints of the even more official Boot Camp beer, O'Reilly's Stout, can be found at both pubs throughout the ten-week program. "Remember, you can't win if you don't participate," cautions "Drill Sgt." Corey Reid, Phoenixville bar manager, the man who conceived Boot Camp back in 2003. |
|
POSTED 8 January 2007 SLY FOX DOUBLES THE FUN FOR FIFTH ANNUAL ROBERT BURNS BIRTHDAY BASH JAN. 19 The annual marking of the birthday of Scotland's most famous poet, Robert Burns, has become an eagerly anticipated January event at Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Pikeland Village Square; this year it will be twice the fun as the celebration falls on Friday, January 19, the same date as the pub's monthly Third Friday Firkin Fest. "No problem," says head brewer Brian O'Reilly. "The Burns Birthday event always features the release of our Gang Aft Agley Scoth Ale and we always have a cask version that night as well. This year, we'll also cask our Burns Scottish Ale to have twice the number of casked beers for what will be a double celebration." This will be the fifth annual Robbie Burns Birthday Bash at Phoenixville and will feature, as usual, the release of the two beers, a menu of Haggis and other Scottish treats, poetry reading, bagpipes and lots of folks in kilts. The last two years, a second Robert Burns even has been held a week after the birthday celebration, a Scotch and Beer Dinner at the Royersford location, but that has been removed from the schedule, O'Reilly said. "It was just a little bit more Robbie than we needed," he laughed. For more information, interested parties can call Sly Fox Phoenixville: 610-935-4540. |
|
POSTED 15 November 2006 SLY FOX HAS NEGOTIATED SPECIAL HOTEL RATES FOR IPA PROJECT DAY TRAVELERS As was the case last year, Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery bar manager Corey Reid has arranged with the Hampton Inn at 4 North Pottstown Pike (the corner of Rts. 100 and 113) to set aside a block of rooms for out-of-town or out-of-area attendees to Sly Fox IPA Project Day at the Pikeland Village Square pub on Friday, December 8. "There are a lot of strong beers being poured that day," says Reid, "and a lot of people who travel a long way to be part of what is probably the largest IPA celebration by a single brewery ever...I can say that because it gets bigger every year. It just seems like a good idea to make it as easy and affordable as possible for anyone who wants to have a good local place to spend the night." The Hampton Inn is located roughly eight miles west of Sly Fox and getting to the pub from the hotel is an easy trip straight up Rt. 113. Anyone registering and mentioning "Sly Fox" will get a special $99 rate for Friday evening. Then they can either set a designated driver for the day or use Restaurant Valet, an inexpensive local shuttle service. For reservations or more information, interested parties can call the Hampton Inn at 620.363.5555. "Last year, several people turned the trip into a whole weekend," says Reid, "and took the opportunity to come back here Saturday to try the rest of our beer lineup or to visit our Royersford brewery and restaurant, which is located only another 15 minutes drive from here. Or both. There are also many other attractions for the beer lovers in the area, including The Drafting Room, one of the area's best beer bars, just a short ride down Rt. 100 from the Hampton. Iron Hill in West Chester and Victory in Downingtown are both within about half an hour as well." IPA Project Day, which is the culmination of Sly Fox's year-long program of brewing single varietal IPAs, is marked by having all the varietals on tap (ten of them this year), plus the annual release of Odyssey Imperial IPA, a double IPA made with all those varietals. 2006 will mark the first release of Odyssey in 22oz bottles, adding to the historic aspect of the event. Full details on all the IPA Project fun are available here. |
|
POSTED 6 November 2006 CHRISTMAS ALE TO BE RELEASED FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10 The 2006 version of popular Sly Fox Christmas Ale will be officially released on draft and in 750ml bottles at both Royersford and Phoenixville this Friday. The beer has been released to wholesalers today and cases should be on retail shelves, at least in the Philadelphia market, at about the same time. Christmas Ale was the second Sly Fox beer ever to be released in bottles (after Saison Vos) last November. The brewery doubled both the draught and bottle output for 2006 based upon last year's sales and early orders. The draught version is 5.5% abv as it was last year; the bottled version has been ramped up to 6.5% so that "it's near ideal for cellaring and to make it a more warming and satisfying holiday experience," said brewer Brian O'Reilly. "A couple of comfortable chairs, a roaring fire and a bottle of Christmas Ale isn't a bad description of the perfect winter night. "This is truly a hand-made craft beer," he continued. "I doubt a big brewery could make something like this if they wanted to. We peel and chop whole ginger and whole cinnamon by hand--I still don't have the feeling back in my thumb on one hand from all that--and ground up allspice, nutmeg and cloves. Then we take all those spices and make up about 15 gallons of a `tea' which we add to each 40bbl batch. "Because of the way we add the spices, and because it's all done by hand, the beer will be slightly different each year. It's not an exact science by any means, which is part of the fun. This time, we tried to tweak things to create stronger, fresher spicy aromas because aroma is a very important element of the style. Based upon our first tastings from the tank, I think we pulled it off very nicely." |
|
POSTED 6 November 2006 SLY FOX SCOTCH ALE WILL NOT BE BOTTLED IN 2007 Despite a report here two weeks ago, it turns out that Gang Aft Agley Scotch Ale, released every January in conjunction with Sly Fox's annual celebration of poet Robert Burns' birthday, will not be available in bottles come January 2007. The original plan to do 22oz bottles of the popular brew was sidetracked by scheduling and space issues and the "startling" advance demand for Odyssey Imperial IPA, which will be released in 22oz size for the first time in conjunction with the IPA Project 2006 celebration day on December 8, according to brewer Brian O'Reilly. "There is just no way to fit it into the schedule," O'Reilly said, "even though we know that it is a perfect beer for cellaring and enjoying from a bottle. Despite the fact that our packaged beers are going out the door to wholesalers almost as fast as we can make them, a lot of floor space is tied up with pallets waiting for pickup, not-yet-filled bottles and cans and stock for the two pubs, not mention bags and bags of hops and malt. Plus we added two bright tanks recently to free up our fermenters, which we use to have to tie up when our beers were lagering. To tell the truth, if the Black Raspberry Reserve hadn't already pretty much sold out, we'd be in a real bad space problem right now. "Add in that we ran through the first canning of Dunkel Lager within days so we have to do a second one right away and that advance orders for Odyssey indicate that sales are going to be off the chart, which means we have to bottle a whole lot to be sure and meet the demand, and it just became impossible. "With a year under our belts and all sorts of information to help our planning and scheduling, we will definitely plan to bottle Gang Aft Agley in 2008. For now, I remind disappointed fans that good things are always worth waiting for." |
|
POSTED 22 October 2006 DUNKEL LAGER RELEASED AS THIRD SLY FOX BEER IN CANS Sly Fox's popular dark lager was released on draught and in cans on Friday, October 20. Dunkel Lager became the third Sly Fox beer to be packed in cans, joining Pikeland Pils and Phoenix Pale Ale and will be available to wholesalers and retailers starting tomorrow.  Dunkel Lager is a traditional Bavarian-style dark lager made with Munich, Pils and German Roast malts and a variety of Bavarian hops. It is 5.3% alcohol by volume and the canned version will be a seasonal release for fall and winter on the brewery's schedule.Royal Weisse will be added to the canning lineup next spring and will be a warm weather seasonal in cans. It is available on draft year-round and is one of Sly Fox's most popular beers both at the pubs and with the growing lists of restaurants and taverns which have added one or more Sly Fox taps as part of their regular rotation. Two more packaged beers remain to be released to complete an impressive line of bottled and canned products which began with the debut of Saison Vos and Christmas Ale in caged, corked 750ml bottles last November. Since then, in addition to the three canned beers, the brewery has produced Ichor (Quadruple), Incubus (Tripel) and Black Raspberry Reserve in 750ml and Rt. 113 IPA, Instigator Doppelbock and Oktoberfest in 22oz size. The 2006 Christmas Ale (750ml), scheduled to be released the week of November 6. and Odyssey (22oz), the Imperial IPA which will be released at the annual all-day IPA Project party on Friday, December 8, are the two beers still to come. For those keeping count, that's 13 new Sly Fox beers on the shelves. Sly Fox beers are now available in the Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh regional markets in Pennsylvania and in New Jersey and metropolitan New York. |
|
POSTED 14 October 2006 SUZANNE WOODS IS SLY FOX'S GAL-ABOUT-TOWN IN PHILADELPHIA Sales representative, public relations person or just, you should excuse the expression, Sly Fox Beer advocate? Call her by whatever title you wish, but Ms. Suzanne Woods is the new and lively face of our favorite brewery in and around Philadelphia. Woods, who had much the same duties for Boston Beer/Samuel Adams a few years back, returned to Philadelphia in 2004 to become special events coordinator at World Cafe Live and created the very successful B.E.A.T.S. Blues & Brews Exposition in January 2005. One of her early moves was to upgrade the draught beer list at World Cafe Live, adding Sly Fox and other local micros to the taps. "I'm a homebrewer and beer is my passion," she said at the time, "and brewing seems to attract a lot of people who also play music, so the combination seemed perfect." After leaving that gig, Woods did a stint at Eulogy in Old City before joining Sly Fox a few months back. She is also currently working at Royal Tavern in South Philadelphia in addition to helping the brewery expand its market. "Brian [O'Reilly] and Tim [Ohst] make great beer, so it's a joy to turn people on to it," she says. "This is more of a grass roots effort than my job at Sam Adams was, of course, since they were already well-established. I'm out there talking to the owners of bars and restaurants, setting up tastings and events and doing other cool stuff to get the whole city thinking Sly Fox." If her name seems familiar, that's because Suzanne Woods has gotten a lot of press attention of late. She is the founder of the Ladies of IPA (In Pursuit of Ale), a women's beer club in the city which meets regularly at various good beer venues to drink and talk about outstanding brews (their most recent gathering was at Brigid's in Fairmount this past Wednesday). Don "Joe Sixpack" Russell of the Philadelphia Daily News broke her cover in an an August column and stories about the group have appeared in City Paper and other venues as well. The group also has a popular MySpace site and she says she is contemplating putting a Sly Fox page up there as well. "I'm talking to everybody from a chef at the French Culinary Institute in New York to the cheese experts at Di Bruno Brothers in center city to any bar owner interested in great beer," she says. |
|
POSTED 14 October 2006 "SLY FOX BEERS DRAFT A WINNING PLATFORM" SAYS NY DAILY NEWS Respected Drinks writer Ron Givens, in a Sunday New York Daily News story on September 25 used a political analogy to sing the praises of Sly Fox's arrival in the Big Apple. " I would like to nominate the Sly Fox Helles Golden Lager as a beer to lead this great nation of ours," Givens wrote, after noting that it's easier to campaign for politicians than it is for beers. He went on to explain: "The Sly Fox Helles Golden Lager has recently come to our fair city from the honorable state of Pennsylvania. It should be on tap in every bar in this great nation of ours. "My friends, this Sly Fox promises something better with its aromas of soft malt and delicate hops. Then it delivers on that solemn pledge with solid flavor - not too much to scare away the common folk, but enough to even satisfy the nattering nabobs among us. "It is, I dare say, an Abraham Lincoln of beers. And it happens to be produced in Royersford, Pa., scarcely more than 100 miles from a little town called Gettysburg." After providing some background on Sly Fox and its history, Given's concluded this way: "For Sly Fox, [Brian] O'Reilly has created a melting pot of beers that pay tribute to styles from around the world. Several of the brewery's year-round offerings will be sent to New York City on a regular basis: Phoenix Pale Ale (All-American), Pikeland Pils (Czech), Rt. 113 IPA (Anglo-American), O'Reilly's Stout (Irish), Saison Vos (Belgium) and Royal Weisse (German). Other seasonal offerings will also come our way." "Any of those six have the strength of character to make them a fine running mate for the Helles Golden Lager." Ron Givens is the regular beer columnist for the Daily News and writes about beer and other beverage alcohol for a variety of other publications. He is also the author of Bourbon at Its Best: The Lore and Allure of America's Finest Spirits, published last March. |
|
POSTED 6 September 2006 SPUYTEN DUYVIL RELEASE PARTY SEPT. 6 MARKS SLY FOX ENTRY INTO NEW YORK MARKET One of New York's most respected beer bars will play host to a Sly Fox extravaganza tonight, Wednesday, September 6, introducing the brand into that market and fulfilling the brewery's commitment to make Sly Fox beers available in the Harrisburg and Pittsburgh markets and in New Jersey and New York in 2006. Spuyten Duyvil, located at 359 Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn (phone: 718.963.4140) will have six Sly Fox beers on draught, including Simcoe IPA on the hand pump, as well as most of the bottled and canned line available. Brewers Brian O'Reilly and Tim Ohst will also be on hand. A second Sly Fox release event, the Manhattan kickoff, will be held at The Collins Bar in Hell's Kitchen on September 13, beginning at 6pm. At Spuyten Duyvil tonight, in addition to the Simcoe IPA, Black Raspberry Reserve, Helles Golden Lager, Oktoberfest, O'Reilly's Stout and Royal Weisse will be on draught, while Ichor Quadruple, Instigator Doppelbock, Oktoberfest, Rt. 113 IPA and Saison Vos will be available in bottles, as will Pikeland Pils and Phoenix Pale Ale in cans. Niche Brands, a division of Altmann Bottling Co., will be marketing and distributing Sly Fox in New York. A shipment of 98 half barrels (Helles Golden Lager, Phoenix Pale Ale, O'Reilly's Stout, Royal Weisse, Pikeland Pils, Oktoberfest, Rt. 113 IPA, Rauch Bier & Saison Vos), plus 90 cases each of Pikeland Pils and Phoenix Pale Ale in cans is on its way to their warehouses this week. Niche Brands is still awaiting label approval for packaged products and will pick up a shipment of packaged brands when approval is received. That is anticipated to happen within days. The cans currently in their hands will be used only for samples and promotional efforts. Manny Calderon of Niche Brands said that Sly Fox products will begin appearing on draught in New York the second week of September, with packaged products to follow when label approvals are received. |
|
POSTED 1 September 2006 RT. 113 IPA SELECTED USBTC REGIONAL BEST; SAISON VOS WINS HONORABLE MENTION Sly Fox Rt. 113 IPA was named the best India Pale Ale in the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast Region in the recently completed 12th Annual Summer United States Beer Tasting competition. Sly Fox Saison Vos won Honorable Mention its category, finishing a few points behind McKenzie Brew House Farmhouse Amber Saison, which was named the Grand Champion of the style (Championship beers are the top rated ones among beers from all 12 regions in the USBTC competition). A total of 358 beers from 129 breweries were examined across the 12 different beer categories from each of six U.S. regions: Northeast, Mid-Atlantic/ Southeast, Midwest, Rockies/Southwest, California, and Northwest/Pacific. Grand Champions are named in each category, along with Regional Winners. When the voting is particularly close, Honorable Mention Winners are also named. In addition to the McKenzie Brew House beer, other local Grand Champions were Appalachian ESB and Victory St. Boisterous Maibock. Other Regional winners were Troegs HopBack Amber and Victory Lager. Additional Honorable Mentions went to Victory St. Victorious, Victory Prima Pils and Troegs Dreamweaver Wheat. This was the first time that Sly Fox packaged products were part of the USBTC judging. |
|
POSTED 30 August 2006 PHILADELPHIA MAGAZINE ACKNOWLEDGES GROWING POPULARITY OF O'REILLY'S STOUT The September issue of Philadelphia Magazine takes note of the major role of Sly Fox O'Reilly's Stout in the erosion of Guinness' market share in the local region.  Writer Marnie Old's Dining, Food & Wine column points out that O'Reilly's Stout is "Guinness’s most successful challenger" and goes on to note the beer's success in two prominent local beer venues:"Brewed in a dry Irish-stout style from premium ingredients, [O'Reilly's] has a dark, chocolaty richness that simply tastes fresher and more vibrant than the Irish import. O’Reilly’s is muscling its way onto nitro taps in former Guinness strongholds like McGillin’s Olde Ale House below Broad and Chaucer’s on Lombard. This spring, the Drafting Room had customers participate in a taste test of Guinness vs. O’Reilly’s. The results so heavily favored the local contender that both the Exton and Springhouse locations have switched to Sly Fox permanently." The column is accompanied by the striking photograph at left, which is credited to Clint Blowers. O'Reilly's Stout, a nitro-based beer, is one of Sly Fox's best-selling brands in the regional draft market and at both Sly Fox Phoenixville and Sly Fox Royersford. It is the featured beer during Sly Fox's ten-week long St. Patrick's Day "Boot Camp" in which one lucky patron wins a free trip to Ireland each year. |
|
POSTED 10 August 2006 SLY FOX OKTOBERFEST 2006 IN BOTTLES FOR FIRST TIME TOMORROW Consider Sly Fox Head Brewer Brian O'Reilly a man of his word. He told us that the first ever bottling of Sly Fox Oktoberfest would be released on August 11 and that's just what's going to happen. The 2006 version of this popular seasonal will become available both on draught and in bottles at Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville and Sly Fox Brewery & Restaurant in Royersford tomorrow. The Sly Fox interpretation is not a big Marzen style, but rather a medium-bodied, smooth and malty beer made with German Vienna malts and German hops. "It has been very popular with our customers as a draught offering in the past because it is so drinkable and refreshing," said O'Reilly. "I'll be very interested to see how it does as a packaged product." The hits just keep on coming. The next Sly Fox beer to make its bottle debut will be Black Raspberry Reserve, debuting on September 1. And Sly Fox Dunkel Lager, the third canned beer from the brewery, should appear in early October. |
|
POSTED 17 July 2006 SLY FOX ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATES FOR NEXT BOTTLED & CANNED PRODUCTS Sly Fox head brewer Brian O'Reilly today revealed the official schedule for four eagerly awaited beers, each to be released to wholesalers in bottle and on draught and available at the Phoenixville and Royersford pubs. Three of the forthcoming beers will be bottled for the first time. Oktoberfest 2006 will be released on August 11, Black Raspberry Reserve on September 1, Christmas Ale 2006 (the only one previously bottled) on October 30 and Odyssey Imperial IPA on December 11 (although it will make an "unofficial" appearance three days' earlier at the IPA Project 2006 day-long celebration in Phoenixville on Friday, December 8). Christmas Ale and Black Raspberry Reserve will be released in 750ml bottles and will have a more limited draft availability; Oktoberfest and Odyssey will be in 22oz bottles. O'Reilly also said that a third canned beer, Dunkel Lager, will be released this Fall at a yet-to-be-determined date and will be a winter seasonal in the canned product line, rotating with Royal Weisse, to be introduced next Spring. "By next spring, we will have introduced 13 packaged beers and extended distribution throughout most of Pennsylvania and into three or more additional states in less than a year and a half," O'Reilly said. "I think that's an amazing performance." If everything goes according to schedule, he added, there's more expansion news to come over the next few months. "We'll be adding two bright tanks to the Royersford brewery this Fall and we expect to be announcing a new capability in Phoenixville which should really excite serious fans of our beers." |
|
POSTED 12 July 2006 SLY FOX JOINS IN REGIONAL CELEBRATIONS OF LOCAL FOOD AND BEER Sly Fox Brewing, in addition to participating in the July 22 Good Food, Good Beer event at the Shambles in Headhouse Square, Philadelphia which is the culmination of Buy Fresh, Buy Local Week in the region, will also help kick off a Phoenixville prelude to the official week of praising local food, beer and music by donating beer for the thirsty riders of a unique biking event. Sixtels of Helles Lager and Phoenix Pale Ale from Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Pikeland Village Square will be available to cool down participants in the Bike Fresh, Bike Local tour on Saturday, July 15. This 20-mile bike ride will roam through Kimberton and Charlestown to visit a trio of local sustainable farms. The bikers will stop at each farm for fresh food tastings and informative presentations from the farmers. They will visit Sankanac at Camphill Village in Kimberton Hills, then do a 10-mile ride to Charlestown Cooperative Farm before returning to Kimberton Community Supported Agriculture Farm (CSA). Participating in Bike Fresh, Bike Local costs $25 and registration begins at 2:30 on Saturday at the Phoenixville Farmer's Market at Bridge Street and Taylor Alley, which will be the center for the day's events. The tour will leave promptly at 3pm from 415 West Seven Stars Road in Kimberton. Under 17 riders must have parental consent and all cyclists must wear helmets and sign waivers. For more information or to register, use email or call Tom at 215-620-5042. Buy Fresh, Buy Local is a promotion developed by the Philadelphia Convivium of Slow Food and Farm to City four years ago. Special events at the Phoenixville Farmer's Market will include cooking demonstrations by Philadelphia author and chef Aliza Green, "the Culinary Farmer," who also will be signing copies of her books, and the "Three Sisters Planting" which will take place in one section of the garden, demonstrating a Native-American system of gardening that combines corn, legumes (or beans) and squash or pumpkins, all of which benefit each other. For youngsters, Sparkles the Clown will be on hand, and there will also be face painting and an opportunity to participate in the planting of the Children's Garden, located near the soon-to-be completed Schuylkill River trail. Additionally, Bluegrass musicians The Joe Hillman Band will play and the Phoenixville Hospital will be on hand to do health screenings. The week officially kicks off on Sunday, July 16, with a gathering at Yards Brewing Company in Kensington. The $16 price for the 12-4:30pm event includes local food, beer, and a donation to the campaign. Local celebrations throughout the week will include free tastings of different food products, including jams, honey, free-range eggs, raw milk, pickles and farm-fresh organic produce at Kimberton Whole Foods in Kimberton Village and, on Wednesday, July 19, a celebration festival in Eagleview town center in Exton conducted by the Eagleview Farmer's Market, followed by movie night at the Sankanac CSA, 1852 French Creek Road, Phoenixville, where farmers will hold a film screening at the Hritz Barn. The audience will sit on hay bales to watch a movie projected onto the side of the barn. The second annual "Good Food, Good Beer...The Rest Is History" at the Shambles will match the food of local chefs with local craft beers and is a fund-raiser for the local Slow Food group. The event runs from 5:30 - 8:30pm and tickets are $30 for five-sample food plates or $22 for three-sample food plates. For tickets, call Slow Food at (718) 260-8000, and ask for the Rest Is History event. For a complete listing of Buy Fresh, Buy Local events throughout the week, visit www.buylocalpa.org. |
|
POSTED 4 July 2006 SLY FOX OPENS THE PITTSBURGH MARKET WITH LARGEST SHIPMENT EVER Sly Fox shipped its largest beer order to date at the end of June, sending some 65-70 bbl of beer to Pittsburgh to fulfill its promise to open the western Pennsylvania market this summer. The 10-pallet shipment consisted of 23 half kegs and eight sixtels each of O'Reilly's Stout and Rt. 133 IPA; 13 half kegs of Phoenix Pale Ale ("It would have been more but that's all we had available," said brewer Tim Ohst); 70 cases of Saison Vos and Rt. 113, 28 cases each of Incubus, Ichor and Instigator Doppelbock, and 90 cases each of Phoenix Pale and Pikeland Pilsner. Sly Fox signed on with Tony Savatt, Inc., one of the big players in the Pittsburgh market. The family-owned distributorship was founded in 1935 and is the wholesaler for Pittsburgh Brewing (Iron City) in the region, as well as for Jones Brewing (Stoney's) and High Falls (Genesee). They also carry a wide range of Belgian and other imports. Sly Fox will apparently be the major craft product for Savatt, which covers 27 counties and services hundreds of accounts in what is one of the nation's best beer markets. "I guess that, just as Anheuser-Busch has been working feverishly to align their distributorships with craft breweries in order to play a role in the only part of the beer business which is showing steady growth, Savatt has signed Sly Fox with the same idea," opined Ohst. "This should be a very good fit for us." Good fit indeed. Let the record show that two Pittsburgh Sly Fox fans were so eager, they went directly to the Savatt warehouse as soon as they heard the news to claim the honor of making the first purchase of Sly Fox beers in western Pennsylvania. Sly Fox is distributed in the five-county Philadelphia market by Kunda Beverage of King of Prussia, in the nine-county Harrisburg Market by Westy's Beer Distributors of Camp Hill, in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding counties by Stockertown Beverage of Stockertown, in Berks County by The Beer Mart of Reading and in New Jersey by Hunterdon Brewing Company of Phillipsburg. Negotiations are ongoing for distribution in New York. |
|
POSTED 30 May 2006 STEPHEN BEAUMONT TALKING TIN...AND SLY FOX In the May feature article at Stephen Beaumont's World of Beer website, the renowned beer writer waxes rhapsodic about the beers of Sly Fox brewer Brian O'Reilly, using the introduction of Phoenix Pale Ale and Pikeland Pils in cans to argue that canned brew may well be the future of craft brewing. After describing his visit to the Royersford brewery in March and noting that "Sly Fox is a brewery that has made its presence increasing felt on the mid-Atlantic beer scene, largely through such impressive ales as their Jake's ESB, Saison Vos and a 10% alcohol quadrupel called Ichor," Beaumont writes of an April visit to Finland where "most packaging craft breweries...have willingly, even enthusiastically embraced the half-litre can." "And to that I say, why not?" Beaumont continues. "Here at home, particularly in the summer, I am not adverse to the occasional 500 ml can of Pilsner Urquell, which, despite the fact that it is also sold locally in two different bottle sizes, I will buy instead of the green glass bottles ten times out of ten. True, they're not as aesthetically pleasing as the bottles, but at least I know with a can that I'll be getting non-light struck beer, a quality I can in no way guarantee from the bottles, unless I choose to endure the grumpiness of a clerk when I ask them to get a fresh case from the back and open it in front of me. "As I understand it, micro-canning lines like that of Sly Fox are now available and affordable for the small brewery. Which leads me to expect that other craft breweries may be following the Oskar Blues and Sly Fox lead sooner rather than later, and that some day a Pittsburgh or Seattle beer fest might feature as much canned ale and lager as did the Helsinki Fest. "It's a development that I, for one, will embrace wholeheartedly." You can read Beaumont's "Talking Tin" in its entirety here. |
|
POSTED 8 May 2006 A MAIBOCK BY ANY OTHER NAME...HAN WINS THE HONOR FOR 2006 He came, not from a galaxy far, far away, but nearby Kulpsville, and when a goat named Han had finished his work yesterday, he had garnered for himself the distinction of having the 2006 Sly Fox Maibock named in his honor (complete with a fancy medal to wear around his neck), and he had also earned for his owner, Brett McFarland, $75 gift card good at Sly Fox pubs in Phoenixville and Royersford.  Han, named for the popular Star Wars character, Han Solo, was the winner of the fifth annual Sly Fox Goat Race yesterday, triumphing over fellow ruminants Hella (second)and Willie (third) in the day's final heat. Defending champion Savannah was a late scratch, withdrawing Sunday morning due to a hoof injury.The race is the centerpiece of the yearly Bock Festival at Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville's Pikeland Village Square, held the first Sunday of May. Saying that each year's edition draws record crowds is almost a standard line in newspaper reports of the event: a front page story in this morning's Phoenix by reporter Dennis J. Wright estimated yesterday's massive gathering in bright warm sunshine at 1,800 people, nearly doubling the crowd estimate from 2005. The day celebrates not only the new Maibock, a traditional spring beer which is tapped and poured by head brewer Brian O'Reilly and the owner of the winning goat immediately after each race as eager beer lovers crowd around, but the entire range of O'Reilly's bock brews, which are quickly gaining a national reputation. Slacker Bock, Helles Bock, Instigator Doppelbock and ice versions of the latter two (beers which have been frozen to allow the water to be removed, creating a stronger, even tastier beer) were also on tap, along with other German style beers, throughout the day. A German menu and German band added to the festive atmosphere. McFarland said he was told about the Sly Fox race by friends and entered Han "to have some fun. I was surprised when we won but he was focused on getting to the finish line in both his first heat and the final one." McFarland did acknowledge that he'd trained Han a bit for his racing debut. "I ran him around few times to get him used to the leash." Han's sister, Leia (what else?) was also in the final heat, finishing back in the pack. Wright's story in the Phoenix can be read online right here. |
|
POSTED 6 April 2006 PHOENIXVILLE COUPLE WINS IRELAND TRIP AFTER FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OF THEIR FAVORITE BARTENDER Call it serendipity. Ted and Amanda Siuta of Phoenixville certainly do. The Siutas, who live on Hunsberger Road, were the grand prize winners of a trip to Ireland at a drawing held at the Sly Fox pubs in Phoenixville and Royersford on St. Patrick's Day.  The prize was the culmination of the ten-week Boot Camp Program in which customers who signed up attended weekly "meetings" at either Sly Fox location to earn raffle tickets which were tossed randomly into tubs at the pubs on March 17. Tickets were drawn alternately at the sites until the winner, who had to be present, was selected.The Siutas, who had more than 50 tickets entered, earned at both sites, won on a ticket they got at Royersford and were at that pub on March 17 to claim their reward. Last year's winners, Bob and Priscilla Sager, also of Phoenixville, won with a ticket garnered at Phoenixville. Ted and Amanda, a computer programmer and data c |