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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.
Originally Posted October 13, 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 a Gold at the short-lived New Road Brewhouse in 2000. There were 47 entries in the Pilsener category and 22 in 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.