Did You Raise $12M Today? WE DID!

Day #435 Odyssey Imperial IPA / Sly Fox Brewing Company, Phoenixville, PA
Previously from this brewery: My reviews of Chester County Bitter, Phoenix Pale Ale, and Grisette, and Marci's take on Ichor and Chester County Bitter

I'm typing this post on a quiet Sunday afternoon, with a dog curled up next to me on the chair.  While things are quiet in the house, quite a different atmosphere can be found in State College today, as the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, affectionately known to the world as THON, has officially wrapped up for another year.  I assure you, things were louder than a jet engine in the Bryce Jordan Center when the total raised was announced: an absolutely staggering $12.37 MILLION.  This money is raised entirely by college students to fight pediatric cancer (having raised over $100M through the years) and I could not be more proud to be a Penn State grad right now.

I gave my recap of my experience dancing in THON in this review last year, so I won't repeat all of it here.  However, I will once again say that dancing at THON was one of the absolute highlights of my entire existence, and I can't imagine what my life would be like without that experience.  It helped me realize the pure joy you can experience when helping others, and I've tried to carry that feeling forward ever since.

To celebrate, let's review a beer - the Odyssey Imperial IPA from Sly Fox.  This beer pours a clear, honeyed sort of copper color, and your nose immediately finds a fresh pine and citrus aroma.  When you take a sip, you get a blast of grapefruit and pine, with a good dry bitterness throughout.  You don't have to look too hard to find some caramel malt in there balancing things out, but make no mistake this beer is for the hop lovers of the world.  If you see one, I highly recommend you drink one.

Off kilter.  Sorry.

For those who didn't know, Sly Fox is a frequent supporter of Penn State; last fall, they made a very generous donation to support a scholarship fundraiser at the Penn State Great Valley campus.  Great beer, great people.

Thing to Think About Today:
I usually like to end with something humorous or witty here, making some obscure connection to the brewery or beer name with some pop culture silliness.  But today, I think I'll just leave you with this link to THON's website:

http://thon.org/

Whether you choose to support this initiative (I do), or whether there are other causes that stir your passions, I implore you think about how you can contribute your time, talent, or treasure to those less fortunate than you.  Whatever you give, wherever you give, however you give, I guarantee you'll be making the world a better place.