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.

Day 422: Sly Fox Brewing Co.

As promised, this is the second installment of my Chester County (Pennsylvania) beer tour. I'm obviously doing this in no particular order. I started in the middle, went to the last stop and perhaps on Tuesday you'll hear how it all began.

We wrapped up the tour at Sly Fox Brewing Company. As much as I lamented the lack of bars and restaurants in yesterday's post, Sly Fox was brewing great beer and serving up excellent food when we lived not far from their original location in a shopping plaza in Phoenixville.  They've since moved and now a new brewer is in their old digs (Note to self: Visit new brewer in old digs.)

I wanted to love the new location. Honestly it's only new to me. They've been on Route 113 in Phoenixville since 2010, but for whatever reason I'm only now getting there. So much beer. So little time. But I digress. The Brewpub and Eatery is just not doing it for me. It felt cold and impersonal--not at all what I was used to at their old place. That one had a fun, fox hunt clubby vibe. Lucky for me, their beer did not disappoint.

That is the Chester County Bitter--an English bitter ale--after being poured from the hand pump. It showed an orangey amber color with a thick, exceptional white head. The smell is honey and biscuits. It tastes like a creamy, honey-infused IPA. Quite delicious. Big mouthfeel. It brings it home with a mildly bitter finish. Overall a good beer that's never disappointed me.

Beer stats 

Style: English Bitter

ABV: 4.5%

IBUs: 38

Rating: Good

Previously reviewed from Sly Fox

Gary's review of the Bitter and the post where he awards his Beer of the Year winner!

His review of Grisette and the post where he awards Best Label Art

My review of Ichor the beer with a rambling summary of 2011 and random knowledge of ichor from Greek mythology

Beer of the Year!!

Day #411 Chester County Bitter / Sly Fox Brewing Company, Phoenixville, PA
Previously from this brewery: Grisette and Phoenix Pale Ale from me, and Ichor from Marci

Once again, after a short delay it's time to get back into Blog Named Brew awards ceremony mode, and tonight I'm handing out my most coveted prize, Beer of the Year.  One of the most enjoyable parts of undertaking this adventure and subsequently writing about the experience has been sampling an enormous variety of beers, from breweries quite literally around the globe.  From previous experience, I could have predicted a few beers that were going to end up on my Top 25 list for the year, but more often than not I was blown away by something new or unexpected.  I won't recap the entire Top 25 here, but allow me to point out the beers that were hands down, far and away, THE best beers from the entire list of 366.  The exclusive and amazing nominees for Beer of the Year are:

Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar Blues Brewing Company
Fantome Saison, Brasserie Fantome
Barrel 45 Wet Hop Wild Racer 5, Bear Republic Brewing Company
Sang Noir, Cascade Brewing Barrel House
Supplication, Russian River Brewing Company
Petrus Aged Pale, Brouwerij Bavik
Bitter Monk, Anchorage Brewing Company
Heady Topper, The Alchemist
Duchess du Bourgogne, Brouwerij Verhaeghe

All of these beers stand head and shoulders above the crowd and are winners in their own right, but in the end, there could only be one to cut down the nets, or hoist the trophy, or do a victory lap, or whatever sports analogy you want to drop in here.  And that beer is.....

Bitter Monk, from Anchorage Brewing Company!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I wrote that last sentence, stared at it, deleted it, and wrote it over again about five times.  I had Sang Noir in there, I had Heady Topper, I had Dale's, I had the Duchess in there.  But in the end, I chose Bitter Monk.  Any of the beers I just named could have been the big winner, and I would have been 100% comfortable with that decision.  Considering that I'm going back to memories and notes from beers drank over the past year (and then some), there's more art than science in this decision.  Maybe in year two, I'll apply more science, but until then, join me in congratulating Anchorage Brewing for an amazing, outstanding beer.

Now that I'm salivating thinking about all of the killer beers I've had over the past year, I'll go ahead and drop today's review in - Chester County Bitter, from near-by Sly Fox Brewing.  In the glass, this beer has a pleasant apricot color with a fluffy white head, and was poured from the hand pump.  The aroma is light, with good malt and hop presence.  When you take a sip, you notice the creamy texture first, and then find some light lemon, toffee and caramel from the malt, and then a decent bit of hops and pine.  A very nice beer from an old friend.

That just looks delicious

If you visit Sly Fox in person, they have a large number of beers on tap which are not (as of yet) distributed in cans.  So... you should go ahead and visit.

Thing to Think About Today:
I took the afternoon off to get a new battery put in my car.  Not exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon, but it beats jump starting my car every morning.  I was about due for a new one, but the Arctic weather in our neighborhood these days sped that timeline up greatly.  Courtesy of the nice people at Berger Family Dealerships, I'm back in action and ready for whatever else Mother Nature throws at us for the remainder of winter.  To celebrate my car again having power, we close with The Power, by Snap.  Stay warm, my friends, stay warm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUb_S4e-Rd4

Beer, Broadway, and Big Winners

Day #371 Grisette / Sly Fox Brewing Company, Phoenixville, PA 
Previously from this brewery: Phoenix Pale Ale, Ichor

Our first award for the past year was the Worst Label Art category, so let's put a more positive spin on things and present an award for the Best Label Art.

The Nominees:
21st Amendment - Hell or High Watermelon
Breckenridge Brewery - Agave Wheat
Brouwerij Verhaege - Duchess du Bourgogne
Brasserei Fantome - Fantome Saison
Hop City - Barking Squirrel
John Smith's - Extra Smooth
Rust Belt - Coke Oven Stout
Brasserie La Choulette - Sans Culottes
Spring House - Seven Gates

And your winner?  A round of applause, please, for Brasserie Fantome!

Winner!

I tend to gravitate toward designs that are clean, classic, and noticeable in a crowd.  Fantome definitely hits those marks with their simple, but effective and fun ghost logo.  I realize this category is unfair, as I wasn't considering any of the breweries or beers we had on draft, just those we had in a bottle.  Hey, life isn't fair.

Plenty more awards to come over the next few days, so stay tuned.  I'll go ahead and shift gears to today's beer, the Grisette from local brewery Sly Fox, which was on draft at Teresa's Next Door.  In the glass, this beer has a cloudy, hazy straw color with a fluffy white head.  There are aromas of citrus and yeast, and when you take a sip you find more yeast, with grain, grass, and lemon, with a touch of peppery spice.  This beer is really well done - dry and light, with a manageable 5.6% ABV.  I could (and at some point probably will) drink this beer all day.

Tastes as good as it looks

If you aren't familiar with grisette, you will be in the future as more breweries are turning out their version of a traditional Belgian ale.  A Grisette is similar to a saison, and takes its name from the the French working class women who wore plain gray dresses and handed beers to workers as they would leave the mines (and were sort of also prostitutes).  The grisette is a popular figure in art and literature, and features prominently in the popular show Les Misérables, as the character Fantine is considered a grisette.  Although, I think I would like Les Mis more if they handed out beer, like back in the old days.  Just saying.

Thing to Think About Today:
Okay, so I'm dropping Les Mis references into my beer write up today.  Yeah, I try to pretend that I'm all cultured, but in reality, I don't terribly enjoy Broadway musicals.  I'm sorry, they're just not my thing.  We see shows every now and again, and I can certainly appreciate the immense talent those performers have, but it's not my preferred form of entertainment.  UNLESS.....

Unless, of course, that Broadway show features extremely profane puppets, such as the delightful Avenue Q.  The tale of a young puppet who moves to New York after graduating college and learns lessons about life, love, lowered expectations, porn, racism, Gary Coleman, and the reality that life sometimes just isn't all that that great.  This show is without a doubt one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my adult life, and if you've never seen it, you need to think about getting tickets to the next possible show.  For a preview, check out this wonderful rendition of It Sucks to Be Me.  I highly recommend listening to this whenever you have a bad day - guaranteed to make you feel better about yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7N6KrVrG8I

FOXY!

Beer #298 Phoenix Pale Ale / Sly Fox Brewing Company, Phoenixville, PA

Anyone notice that we're quietly creeping up on day 300, right?  I mean, can we pause to recognize the fact that we've put down almost 300 different breweries in almost 300 days?  <pause for applause>

With that out of the way, let's get down to beer #298, the Phoenix Pale Ale from Sly Fox Brewing Company.  We used to live right around the corner from their original location, and it was our go-to destination any time we didn't feel like making dinner (which was often).  It was also our go-to destination whenever we lost power (which was often); apparently, whatever they did to build the development that our townhouse was in angered the Gods, as we'd lose power any time winds gusted over 10mph.  So, what I'm trying to say is: I've spent a lot of time with the good people of Sly Fox and their very good beers!

The Phoenix Pale Ale pours with a bright and clear amber color, with a thin white head.  You pick up the pleasing aroma of pine and citrus, but nothing overpowering.  The taste is quite good - notes of citrus fruit, with some light caramel and a mild hop bitterness on the finish.  Good mix of bitter from the hops and sweetness from the malt.  This beer hits just the right spot at 5.1% ABV, and I can't recommend this one enough.  Find it, drink it.

Beer on the sly.

Sly Fox opened in 1995, I moved into the neighborhood in 2001, and just one year later they were starting to distribute their beer outside just the brewpub.  In fact, their product became so popular they've since opened a second restaurant location and moved into a larger production facility.  Coincidence?  No, clearly not.  I am a trend setter, and you are all welcome.

Thing To Think About Today:
There has never been a better marriage of brewery and thing to think about. EVER.  Sly Fox Brewing Company, meet not quite legendary 80's band Sly Fox!!!  And now my good friends, I do believe it's time for: Let's Go All The Way!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpHR3lDoyog

Did you watch that video?  Because holy shit - the 80's were INSANE!

Beer #22: Sly Fox Ichor and a Look Back at 2011

I had intended to write this post yesterday, but instead found myself letting off a bit of steam about 2011.  So in honor of the first day of a fresh clean year, I'm going to look back at 2011 and hopefully learn something.  (fingers crossed!)

1.  What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?  I started blogging.
2.  Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?  I don't do New Year's resolutions.  I guess the answers are no and no.
3.  Did anyone close to you give birth?  A lot of people, in fact.
4.  Did anyone close to you die?  Really Internet asking list, yes, someone very close to me did die.
5.  What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?  More time in so many ways.
6.  What countries did you visit?  Sadly none.  Maybe I'll make it to Israel in 2012.
7.  What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?  July 15.
8.  What was your biggest achievement of the year?  I found a strength that I didn't know I had.
9.  What was your biggest failure?  Running.
10.  Did you suffer illness or injury?   There were a few days of a funky toe that concerned me.
11. What was the best thing you bought?  iPad2
12. Where did most of your money go?  Beer and food and that was before I started this blog!
13.  What did you get really, really, really excited about?  Celebrating ten years of marriage with Gary!
14. What song will always remind you of 2011?  Young the Giant, My Body
15.  Compared to this time last year, are you...happier or sadder? Happier.  ...thinner or fatter? Fatter.  ...richer or poorer?  Richer.
16.  What about...more or less likely to decide inanimate objects looked like boobs?  More. Although I do tend to see more penises where there aren't penises.  ...more or less likely to watch Glee?  No cable, no Glee.
17.  What do you wish you’d done more of?  Saved more money, less going out to dinner, spend more time with my Mom.
18. What do you wish you’d done less of?  Procrastinating at work.
19.  What was the best book you read?  Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.
20.  What was your greatest musical discovery?  Beirut.  Thank you BalletX!
21.  What did you want and get?  iPad2
22.  What was your favorite film of this year?  The new Sherlock Holmes movie but I don't know the name of it.  That's how I roll.  I'll tell you about a great movie, but you need to work for it.  I can name some of the actors or at least some of the other movies that some of the actors were in...on the other hand, you shouldn't ask me about movies.
23.  What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?  I spent it in Harrisburg planning an event.  It involved politicians.  Ugh.  That's a hell of a way to turn 36.
24.  What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?  Seeing my friends more often.
25.  How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?  Take more chances.  Wear color.  That necklace is not too big.  Two patterns?  Why not!
26.  What kept you sane?  Gary
27.  Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?  Johnny Depp.  He could stand around in a bathrobe and read phone listings from Sioux City, Iowa and I would love it.
28.  What political issue stirred you the most?  Nothing.  I can't stand the bickering, name calling and stupid accusations.
29.  Who was the best new person you met?  Someone at work, who will remain nameless because I don't mix work and blog.
30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.  Breathe.
31. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  "I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, saying eh-yo, Galileo"  I love to misunderstand lyrics and sang that one all year.

***

2011 went out with a lot of laughter and many, many corks popping.  In fact, I may have champagne running through my veins today.  So far 2012 has been exceptionally lazy and that's fine with me.

Today's beer of choice is Sly Fox Brewing Company's Ichor.  It is an Abbey Quadruple coming in at 10% ABV.  It has a candied smell and is dark brown and nearly opaque in the glass.  It tastes rooty and organic like rootbeer without the overt sweetness.  I also got notes of chocolate.  It has a nice dry finish.  Overall a great beer.

Sidebar:  Upon opening the Ichor and settling in to write my review, Gary -- out of nowhere, mind you -- announces that Ichor is an interesting name for a beer as it is what differentiated man from god in Greek mythology.  That's the joy of living with a man who doesn't seem to ever forget random facts.  You get a little trivia with your beer.

Anyway, Sly Fox is always a win in my book and Ichor is no different.  If you find yourself in Chester County, stop by one of their establishments.  And check out their story when you can.

Welcome to  2012, folks!