Sly Fox Pughtown Porter

Val ordered this beer at Sly Fox. They had a lot of offerings on tap, and I wanted to order more, but the tasting room had this smell that didn’t sit well with me. It was a combination of an aggressive cleaner and old bread. I’m not holding it against the brewery at all, but I just couldn’t stay there for more than one beer. Anyways, I had never heard of the beer, and given it’s a draft-only, I’m not surprised. Let’s see how it fared.

ABV: 5.8%

Style: American Porter

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “A rich, robust, chocolatey and hoppy porter brewed with British pale, crystal, chocolate and black malts. The beer is hopped with American Centennial and Cascade, plus British East Kent Goldings.”

Random: This beer is “occasionally” available on draft.

The beer poured with a half a finger of white head. It dissipated rather quickly and only left a hint of lacing on the glass. The body was reddish-brown and clear, with a lot of carbonation visible. For a porter, the nose was light. I picked up ash and wood smoke with some dark malts. The taste was even more odd. It had cocoa powder and the same dark, roasted malts. But, it was aggressively bitter with pine, which overshadowed the roasted malts and smoke. The body was also light and thin for a porter with much less carbonation than expected. It had a quick finish with the pine bitterness. I was not a fan of this beer, despite being a big fan of hops. It wasn’t balanced and I would have liked a bit more carbonation. I don’t feel that it’s worth searching out.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Sly Fox Tale Chaser

The next stop on our trip was Sly Fox, which was in the middle of an industrial park. When we walked in, the tasting room had a few people, but was by no means packed. It also had a small kitchen that made pizzas and snacks. This beer is one that I had never heard of from the brewery, which makes sense, since it’s brewed for The Pub At Wegmans, which I think is a great concept. One of the things that I love about Whole Foods in Gowanus (Brooklyn), is the bar upstairs. It always has a great taplist for a reasonable price and it has a nice vibe. I haven’t been to any of the Wegmans locations that have this, but I’m putting it on the list to try.

ABV: 6.6%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to thetowndish.com, “Tale Chaser IPA was created by Sly Fox brewers in collaboration with The Pub bartenders. It has a light hops flavor with a crisp and clean citrus finish. The Tale Chaser IPA is available to enjoy throughout the summer on draught for $4 per pint exclusively at The Pub at Wegmans, as well as to purchase in growlers at any of the four Pubs. The fanciful name was chosen from among the four local Pub locations, who each presented a “Top 10″ style list of reasons that their name was the best. The winner was The Pub at Wegmans Allentown.”

Random: Weyerbacher has a beer that they exclusively brew for Pizzeria Uno’s that I still haven’t tried.

The beer poured with a one finger, white head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the glass. The body was a hazy orange with high carbonation visible, despite the cloudiness. On the nose, I got a lot of freshly cut grass and grapefruit pith. There wasn’t any malt that I found. The taste was light, but very crisp. I picked up the same grapefruit pith, but also grapefruit juice. It was grass as well with some lemon rind too. At the end of the sip, there was a touch of malt that offered a cracker note, but this was all about the hops. The body was light with high carbonation, adding to the drinkability of the beer. It had a medium length finish with grass and lemon pith. I liked this beer a lot and would make for a great barbecue beer if it more widely available.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Sly Fox 2014 Christmas Ale

So, instead of complaining about work as I usually do, I’ll share some news. We finally found
a house and we’re out of attorney review. In theory, we should be in the house by March. It has a sweet bar that I can put my kegerator in. I’m starting to get excited, despite how stressful this entire process is. Anyways, let’s get to the beer, more about the house later.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Winter Warmer

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This malty, full-bodied red ale is made with traditional mulling spices: Ginger, Clove, All Spice, Cinnamon & Nutmeg. If this one doesn’t get you into the Christmas spirit, you truly are a Scrooge.”

Random: I’m down to 21 discs on my Netflix queue.

This beer poured with a three finger, tan head that dissipated slowly and left lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, dark mahogany with moderate carbonation. The nose was filled with spices, specifically nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. There was some sweet malt present too. After a few sniffs, I picked up some cherries. The taste was spice dominant. I picked up nutmeg and allspice primarily. Then, I got some sweet malt with caramel too. There was no booze to speak of, which isn’t surprising, given the ABV. It had a thick and chewy body with high carbonation. The finish was long with spice and sweet malt. This brew was pretty good, especially when so many holiday beers are absolute booze bombs. For $6.99 a bomber, which broke down to $.32 an ounce, this isn’t an overly expensive beer and was enjoyable to drink. It’s worth seeking out.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0

Sly Fox O’Reilly’s Irish Stout

The game had finally hit the fourth quarter and I saw this brew on the draft list. I’d seen it a few times on tap in Philly bars, but never gotten around to trying it. So, hoping for a little luck from this Irish-style beer for my Eagles, I grabbed a pint.

ABV: 3.6%

Style: Irish Dry Stout

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “An Irish-style Draft Stout poured with nitrogen for a rich creamy pint. Brewed with imported Pale and Roasted malts, along with Flaked Barley, and hopped with Cascade and Target hops. Black in color, light bodied and roasty dry.”

Random: Rachel Ray is making beer meatballs on her show right now. I’m not sure how that’s going to go. They look gross to me.

This beer poured with a thick, one finger tan head on top of a black body. Due to the color, I couldn’t guess how much carbonation was in this one. As to be expected from a nitro brew, the head was insanely slow to dissipate and left lots of lacing on the glass. The nose is roasty with chocolate malt and a touch of coffee. The taste was really flavorful with roasted malts, smoke and coffee bitterness. There was dark chocolate present as well. It had a thin body with generous carbonation, which made this one a really easy drinker. It had a long finish with dark chocolate and smoke. I really enjoyed this beer and made for a great drinker during the game. I would definitely have it again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Sly Fox Grisette

I love beer in cans. It probably has something to do with the fact that I grill a lot and I find that having cans outside is much easier. Sly Fox has been canning for as long as I can remember. I saw this on the shelves during the summer and picked up a sixer to see how it was.

ABV: 5.6%

Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “Grisette is a Belgian style ale which was originally brewed in the Hainaut province to be the beer of the miners in the area, just as Saison was the beer of the farmers. It was lighter than Saison and frequently contained wheat as well as barley malt (as does the Sly Fox version). The name is derived from the French word for ‘gray,’ referring to both the drab factory frocks worn by the young women (the grisettes) who doled out pints as the men exited from the mines, and also the color of the cobblestone rock being mined.”

Random: I watched some of the Giants game last night. They looked absolutely awful…

This brew poured with a two finger white head that dissipated slowly and left some lacing on the pint glass. The body was a very cloudy light yellow color with heavy carbonation visible throughout. The nose had lemon with the typical coriander spice, Belgian yeast and wheat I’ve come to expect from the style. The taste was nice. It had lemon peel, Belgian yeast and heavy coriander. There was a metal twang on the end of it that I don’t think was due to the can (at least I hope it wasn’t!). The body was medium thickness with heavy carbonation. The finish was long with a lot of spice on it. This was pretty good…I’d have it again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Sly Fox 2012 Christmas Ale

Ah, Sly Fox, a brewery that I hit up a lot early on, but I haven’t revisited much. Kate bought me the Royal Weisse a few months back, but before that it was over a year since I had quaffed a Sly Fox beer. I’m definitely down with the whole can thing, but I haven’t had a beer from them that floored me. Tonight’s selection from them is their seasonal/holiday ale.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Winter Warmer

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This malty, full-bodied red ale is made with traditional mulling spices: Ginger, Clove, All Spice, Cinnamon & Nutmeg. If this one doesn’t get you into the Christmas spirit, you truly are a Scrooge.”

Random: The “to” and “from” portion on the can is quite cute.

This brew poured a finger full of thick, cream-colored head that dissipated slowly, but left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, chestnut color with moderate to high carbonation visible throughout. The nose is potent, yet pleasant. The nose was sugar plums and cinnamon with some cloves. Taste was the same sugar plums that were in the nose, coupled with allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Some dark cherries came through as well. The body was on the thicker side with decent carbonation. The finish was lengthy finish with fruit and spice. This could be the best Sly Fox beer that I’ve had. It had all of the holiday flavors that I look forward to and it was decently balanced without having a lot of booze. Grab one if you can this year.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Sly Fox Royal Weisse

I only have a few more reviews left and then I’m completely updated, which means that I can have some new review beer during the second half of the Giants game. It’s weird being in a house by myself. Usually, I’m in a house where there is constant noise. But, I’m at my sister’s today and she just left for a concert, so it’s actually odd being in such a quiet house. Plus, I haven’t really talked to Katie a lot since she’s at work, which sucks. But, I’ll get to see her tonight. So, here’s another brew that she got for me.

ABV: 5.4%

Style: Hefeweizen

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “An unforgettable Bavarian style Wheat Beer brewed with German Pils and Wheat malts and hopped with German Northern Brewer hops. This beer is unfiltered and served in a traditional wheat beer glass at our pubs. Medium bodied, tan in color, fruity”

Random: I hate when teams ice the kicker. It rarely ever works and just makes the game drag.

Again, I’m using the wrong glass. Oh well, I’ll deal with it. The beer poured with a one finger head that was pure white and dissipated quickly, leaving no lacing on the glass. The body was a cloudy, golden orange color with heavy carbonation visible throughout. The nose was pretty pungent. I got orange, lemon, wheat and pronounced banana. The taste was almost exactly the same as the nose (lemon, banana, wheat) and some spice thrown in as well. The banana was dominant in the taste, but it reminded me a lot of banana laffy taffy, which I’m not a huge fan of. The spice was a little bit too mute. The body was heavier than I’m used to for the style and the carbonation was intense. The finish was relatively quick with banana. This wasn’t the best hefe that I’ve ever had, but it was definitely drinkable.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Sly Fox Oktoberfest Lager

And…I’m back from vacation. Unhappily, I might add. I had a great time, even though I managed to get a nasty cold. But, luckily, Aly was nice enough to medicate me and I feel much better today. We had a great time and she was nice enough to even go with me to a beer store on the way home. So, tonight’s selection is another seasonal. It’s from a brewery that I tend to like and it’s pretty local. Let’s see how this one goes.

ABV: 5.7%

Style: Marzen/Oktoberfest

Trivia: According to the brewery website, “This traditional Oktoberfest beer celebrates the arrival of Fall. It is a medium-bodied, smooth and malty brew made with German Vienna malts and German hops.”

Random: I miss baseball already…I don’t know what I’m going to do until Spring Training…

This brew poured with a one finger head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. The body was a clear, golden orange, with lots of visible carbonation. The nose definitely had some sweetness to it, no doubt due to the malt. But, an interesting thing that I got from it was apple. There was also a bit of bread to it. The taste was much of what was in the nose. I got a bit of caramel malt, some apple (but not as much as in the nose) and some bread and a hint of bitterness. The body was thin with moderate carbonation. The finish was pretty quick with a hint of bread. I’m usually not a huge fan of the style, but this one went down really easily and I really enjoyed it. I would have this one again.

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Sly Fox Route 113 IPA

Whenever I’m out to eat, I always look for new brews to try. Tonight was no different. My girlfriend was sweet enough to take me out to a restaurant in Pennsyltucky. She actually said on the ride there that she didn’t know if it had a good beer list, but it looked like a place that would have decent beer. Obviously, I have her trained well. After looking at the beer list and asking the server what was on tap, I decided on the Sly Fox Route 113 IPA (it also helped that the other draft selection was one that I had already, Weyerbacher Merry Monks).

ABV: 7%

Style: American IPA

Trivia: According to wikipedia, “Pennsylvania Route 113 is a 46-mile (74 km) long state route in eastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 30 Business in Downingtown. Its northern terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 611 in Tinicum Township. The route is signed as north–south although its exact alignment follows a northeast-southwest routing.”

Random: I think I’ve had a sample of this brew at the Philly Craft Beer fest. I can’t really remember much about it, so let’s see how this one is.

This brew poured a clear orange color with a nice and fluffy off white head. The room was pretty dark, so I really couldn’t get a clear picture of how much carbonation was on this bad boy. The head took awhile to dissipate and left lots of lacing on the glass. I took a nice big sniff of the beer and could not get a damn thing on the nose. The next sniff, I finally got something on my nose…a little bit of foam. For an IPA, I was really surprised that there was nothing to the nose. I struggled to find some citrus. Even the girlfriend agreed with me about the nose (which was good, because for a second I thought I was crazy). The taste had a decent amount of hop bitterness to it, coupled with the usual suspects of pine and grapefruit. There was also a decent amount of caramel malt on the end of the brew to balance out the bitterness. I didn’t get a lot alcohol on this brew, despite the 7% ABV. This was a nice crisp, IPA that went down really easily on a hot day. I would have this one again..

Untappd Rating: 3.0/5.0

Sly Fox Black Raspberry Reserve

So, Nicole wasn’t just satisfied with one beer to taste tonight. I gave her the option between The Bruery’s Orchard White and Sly Fox Black Raspberry Reserve, and she chose the Sly Fox, which surprised me.

ABV: 8%

Style: Fruit/Vegetable Beer

Trivia: According to wikipedia, “Black raspberries are high in anthocyanins. This has led to their being useful as natural dyes and, since anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants, to a great deal of interest in them for their potential nutraceutical value.”

Random: There’s a lot of difference within styles with fruit/vegetable beers. This also used to be a favorite style of mine, which has since taken a back seat to other styles like IPAs. I’m interested to see how this one fairs.

According to the bottle, this is going to be an “unforgettable fruit ale.” Well, I certainly hope so. The brew pours a two finger, fluffy, off white head with a beautiful red color on the body. The nose is unmistakably raspberry. Nic says that this is very lambic-y and I think she’s right. On first sip, there’s more carbonation than I would expect from the nose. It’s also a lot lighter than I expected. I thought that this would be syrupy and it’s definitely not. The raspberry taste is also a bit more subtle that I expected. You definitely get raspberries on the flavor, but there is a hint of spice that goes along with it. This beer is a little weird because there’s definitely some fruit, but then a beer taste comes along and it just doesn’t seem to work in concert, it’s either one flavor or the other. With that being said, it’s an alright beer. It’s definitely drinkable, but not something I would choose. After looking at the website, they say that you should get a tart finish and for me, it’s definitely not there. I can see the intent of this beer, but the execution is lacking. Nic liked this so much that she handed it to me to kill. You can definitely pass on this one.

Untappd Rating: 2.0/5.0