Sly Fox Brewing Company - Pikeland Pils

This northern German-style pilsner has taken home Gold and Bronze medals from the GABF (in fact, it was the first canned craft beer to win Gold), and was awarded Best of the Mid-Atlantic at the 2020 US Beer Tasting Championship. Pikeland Pils presents a bright pale golden color with good clarity, topped by a large head of off-white foam. On the nose, look for herbal, earthy, grassy, and slightly floral noble hop notes with just a hint of lemon zest and spice, overlaid upon a bed of lightly doughy bread and crackery notes. As we take a sip, this is just what we’re looking for in a German-style pils. The malt profile offers up that crackery and lightly papery character, staying quite clean and light on its feet while still offering a tasty backbone of support, while the hops deliver plenty of grassy-herbal notes with a bold bitter bite to keep the overall feel decidedly on the dry side with a crisp finish. Pilsners are quite food-friendly, especially with classic pub fare, so for pairings we’d steer toward fried chicken, burgers, fish & chips, pizza, tacos, and spicy wings. For something a little more adventurous, a moderately spicy Thai black pepper chicken stir fry should work well too, as you enjoy this satisfying pils. Cheers!

The Sly Fox story began in 1994 when Pete Giannopoulos left his job in corporate sales to pursue his dream of opening a brewpub. But when he talked to the New Jersey investors who’d been encouraging him, he discovered that talking was the extent of their game. Having lost the investors he thought were on board, things all fell into place with a single suggestion from family patriarch, Dr. Peter H. Giannopoulos: “Why not let us be your partners?” With that, what had been simply a personal business prospect suddenly became a prospective family trade.

After finding a suitable location for their operation, Pete quickly went to work designing the pub, while he and his younger brother John set out to become professional brewers. The whole family pitched in, with Mrs. Giannopoulos helping to decorate and various aunts and uncles helping out. Older brother Harry was put in charge of the books and financial records, while younger siblings Wendy and Glenn signed on to work at the pub. The name “Sly Fox” was chosen to reflect the brewpub’s home in Pennsylvania’s Chester County and the area’s fox-hunting tradition. The Sly Fox Brewhouse & Eatery opened its doors on December 20, 1995 in Phoenixville, PA.

In 2003, Sly Fox was named among the top three brewpubs in the country by Beer Advocate and in 2004, having outgrown their initial location, the brewery moved into a new 20-barrel brewhouse in Royersford, PA. In 2006, Sly Fox became the first Mid-Atlantic brewery to install a canning line, pioneering packaging that has now largely become the default for craft beer. 2012 saw another expansion, this time to their current location, a new 40-barrel brewhouse in Pottstown. In 2021, Sly Fox passed into the next generation as Pete’s son Peter took over as president. Over the years, this highly acclaimed brewery has taken home numerous Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals from the Great American Beer Festival. For more info on their multiple pub locations and their current lineup of tasty brews, visit them at www.slyfoxbeer.com.