My fears were washed away once I tried to enter the Sly Fox Brewhouse and Eatery; the parking lot was packed to capacity and cops in ponchos were turning people away.
Despite the weather, there were hundreds of individuals walking the grounds with pints in hand. Once I saw a dozen goats wandering around and chomping at stray bundles of grass, I knew I was in the right place.
The Sly Fox Brewhouse was established in 1995 and their beers have won numerous awards and medals since. Sly Fox is still a small-scale craft brewery, distributing only Pennsylvania and its neighboring States. In 2002, Brian O’Reilly became Master Brewer at Sly Fox and founded the annual Bock Fest and Goat race at the Phoenixville Brewery.
“The first year he did this there were about twenty people and a few goats,” a Pennsylvania-native and former Tröegs brewer told me. Seven years later, there has been a visible spike in attendance. I was standing in a rainy parking lot surrounded by over fifteen hundred goat race-loving, polka-dancing bock enthusiasts. When he was not announcing the goat races, Brian O’Reilly was swamped with questions and congratulations from friends and fans.
O’Reilly was constantly busy, and with good reason. Besides the athletic goats, the plump knockwursts and the Oompah band, the Bock Fest displayed five deliciously authentic German-style brews. Sly Fox Helles, Weisse, Pils, Slacker Bock and—the star of the evening—Maibock were generously being poured to the beer loving throngs.
The Sly Fox brews are straightforward interpretations of these styles. The Helles pours light gold with clean, crisp flavors; the Pils is a bone dry beer, well-balanced but with enough bite to snap you into attention; the Slacker bock is no loafer, with a dark amber-brown hue and a complex, malty body.
Despite the abundance of good beers available in the tents, the beer everyone was waiting for was the Maibock. The spring beer is brewed every year at Sly Fox but is not poured until after the goat race. The winning goat lends his or her name to Maibock and the goat’s racer gets to tap the first firkin of the stuff.
This year’s lucky goat was a small black specimen with a white tuft on his head named Dax. Easily winning all of his heats, Dax’s victory meant the Maibock could start flowing into the empty glasses of the thirsty Sly Fox enthusiasts. O’Reilly and Dax’s racer Karl Lorah quickly rationed the first keg as Fest-goers lined up to sample the fresh Dax Maibock and congratulate the winning critter.
The unveiling of the Maibock is a much-anticipated event in Sly Fox country. The beer is a quintessential Maibock, brimming with the clean and sprightly flavors of spring. Pouring a deep orange-amber with a voluminous white head, Dax Maibock is malty with a sweet nose and full of enough flavor to please the most discriminating bock fan.
Despite the finish of this year’s goat racing, the crowds lingered and drank down the rest of the German offerings. As goats with names like Baby Brie, Darwin and Mr. Stupid shuffled around looking for post race snacks, beer fans clinked glasses and looked forward to the rain-free, sunny days of summer. The rain continued steadily, but the fresh Maibock seemed to keep everyone in high-spirits.
“They’re not playing baseball in this rain,” exclaimed O’Reilly, referring to the postponed Phillies’ game, “but we’re racing goats!”
After a few hours at the Sly Fox Bock Fest and Goat Race, I seriously considered advocating goat racing as America’s new pastime. Fortunately, I was handed another Maibock before I got too lost in my thoughts and wandered off in search of another wurst.
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