Sly Fox versus The World

Few things in life are as disappointing as stale beer. Luckily, the only thing running the risk of becoming stale in the context of the recent Sly Fox dinner at Chick’s Café is this here write-up, which is finally seeing the light of day over two weeks after the fact. In this case, I’d like to think of it more as aged and considered.

Sly Fox brewmaster, Brian O'Reilly.
Jonny Medlinsky, beer meister and event coordinator at Chick’s, has been putting on a really swell series of beer and beverage tastings over the last year. The latest rendition, held on Tuesday, June 24, featured guest speaker Brian O’Reilly, brewmaster at Phoenixville, PA’s Sly Fox Brewery. Brian’s initial take when approached with Jonny’s idea for the class was one of trepidation. Sly Fox versus the world? A daunting proposal to be sure, one that he eventually embraced in coming up with his final presentation – “Inspirations and Interpretations of Sly Fox” – in which his own brews were matched up with their old world forebears.

The great thing about comparative tastings like this, at least when the urge to make it a competitive tasting is repressed, is the educational opportunity afforded to the attendees. Call it palate training, if you will. Of course, when the brewer behind one of the lineups is at the helm, there’s always the possibility of a favorable showing. As an added bonus, each round was paired with a dish prepared by Chick’s Chef, Jim Piano. Here’s what was served.

• Aperitif: Sly Fox Grisette
  Poured solo. This is O’Reilly’s take on a rather obscure style of French farmhouse ale brewed especially as an end of day refresher for the miners (as opposed to the farmers) in France’s Hainaut Province. Peppery, lightly spicy, bright and refreshing.
  
  
• Round One: Sly Fox Saison Vos and Brasserie Dupont Saison Dupont (Belgium)
  If you read this blog with any frequency, you already know that I tend to be and old world guy, so it’s not meant lightly when I say that this was the only match up of the evening where I felt that the old world wine came out on top. When it comes to farmhouse ales, I want there to be a little wild, funky character, something that Dupont’s Saison delivers along with citrusy, lively flavors and a spicy yeast influence. Sly Fox Vos was tasty but just a little too squeaky clean in the context of Saison. These were matched up with a selection of cheeses and a few slices of salami from Agrumi Artisan Meats (made by Mario Batali’s father). One of the most successful food pairings of the night.
  
  Adam Gertler, former co-owner of Philly's The Smoked Joint (now defunct) and cast member of The Next Food Network Star, made a guest appearance to demonstrate his recipe for smoked beef short ribs.
  
• Round Two: Sly Fox Pikeland Pils and Jever Pils (Germany)
  Both true to type and both delicious, the Sly Fox entry was light and assertively dry, Jever’s more assertively hoppy with a resulting bitter snap on the finish. I’d put this one in the draw category, adding only that I really enjoyed the Pikeland Pils. (Now to go shopping for a case.) Sly Fox is one of the craft brewing world’s current first and foremost adopters of the lined aluminum can; their Pils was poured from 12 ounce cans. Neither was quite up to the task of marrying with the assertive, Omega-3 driven flavors of pan-seared mackerel, though I’d give the edge to Jever Pils in the context of the food pairing.
  
  
• Round Three: Sly Fox Royal Weisse and Schneider Weisse Original (Germany)
  Because of the importance of wheat to baking and bread making, it was once illegal for anyone in Germany, aside from members of the royal family, to brew wheat bear. Sly Fox’s Royal Weisse is named in homage to that thankfully distant memory. Both it and the Schneider Weisse are brewed in a traditional style, with sweeter, darker malts relative to today’s more common trend toward pale, light, add-a-lemon wheat beers. Both very complete beers, surprisingly fruity in aroma. Solid pairing with a duck confit salad.
  
  Gertler did a little guest cheffing as well. Adam's ribs, served with the Irish stouts in Round Four, were parched but intensely smoky.
  
• Round Four: Sly Fox O’Reilly Stout and Guinness Stout (Ireland)
  Dry Irish Stout – Guinness is certainly the banner example – is one of those beverages that often leads one’s eyes to fool one’s palate. People have been conditioned to automatically think sweet when they see rosé wine. Likewise, people see black stout and expect richness and heaviness. That power of suggestion makes many continue to believe what their eyes told them even after tasting. The thing is, stouts done in this style, though dark in color and flavor, are actually quite light in body and, counter-intuitively, low in alcohol. (Ever wonder why you can drink Guinness all night?) As pleasing as a properly poured pint of Guinness can be, O’Reilly Stout delivered a more complex and compelling nose, driven by roasted barley, and finished on a crisper, higher note. Good stuff. Regrettably, both were way under-matched to the powerful flavor of smoked beef short ribs, where a porter or India brown ale would have been a better choice.
  
  
• Round Five: Sly Fox Ichor (2005 & 2007) and St. Bernardus 12 (Belgium)
  Sly Fox’s Ichor is an Abbot style Quadruple ale. The 2005, the first year in which Ichor was bottled, had developed very winy, port-like aromas along with a sweetness and depth which made for pretty hedonistic enjoyment. As good as it was, the 2007 was more finely attenuated and better balanced. The 2007 may not age as well as the 2005, as it lacks the preserving sweetness of it its older sibling, but it was the best of the three beers. Absolutely dead-on with a chocolate banana ganache tart with caramelized bananas. For me, it was the match of the night. The St. Bernardus was jaundiced in comparison, though I’m not sure it was a pristine bottle.

Suzie Woods, brand ambassador for Sly Fox and Beer Lass blogger, poured Sly Fox's Renard d'Or, a Belgian style golden ale, from Jeroboam. Only 200 bottles were produced.
If you’re in the Philly area and up for a taste, Sly Fox operates brewpubs in both Phoenixville and Royersford, PA. If you’d like to be informed of future tastings at Chick’s, just send an e-mail to chickscafe (at) gmail dot com and let them know you learned about them here.

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Bière à la Française

Monday last, I snuck down to Chick’s Café & Wine Bar to check out a seminar on French farmhouse beers presented by importer at large Dan Shelton.

This was my first visit to Chick’s and, though it’s hard to judge its normal feel based on a Monday night and a special event, it seemed like a place any neighbor should be happy to include on their list of favorite local hangs. Arriving early, I took a seat at the bar and, knowing I’d be sticking with beer thereafter, checked out one of the house signature cocktails, Corpse Reviver #2, a mix of Beefeater gin, Lillet and Cointreau, with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a “whisper of Pernod.” Not bad, though I think the bartender for the evening was a little less comfortable with its preparation than its author, roving barkeep Katie Loeb, who was off for the night. After enjoying a brief spell at the bar, I climbed the stairs to Chick’s upstairs room, an elegant contrast to the cozy pub vibe downstairs.

Following a brief introduction by Chick’s Jon Medlinsky, our host took to the podium – actually, a mini-grand piano – and after a few jokes launched into a brief history of his business as well as of brewing in France’s northern hinterlands, from Normandy to the Ardennes and centered in the Nord-Pas de Calais. Dan’s company, Shelton Brothers, run with brothers Joel and Will, is one of the US’s preeminent importers of small production beers. Though they do have a moderately global book, their strength is clearly in Belgium and, proportionately, France. Dan wasted little time in making clear what in the beer world is meaningful to him. Many of his tenets bear striking similarity to those held by some fellow importers in the wine world. And, as is typical of just about every small importer I’ve met along the way, Dan is highly opinionated, very proud of his own work and not afraid to besmirch other products in favor of those in his own portfolio.

Dan Shelton takes to the head of the class.
(All photos courtesy of David Cohen. Thanks!)

• Brasserie La Choulette, Framboise (6.2% abv)
  One of Mr. Shelton’s first targets was the prevailing use of additives – artificial fruit flavorings, spices and sweeteners for instance – in the current brewing community. In the case of our first beer of the evening, it was raspberry flavoring in particular which came under fire. In contrast to the many raspberry beers on the market which feature flavors akin to synthesized “essence of raspberry,” La Choulette’s Framboise is fermented with real raspberries. The result, though certainly redolent of raspberry, is more wine-like, less one-dimensional or candied than its artificially endowed cousins. Slightly cloudy and amber, bordering on purple, in appearance, its off-dry palate attack was balanced by an attractive earthiness and a hint of winter plum. Dan mentioned that this evening’s bottles seemed to come from a batch that was a tad less dry than typical. The brewery produces only 4,000 hectoliters per year.
  
  
• Brasserie Thiriez, Extra (4.5% abv)
  Thiriez Extra is atypically hoppy relative to most French beers, though nowhere near in intensity to the average American IPA or Double IPA, categories which Dan more or less railed against for their tendency to be high-alcohol hop bombs. Hazy and lightly golden straw in color, the beer is a touch smoky and pleasantly bitter on the palate, with suggestions of clove and nutmeg. Though very light in texture, its flavors are on the dark side, with a lingering suggestion of molasses. I wonder if the smokiness wasn’t coming from a bit of reductivity, as citrus and other lighter aromas emerged with some airtime in the glass. This would make for a great session beer given its balance, depth of flavor and low alcoholic strength.
  
  
• Brasserie Duyck, St. Druon Abbey Ale (6% abv)
  Brasserie Duyck first began brewing bières de garde (literally, beers for keeping) in the late 60’s in response to a growing audience in and around the town of Lille. The color of a new penny, St. Druon Abbey Ale – not technically a member of the bière de garde category – was round, creamy and a touch off-dry, with a distinct aroma of peach butter. After a few tastes, Dan pronounced the night’s batch to be slightly oxidized and missing, as a result, its normally bright hoppiness. When asked (yes, by me) what an importer could do to prevent damaged beer like this from ending up in a consumer’s hands, Shelton’s answer was essentially a shrug of the shoulders. He did make it clear, though, that bières de garde shouldn’t be interpreted as age worthy but rather as a style which can last for three or four months in the bottle. No matter what steps the importer might take, it’s really up to quick turnaround (and proper handling) in the distribution and retail steps of the chain to ensure a fresher product.
  
  
• Brasserie Theillier, La Bavaisienne Blonde (7% abv)
  True farmhouse ale, one of only two beers produced by Theillier in a farmhouse dating back to the 17th Century, La Bavaisienne poured with a choppier, clumpier head than the previous brews, shone a slightly deeper copper hue than Duyck’s St. Druon, and threw a decent sludge of yeasty sediment, evidence of its bottle conditioning. Citrus, grass and yeast notes were backed by a solid, slightly creamy texture. In the late 19th Century heyday of beer making in northern France, there were apparently as many as 2000 different farmhouse breweries located in the Nord-Pas de Calais, more than in the entire US today.
  
  
• Brasserie Theillier, La Bavaisienne Amber (7% abv)
  This was an off-menu surprise courtesy of the staff at Chick’s. Maltier and lower in acidity than the blonde, it was extremely cloudy, with an appearance not unlike fresh-pressed apple cider. Aromas and flavors were of maple syrup, caramelized hazelnuts and subtle baking spices. Medium bodied.
  
  
• Brasserie Thiriez, Amber (5.8% abv)
  The second beer of the evening from Thiriez was darker amber than the preceding brews; think of a well-used three year old penny. It was also the second oxidized beer of the night. Nonetheless, it had managed to hold onto fairly explosive carbonation and showed fruity and malted flavors with accents of tangerine confit and apricot nectar. Crisp and refreshing, with a good malt to hop balance. I’d love to taste a fresher bottle.
  
  
• Brasserie St. Sylvestre, Gavroche (8.5% abv)
  This was the big hitter of the night, at least in terms of alcoholic punch. Named for the street urchin in Hugo’s “Les Miserables,” Gavroche is bottle-conditioned, malty ale. Expansive bubbles carried a whiff of funk to the nose, along with aromas of toast and orange oil. A good cold weather sipper. St. Sylvestre is perhaps better known for its “Trois Monts,” which is the most widely distributed French brasserie ale in the greater Philadelphia market.
  
  
• Brasserie La Choulette, Noël (7% abv)
  Another surprise pour, La Choulette’s Noël, as the name suggests, is a seasonal beer, brewed with local barley and specially selected hops. Round and fruity, it was less dry than the previous beers and showed flavors of spiced gingerbread. The Shelton’s apparently having quite the Christmas beer portfolio. This was a fitting addition and conclusion to the tasting.

Along the way, Dan drove home some of the core principles of his approach to beer and the related direction he and his brothers take in seeking and selecting the brewers with whom they work. Chief among those guiding principles:

• Small producers stand a better chance of brewing a product with real character.
  
• High alcohol may make a big impression but is not a desirable quality in a beer that is actually meant to be drunk and enjoyed.
  
• Similarly, dry beers are inherently superior to their sweeter brethren.
  
• Traditional, natural brewing methods, including slow fermentations, selected local yeasts, and minimal (if any) use of additives, are desirable.
  
• Hops, more so than barley and other ingredients, are what give beer its sense of terroir, a sense made stronger in the bière de garde category by a connection to the season and to the farmhouse itself.

Surprisingly, he’s not a practitioner of paring beer with food. Nor does he think much of wine, repeating a tendency I’ve seen before in the beer community to have an “us against them” view of vino. Most controversially, Dan finished up his post-tasting Q&A session by revealing that he thinks there are only three good breweries in the US. Strong words from a man who clearly feels strongly about his beers.

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Related stories and events:

• Philly's own Joe Sixpack was also in the audience on Monday. Check out his take on the event -- Unmitigated Gaul.
  
• The next beer event at Chick's: Noël Beers From Around the World
  Tuesday, December 18, 7:00 PM. $35 before 12/14; $45 thereafter
  RSVP to 215-625-3700 or chickscafe at gmail dot com

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