POTTSTOWN, Pa. — The Schuylkill River flows from Pottsville, Pennsylvania in the North, all the way through the city of Philadelphia, bisecting multiple communities and intersecting with an entire circuit of other regional trails. The twice-named River of the Year is an important part of eastern PA’s environmental, historic and, with a namesake trail that runs parallel to a majority of the river, recreational character of the region.
The Schuylkill River Trail, or SRT as it is lovingly called by many thousands of users, runs about 140 miles from Schuylkill County to the Schuylkill Banks—a beautiful park in Center City Philadelphia—with plans for extension.
Every day, in all types of weather, cyclists, runners and walkers enjoy the SRT—the centerpiece of Philadelphia recreation. Kayakers and water sports enthusiasts enjoy the Schuylkill River Water Trail as it flows to the southeast confluence with the Delaware River. The SRT is well-known by most people living in Schuylkill, Berks, Montgomery, Chester and Philadelphia Counties, as well as the many connected communities that use the trail and the network of trails that connect to it.
What might not be as well-known is Sly Fox’s tribute beer, brewed to support the Schuylkill River Trail. SRT Ale, or Schuylkill River Trail Ale, was first released in April of 2015 with an unprecedented multi-modal journey down the entire trail that included trail cleanups and nightly stops at distribution points for release parties. Traveling by kayaks, bicycles, horses and on foot, a team from the Sly Fox Brewing Company made it to the trail’s end in Philadelphia on Earth Day for a festive celebration of SRT Ale’s regional release.
Every year since, SRT Ale has released on or around Earth Day with an outdoor party that features a form of recreation for everyone.
This year, SRT Ale is here to stay!
Often called the Outdoor Enthusiast’s Choice, Sly Fox Brewing Company will release SRT Ale as a year-round brand on April 21 during the SRT Spree at St. Michaels Park in Mont Clare, PA. Situated right on the river, the SRT Spree features live music, food trucks, kayaking excursions, trail cleanups, and a 50k relay on the SRT.
SRT Ale is a hop-forward golden ale weighing in at 4.8% alcohol by volume, making it the perfect after-activity beer. But there’s even a better reason for fans of the SRT (or outdoor recreation in general) to buy, drink and enjoy SRT Ale—this beer gives back!
Every year during Can Jam, a big outdoor music concert at Sly Fox’s Pottstown brewery, the brewery presents a check to the stewards of the SRT—the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area. $1 from every case sold is donated to the organization to support their mission. So far Sly Fox has provided more than $12,000 to the trail. Money donated by Sly Fox is earmarked for creating safer road and trail crossings and other trail improvements.
“The Sly Fox partnership bolsters our efforts to encourage recreation, build and improve the SRT and engage new audiences in our events,” said Tim Fenchel, Deputy Director of SRG-NHA .” We are honored to recognize Sly Fox for their meaningful contribution.”
In turn, Sly Fox Brewing Company is proud of the seasonal contribution that their “ale for the trail” has made so far, but are even prouder of SRT Ale’s new year-round status for 2018 and beyond.
“SRT Ale is a consistent standout in our portfolio and a refreshing option for all of the trail users who love Sly Fox,” says company president John Giannopoulos. “We know there are a lot of people in all of our markets who love outdoor recreation and refreshing low ABV beers all year round and we wanted to make SRT Ale available to them.”
If you go:
SRT SPREE
Saturday, April 21
Outdoor party featuring live music and food trucks!St. Michael’s Park 400 Jacobs Street Mont Clare, PAMore information available at www.slyfoxbeer.com/srt-spree
About Sly Fox Brewing Company
Since their inaugural brew in 1995, Sly Fox has crafted more than 100 different top-notch craft beers. Their critically acclaimed year-round lineup and highly anticipated seasonals are available in their brewpubs in Phoenixville and Pottstown, as well as top bars and restaurants in PA, NJ, NY, MD, VA and Washington, DC. They were the first craft brewery in the mid-Atlantic to put in a canning line, adding it to their facility in 2006, and with it, earned the first-ever Great American Beer Festival (GABF) medal awarded to a canned craft beer, in 2007. They have earned GABF medals virtually every year since and are widely recognized as among the region’s best and most enduring craft breweries.