Beer Sales Fuel $4,700 Donation to Heritage Area

From left, Sschuylkill River Heritage Area Board Member Wendy Wheeler, SRHA Executive Director Silas Chamberlin, Sly Fox Brewmaster Brian O’Reilly, SRHA Grants Program Coordinator Tim Fenchel.

Blogger's Note: The following was provided by the Schuylkill River Heritage Area.

Sly Fox Brewing Company presented a check for $4,711 to the Schuylkill River Heritage Area recently to benefit the Schuylkill River Trail.

The money was raised through the sale of SRT Ale, a seasonal beer introduced by Sly Fox last year to benefit and celebrate the Schuylkill River Trail.

Sly Fox Brewmaster Brian O’Reilly presented the check to Schuylkill River Heritage Area Executive Director Silas Chamberlin at Sly Fox’s popular Can Jam Music Festival in Pottstown on September 24.

In conjunction with the check presentation, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area also held its inaugural Ride for the River event, a bike ride that benefited the Schuylkill River Trail. The ride, which took place primarily along the trail, attracted over 300 cyclists and began and ended at the Can Jam Music Festival.

This marks the second year that Sly Fox has both brewed SRT Ale and donated a portion of the proceeds from the beer to the Heritage Area. Last year, $4,018 was donated. Therefore, over the past two years, the sale of SRT Ale has garnered over $8,000 for improving, maintaining and expanding the trail.

“On behalf of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area and all of the partners working to build the Schuylkill River Trail, I want to thank Sly Fox for their partnership,” said Chamberlin. “We count on great community partners like Sly Fox to help us expand and maintain the Schuylkill River Trail.”

Money donated by Sly Fox has been targeted for the Heritage Area’s Safe Crossing program, which improves safety at various places where the trail crosses roadways.

SRT Ale was re-released for 2016 on Earth Day and was available from April through September. Sly Fox brewers said the beer was brewed specifically for craft beer fans who love the outdoors, and thousands of cases were sold throughout the 2016 season.

SRT Ale has annually debuted at the SRT Spreekend, a weekend-long celebration of the trail that included a 50K relay race, a group kayak paddle on the river and a series of trail cleanups.

SRT Ale was developed as a tribute to the Schuylkill River Trail, one of this region’s most beloved recreational resources. A section of the trail meanders near the brewery in Pottstown, PA, as well as near Sly Fox's original Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville.

The Schuylkill River Trail will one day span the entire length of the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia to Pottsville totaling an estimated 130 miles, and running through five counties (Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Berks and Schuylkill). Currently, there are over 60 miles complete.

The trail is owned and maintained by a number of different organizations. The Schuylkill River Heritage Area operates and maintains about 30 miles of the trail, and works to promote and improve the entire trail.

Sly Fox Brewing Co. describes SRT Ale as “a golden, delicious, hop-forward American Pale Ale, and at 4.7% alcohol by volume, it's designed to be the perfect post-activity beer.”