mere cat

Sly Fox Royersford

The last time I visited Sly Fox (Phoenixville) and had their beer sampler was a while ago, and it was time for another visit. Besides, we needed to visit Martin Motorsports in Boyertown to pick up helmets and gloves before the motorcycle safety course begins next week. Before leaving we filled the car with hoarded recyclables that our boro doesn’t collect and made our first stop of the day at Recycling Services in Pottstown. Then, after admiring the bikes at Martin, we arrived at Sly Fox in Royersford around 1:00.

This was our first visit to the Royersford location, which is a little closer to Route 422 than Phoenixville is. The restaurant is large with a big bar, two dining rooms, and a room with pool tables and some video games. I knew my tastes had changed substantially in the last year, so I was curious how I would rank the beers this time. (Last time, Pete’s Peerless Ale was first and O’Reilly’s Stout last.) I couldn’t order the exact same beers, but here’s what I had from best to worst:

1. Route 113 IPA
2. Jake’s ESB
3. O’Reilly’s Stout
4. Pikeland Pils
5. Black and Tan

What’s significant is that I liked all the beers this time and had trouble ranking them preferentially. In times past, India Pale Ales were among my least favorite brews, and now clearly they have become a favorite. The Route 113 IPA is a good one. Even without a side-by-side comparison, I have to say that I prefer O’Reilly’s stout to Guinness, although that’s not a strongly-held opinion, and neither is a match for the big Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout we have at home right now. Finally, the Pikeland Pils had the strong taste of honey as its dominant flavor even though the description didn’t mention it.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the superb pub fare we enjoyed for lunch. The kitchen turns out some excellent stuff.