Spring Break
Poor weather can't stop goat races at 'Bock Fest'
Mike Partel
Issue date: 5/8/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Finally, the cold winter months have given way to pleasant spring Sundays, and with the first of May comes the fresh aroma of new flowers, the cheerful buzz of working bees, the adorable charm of cute baby animals, and in Germany - the irrepressible bounce of polkas, the relentless flow of strong beer and the traditional running of the goats.
Yes, I said the goats are running. Sly Fox Brewery holds "BockFest," its annual festival celebrating Bock and other German beer styles including Maibock, Eisbock, Doppelbock, Vienna Lager and Pilsner. In the past, crowds of people attending have put down hundreds of gallons of beer throughout the day.
Located in the nearby towns of Phoenixville and Royersford, just abutting Valley Forge, Sly Fox is a small brewery that has operated for almost 14 years, run by the Giannopoulos family. Its name, and subsequent label, is taken from a family fox-hunting legacy. Although it has relatively small output, the Giannopoulus Clan has managed to win many national awards from the Great American Beer Festival and at one point was named Third Best Brewpub in the country.
Sunday's weather was by no means a disappointment, if you enjoy spring days that are miserable, cold and damp, with the sun hiding behind heavy cloud covers. We arrived just before lunch - the event began at 11 a.m. - and caught a shuttle bus from the parking at a fairground a mile up the road. It was a school bus, actually. The driver dropped us off in a teeming parking lot littered with tents and soggy, smiling enthusiasts.
Since it was still pretty early in the day, we thought lunch would be in order, and found immediate seating in their Sly Fox's crowded restaurant. Our waitress, Dasha, brought us amazing beers, so fresh in the tap that they still tasted a little green and fantastic food to match. I ordered a Cuban sandwich that I'm still thinking about. I'll get to the beer soon, I promise.
The rest of the day was fairly simple - beer in one corner of the massive tent, bratwursts and Amoroso's rolls in another, and a happy little polka band, oom-pah-ing away across the "track."
Yes, I said the goats are running. Sly Fox Brewery holds "BockFest," its annual festival celebrating Bock and other German beer styles including Maibock, Eisbock, Doppelbock, Vienna Lager and Pilsner. In the past, crowds of people attending have put down hundreds of gallons of beer throughout the day.
Located in the nearby towns of Phoenixville and Royersford, just abutting Valley Forge, Sly Fox is a small brewery that has operated for almost 14 years, run by the Giannopoulos family. Its name, and subsequent label, is taken from a family fox-hunting legacy. Although it has relatively small output, the Giannopoulus Clan has managed to win many national awards from the Great American Beer Festival and at one point was named Third Best Brewpub in the country.
Sunday's weather was by no means a disappointment, if you enjoy spring days that are miserable, cold and damp, with the sun hiding behind heavy cloud covers. We arrived just before lunch - the event began at 11 a.m. - and caught a shuttle bus from the parking at a fairground a mile up the road. It was a school bus, actually. The driver dropped us off in a teeming parking lot littered with tents and soggy, smiling enthusiasts.
Since it was still pretty early in the day, we thought lunch would be in order, and found immediate seating in their Sly Fox's crowded restaurant. Our waitress, Dasha, brought us amazing beers, so fresh in the tap that they still tasted a little green and fantastic food to match. I ordered a Cuban sandwich that I'm still thinking about. I'll get to the beer soon, I promise.
The rest of the day was fairly simple - beer in one corner of the massive tent, bratwursts and Amoroso's rolls in another, and a happy little polka band, oom-pah-ing away across the "track."
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