Pikeland Pils

Sly Fox Brewing Co.
Royersford, PA

Available: NY, NJ, PA

Sly Fox founder Pete Giannopoulos opened his brewery in 1995, thanks to the help of his father, mother and three siblings—another example of a family-run craft brewery.

ABV: 4.9
ABW: 3.9
Color: pale gold
Bitterness: 44
Original gravity: 1047

I shall put aside my well-nurtured dislike of canned beer and admit this is an excellent version of pilsner. It’s 4.9 per cent by volume and has a generous 44 bitterness units. The color is pale bronze and the aroma has toasted grain, floral hops and a hint of tart citrus fruit. There’s a massive hit of bitter and spicy hops in the mouth with toasted malt and tangy citrus. The finish is long and beautifully balanced with bitter hops, ripe malt and sharp fruit. In the Czech Republic, where they know a bit about brewing pilsners, they would enjoy this with carp.
- Roger Protz

I can only expect wonderful things from a pilsner microbrewed in Pennsylvania, especially when reminded on the label of its accolades. The color is brilliant gold and the aroma has undertones of lemon and tangerine, and a fresh, floral German noble forefront. Very lithe in the body, with a drying and durable finish full of hop bitterness. The flavor is appropriately dominated by hops that are tenuously kept at bay by grainy pale malt and hints of citrus. Immaculately brewed and spot on for a North German pilsner all the way around. As clichéd as this is, I can’t imagine a better summer style than this. Some spicy grilled shrimp would do nicely here.
- K. Florian Klemp

Roger Protz
Roger Protz is the author of Complete Guide to World Beer and 300 Beers to Try Before You Die. He is a respected beer authority and editor of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

K. Florian Klemp
K. Florian Klemp is an award-winning homebrewer and general hobbyist who thinks there is no more sublime marriage than that of art and science.

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