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So Happy Together: Collaborative Brews for Beer Week

By Tara Nurin

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jun. 1, 2010

The three of them approached their task very studiously: they spent several evenings brainstorming both at home and at Victory (“And by brainstorming I mean drinking a lot of beer,” Feury says.); Covaleski wrote the recipe based on their preferences. Once satisfied that their concoction was palatable, Covaleski scaled the measurements appropriately and brewed 60 kegs using Victory’s equipment.

The three establishments will split the booty equally and Fork will debut it during a special dinner on June 8. “There will be fanfare,” Feury promises.

The Beer: Standard Porter
The Characters: Brian O’Reilly, Sly Fox Brewing Co., Phoenixville, Pa.; Will Reed, Standard Tap, Philadelphia
The Brewery: Sly Fox

And now for something completely different: For this PBW, O’Reilly and Reed are collaborating on something other than the ale they’ve done in previous years and they’re serving it … drum roll … exclusively in casks. Casks are still somewhat of a novelty ’round these parts but they’re favored by many who assert that the smallish wooden hand-pumped barrels keep beer naturally carbonated and served chilly, but not cold, at cellar temperatures. They’re a product of England, which makes them perfect for … drum roll … the English-style porter that O’Reilly and Reed have brewed. Because it’s only being served in casks, they can craft it according to the old-fashioned English techniques used before British and American palates became accustomed to hoppier and more robust flavors.

“It’s unique to make a beer knowing that even though it’s lighter bodied and poured on a hand pump at cellar temperatures, it won’t seem thin,” O’Reilly says.

It’s being unveiled at Standard Tap as the Hammer of Glory passes through a few hours before Opening Tap.

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