Victory Beer Blog

Life in a growing American brewery

You Ask, We Answer (Part 2)

Monday, July 25, 2011 at 5:06pm

After last month’s question and answer blog post, you all seemed inspired to send in more questions than ever. It was great to hear from so many Victory beer drinkers and brewpub visitors. We did our best to compile and answer as many of your questions as possible. Keep reading to see if your inquiring mind can be put to rest.

Keep those questions coming! Send them to brewmaster@victorybeer.com and we will address them in an upcoming blog. If we missed your question this time around, feel free to submit it again. We will do our best to address every query.

Q: Will Dark Intrigue be coming back this year?

A: Yes! In fact, Storm King Stout has already been poured into the bourbon barrels and begun the barrel-aging process. We were thrilled by the popularity of this brew last year, so this year we’re more than doubling our batch. You can get yours at in the retail store at the brewpub on “Dark Wednesday,” the day before Thanksgiving. Fun fact: Last year, we sold 80 cases in just 43 minutes!

Q: Does it truly matter what glass I use (assuming I’m not talking about a coffee mug or sippy cup)? How do I know which kind of glass to use for different styles of beer?

A: We firmly believe that the glassware you use when enjoying beer does make a difference. The experience can be entirely different based on the shape and size of your glass. The shape of the glass directly impacts the amount of aroma you can capture, the color you see and the size of the gulp you can take. Using the coordinating glassware for a specific beer style will allow you to enjoy the full experience as the brewmaster intended. For a good reference to match your beer style and glass, check out this guide from Beeradvocate.

Q: Have you considered canning your flagships?

A: Per CEO and Brewmaster, Ron Barchet: “We already package in cans: 5.16 and 15.5 gallon returnables.” Joking aside, it is something we have considered and it is a possibility down the road. However, at this time, we do not have the space in our tight facility to add another packaging line.

Q: I love all your brews! The 1st one that I tried was V-12. Will this ever be available in 6 Packs?

A: We are glad to hear you enjoyed it! V-12 is a special beer that deserves the regal, 750 ml corked package in which it currently lives. We bottle condition V-12 within the large bottle, which adds to its complexity over the long term. It is also important to note V-12 has a pricey production cost, which makes it hard to price competitively for a 6-pack market.

Q: I was wondering if you could give a status update on WildDevil?  It is hands-down my favorite beer.  Is there any chance of seeing it again?

While we can’t give you exact release dates for the next batch of WildDevil, we can tell you that it will make an appearance again some day. We consider WildDevil to be so wild that we never know when it’s going to be peeking its head back out. There is no specific date for release, but Bill and Ron have heard your request (and the request of others) for the return of WildDevil and it will likely be brewed again sooner than later. Rest assured; WildDevil will live again.

Q: I was wondering, what are Bill and Ron’s favorite mash-ups of their own beers?

Ron occasionally likes to combine Victory Lager with Bockbier, or he enjoys Festbier with a splash of Prima on top. For some of Bill’s favorites, check out this video.

Q: Would you consider doing a year-round Dunkel similar to say a hofbrau or ayinger? You seem to tackle the German style well and there are so few good American dunkels.

Thank you for the compliment. We enjoy our Dunkles here in the winter, when we do a single, draft-only batch. Sadly, our love of the style hasn’t translated to the masses. We bottled it for several years in the late nineties and early 2000s, but the sales couldn’t sustain the brand. With the ever-evolving tastes of craft beer consumers, we are hopeful that the demand and appreciation of the style will grow and someday allow for us to package it again. For now, look for it in our brewpub every winter.

- K.N.

Locally Brewed, Locally Loved

Thursday, July 21, 2011 at 10:12am

Last week, the Philadelphia Inquirer published a story about Budweiser’s new “215” beer. Bill was interviewed for the article, and it really got us thinking about what local means to beer drinkers and to Victory Brewing Company.

If you haven’t read the article yet, the basics are simple:  Anheuser-Busch InBev recently trademarked the name “215” (as well as a slew of other area codes). It appears that Budweiser will be brewing a bunch of of area code-named beers in the coming months. The locally focused names are likely an attempt for the big guys to tap into craft beer enthusiasts and supporters of local products.

Personally, we are confident that residents of Chester County, Pa. and the surrounding areas won’t be fooled. Being locally focused is more than just a name or a location. It is about action. Lucky for us, we have nothing to prove. As many of our t-shirts and branded items say, Victory is “Locally Brewed, Locally Loved.” The reason for the local love? We give love to get love.

If you head over to Philly.com to read the article, you’ll see dozens of great comments. One comment from AreaMan summed it up well: “I’ll gladly pay for a local beer that will reinvest that money back into the local economy and community. Think of all the tax money generated when you buy local- the tax you pay on the beer, the tax the brewers pay on the beer, the taxes the brewery employees pay and so on. It just makes sense to buy local.”

He’s absolutely right. Victory Brewing Company has always believed in reinvesting and give backing. Please allow us to toot our own horn for a moment…

Back in May, we launched our Headwaters Grant program. A portion of every bottle of Headwaters Pale Ale sold is collected and distributed to environmental advocacy groups through the Headwaters Grant. Our first recipient is The Guardians of the Brandywine who protect the creek that directly impacts our beer and our community.

Victory Brewing Company also works to sustain local agriculture and promote animal welfare. We sponsor a number of events that benefit local farms and growers. We bring our beer to, and share our proceeds with, events like like Bike Fresh, Bike Local and Maysie’s Farm Fest. Similarly, we participate in numerous events to support the Chester County SPCA like our BrewBQ and Forget Me Not Gala.

Another fun fact: both the spent grain from our brewing process and the unused non-consumer food from our restaurant (for example: prepped potato chips that are never served) are donated to local farms to feed the cows and pigs. Later, we buy those same cows and pigs back to serve some great, locally raised dishes.

As you can see, Victory really does support the “215” (and 610 and 484 for that matter). If you are looking for support for your community outreach effort, complete a Community Stewardship Form to let us know how we can help. We want to be involved where we can and consider each and every request we receive.

- K.N.

Philly Area Brewers Speak…

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 3:37pm

By Bill Covaleski

Philly Beer Weeks is rewarding on so many levels. The week-long celebration of suds has helped Philadelphia claim its rightful spot as a national leader in all things beer.  And with so many exciting and creative events being hosted each Philly Beer Week, the character and individuality of our area breweries — and brewers — begins to shine through. If you were unable to attend the spectrum of events, you can still get a feel for the range of personalities that make the Philadelphia beer scene what it is. Read this series of brewer interviews conducted and published by uwishunu.com, the source for all Philly event knowledge. Some of my favorite excerpts from the interviews are highlighted below, but I encourage you to read through all of this great insight and wisdom from the makers of your favorite beers.

Carol Stoudt Of Stoudt’s Brewing Company gives us some brews to look for:

Uwishunu: One of Stoudt’s most known and loved qualities is the attention to detail that goes into every batch of handcrafted beer that is traditionally brewed, packaged and sold with passion by a small, hardworking team. What are some of your favorite Stoudt’s beers to enjoy outdoors in the summertime?

Carol: I love the Karnival Kolsch, Pils and Heifer-in-Wheat — German style Hefeweizen. This year we will do a small batch of Sour Cherry Weizen and perhaps Raspberry and Peach. Yummy.

Tom Kehoe Of Yards Brewing Company muses on Philly’s adoption of great local brews:

Uwishunu: Yards was the first packaging brewery licensed in Philadelphia since the shuttering of Schmidt Brewery in 1979. Why do you think the Philadelphia beer scene has thrived so impressively in the past decade and a half?

Tom: You can’t force anything on Philadelphia. Philadelphians have to seek you out and embrace you and if you’re worthy you can boo your favorite sports team. The beer scene has thrived because good beer has slowly won the respect of Philadelphians and good beer stands up to this town’s character.

Brian O’Reilly Of Sly Fox Brewing Company gives tips on how to do Philly Beer Week properly:

Uwishunu: Any final words of wisdom for our readers attempting to navigate Philly Beer Week?

Brian: Don’t try to focus on just one event. Come in to the city and explore. Pick a neighborhood and go from one place to another. If a particular dinner interests you, scope out a place or event to stop by before and after. And always remember, you can sleep when your dead!

Ben Potts Of Dock Street Brewing Company puts the Philly beer scene into perspective:

Uwishunu: Dock Street opened in 1985 as one of the nation’s very first microbreweries and opened its current location in University City in 2007. Why do you think the Philadelphia beer scene has thrived so impressively, especially recently in the last decade or so?

Ben: Philadelphia has always been known for great beer, ever since the days of our founding fathers. When porter was the drink of the day, the porter brewed in Philadelphia was world renowned. Later on, after the Industrial Revolution and during the immigration boom of the early 20th century, many Germans flooded to the areas in and surrounding Philadelphia. These Germans brought their beer heritage with them and began making the classic pilsner style that has become the most popular style in the world today, and Philadelphia was a part of that.

And of course, Philadelphia is a town of amazing food and restaurants. I think with great food it is inherent that people will gravitate towards great drink as well. Philadelphians really appreciate flavor. I think it all comes from there, and the people who strive to enjoy AND make these kinds of things. Philadelphia is just blessed to have a lot of those people.

Weyerbacher Brewing Company on local love:

Uwishunu: You’re celebrating Weyerbacher’s 16th anniversary this year — congratulations by the way(!) — why do you think the Philadelphia beer scene has thrived so impressively in the past decade and a half?

Weyerbacher: The Philly beer scene has grown because they support a lot of great local breweries, of which we are one. Also, Philly has the most educated consumer of any city. They demand quality everywhere.

Me (Bill Covaleski Of Victory Brewing Company) on local food sourcing:

Uwishunu: Speaking of Philadelphia pride, we know you like to source ingredients locally whenever possible. Can you tell us why sourcing ingredients locally is important to Victory?

Bill: Local products are important to us at Victory for a number of reasons. First and foremost, freshness. Why choose anything less than fresh? The second reason is equally important in that we remain dedicated to keep open space here in Chester County and the surrounding area green and productive through the economic support of local farming. Collapsing our consumption footprint is easy to do in this area, really.

Looking for Victory in NY or CT? Have you met Sean?

Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 3:00pm

 

With Victory’s explosive growth (trust us, we’re not complaining) we’ve been adding to our team in all directions. Finding just anyone in a down economy to represent Victory in a territory is not hard, but here at Victory we’re not just looking for anyone. We look for the best of the best and when it comes to representing Victory in the largest single market in America we wanted the best of the best of the best. Meet Sean McCain.

What does it take to be a part of Victory?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 1:49pm

Our latest hire, who will be serving as our Mid Atlantic region Area Sales Manager, is a great example of what it takes. Quite simply, it takes passion for great beer.

Joe Gold embodies a passion for great beer. Any one who has hoisted a pint of quality beer in the greater Baltimore area within the last 20 years has probably met Joe. No, he’s not just a bar-fly, he’s been a tireless supporter of great beer, and now he has a spot at Victory to hang his hat.
Joe discovered better beer in 1983 on a lacrosse (his first passion!) trip to the UK. He returned from that trip with a job as the organizer for Young’s Army. In this role, Joe mobilized folks with a taste for better beer to discover the flavorful ales of London’s Young’s Brewery.

Joe’s passion for real ale led him to be a founder for the Baltimore-based Society for the Preservation of Beer from Wood. Most recently, Joe founded Baltimore Beer Week which had its debut run this past October.
Surely great beer runs through Joes’s veins but don’t think for a minute that we Victory folk are limited in our focus as Joe maintains his role as father and husband, passing on the finer points of lacrosse to his son.

If you’re a bar, distributor, or retailer interested Victory Beer and you’re located in Maryland, Virginia, DC or North Carolina, make sure you reach out to Joe (JoeG@victorybeer.com) and he’ll be more than happy to talk to you about great beer.

Why Doesn’t Victory Brew Extreme Beers? – Craft Brew Advocate Interview

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 12:45pm

With so many styles in craft brewing these days, more and more brewers are boldly going to the fringes of the known beer universe with more hops, more alcohol and more sensation. In this interview with Barry Wasser of Craft Brew Advocate, Bill Covaleski unpacks why Victory has chosen a different path. Check out the 1:25 mark for Bill’s explination of Victory’s philosophy of mining the history of beer for the building blocks of thier styles and flavors.

Here’s more from Barry Wasser on his interview with Bill:

While at Gingerman beer bar in NYC on Wednesday March 24 for a Meet the Brewers event I was lucky to run into Bill Covaleski, co-founder and co-brewmaster of Victory Brewing in Downington, PA After handing him my business card and telling him about my blog I asked if I could interview him and he agreed with out hesitation. From the answers he gave to my questions I got a feel for what it means to have a true passion for craft beer and what it adds to American culture. I hope to review some of Victory Brewing’s great craft brews in the future. Their pilsner which is named Prima Pils is definitely my favorite craft brewed pilsner a testament to Bill’s opinion that a beer does not have to be high in ABV to be great and worthy of hype. Cheers!

Finally: Victory in Vermont

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 3:24pm

Vermonters have been vocal for Victory for a few years now and as we have crept north through New England we have always looked forward to this day when we could slake their thirst for Victory! We look forward to serving our friends up there over the many, many years ahead.

But, we must also admit that the great creameries of Vermont have also been a strong draw for us to the Green Mountain state. Ever since our friend Jeff Roberts, author of The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese, introduced us to a few wondrous cheeses from Vermont a few years back, we have been planning our excuses to get there more frequently. Funny what you might fill a refrigerated truck with once it’s emptied of its Victory beer…

Special thanks to our friends Tim and Amy at Forty Putney Rd B&B for helping us introduce Victory in Vermont in style!

Cheers and Cheese,
Bill Covaleski
Co-Founder/Brewmaster

P.S.
For up to the minute info on how you can get your hands on Victory in Vermont, please check out our wholesalers G.Housen

P.P.S.
Don’t miss our exclusive launch part at Forty Putney Rd on Jan 7th! Space is limited so reserve your spot today.

Smells like Beervana

Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 3:44pm

Dan Keating interviews Bill Covaleski during the Beervan Fest at The Roger Williams Botanical Garden on October 2nd 2009. More on Beervana:

Our mission: To enlighten and educate the community for the responsible appreciation of craft beer.
Join us in turning the beautiful Roger Williams Botanical Garden into “the ultimate beer garden” with tastings in conjunction with educational seminars by nationally renowned craft beer luminaries . . .

Victory 101 with Co-Founder Ron Barchet (part 1)

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 5:21pm

This is turning out to be the week of Hereforthebeer.com on the Victory beer blog. After yesterday’s “Darth Growler” video by the super-beer-fans we were pleasently surprised to find part one of a two part interview with co-founder Ron Barchet on Hereforthebeer.com. It’s a fun interview about the history of Victory, our recently refurbished beer hall and one of our newest beers Wild Devil Ale.

P.S.

Please notice the spectacular intro (and Victory beer blog debut) by our Communication Director Anne Shuniak. Love ya Anne :-)

The Untold Secrets of Victory part II

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 11:18pm

The Happy Hour Guys’ second installment of their Victory Brewing Tour, this time focusing on the best part of the brewing process; drinking the product! We also get to go a little deeper with a Bill C. as he talks about giving back to the community and preserving our natural resources.

Oh yeah, and check out the best video footage (at the 4:00min mark) we’ve ever seen of our $14,000 Austrian made Growler filler. It’s enough to make a grown man cry.

Enjoy

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