Sly Fox's Schuylkill River Trail Ale was brewed to raise awareness and funds for the trail.

It succeeded. Sly Fox Brewing Company recently presented a check for $4,711 to the Schuylkill River Heritage Area, funds which will directly benefit the trail..

The money was raised through the sale of SRT Ale, a seasonal beer introduced by Sly Fox last year to benefit and celebrate the Schuylkill River Trail. The Heritage Area said that Sly Fox Brewmaster Brian O'Reilly presented the check to Heritage Executive Director Silas Chamberlin at Sly Fox's popular Can Jam Music Festival in Pottstown on September 24.

In conjunction with the check presentation, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area also held its inaugural Ride for the River event, a bike ride that benefited the Schuylkill River Trail. The ride, which took place primarily along the trail, attracted over 300 cyclists and began and ended at the Can Jam Music Festival.



This marks the second year that Sly Fox has both brewed SRT Ale and donated a portion of the proceeds from the beer to the Heritage Area. Last year, $4,018 was donated. Therefore, over the past two years, the sale of SRT Ale has brought more than $8,000 in revenue for improving, maintaining and expanding the trail. "On behalf of the Schuylkill River Heritage Area and all of the partners working to build the Schuylkill River Trail, I want to thank Sly Fox for their partnership," said Chamberlin. "We count on great community partners like Sly Fox to help us expand and maintain the Schuylkill River Trail."



Money donated by Sly Fox has been targeted for the Heritage Area's Safe Crossing program, which improves safety at various places where the trail crosses roadways.

A section of the trail is near the brewery in Pottstown, PA, as well as Sly Fox's original Brewhouse & Eatery in Phoenixville.

The Heritage Area is confident that the Schuylkill River Trail will one day span the entire length of the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia to Pottsville, totaling an estimated 130 miles, and running through five counties (Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Berks and Schuylkill).

Currently, more than 60 miles complete. While the trail is owned and maintained by various nonprofits, the Schuylkill River Heritage Area operates and maintains about 30 miles of the trail locally.