For What Ales You

On those sultry summer days, when the thermometer inches up beyond 90 and the humidity leaves me gasping for air, I curse my decision to move into an un-air conditioned farmhouse.  By doing so, I have sentenced myself to endless months spent stewing and steaming inside a 19th century inferno.   

What I need is something to beat the heat, to soothe my parched mouth and ease my overheated temper.  Standing in front of the open freezer, surreptitiously spooning out mouthfuls of ice cream never does the trick.  Neither does downing a tall glass of lemonade tinkling with ice cubes.  I long for something bolder and colder.  I crave a chilled, craft beer.  

Lucky for me, I live in Victory Brewing country where a refreshing, flavorful, award-winning beer is only a short drive away.  It’s the perfect antidote to a steamy summer, or, for that matter, frigid winter, day.

Located at 420 Acorn Lane in Downingtown in the former Pepperidge Farm factory, Victory Brewing Company is the brainchild of childhood friends Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet.  The two opened the brewery and adjacent restaurant in 1996.  Their shared interest in beer came long before this, though.

While in college, Bill discovered that his father had ventured into brewing his own beer.  “I thought that if he could do it, I could, too,” says Bill, who, after graduating, adopted his dad’s homebrew kit.  

Armed with a copy of Michael Jackson’s New World Guide to Beer, Bill set out in 1985 to create his own brew.  Enamored with the process, he presented his old friend Ron with his own kit at Christmas that year.  Talk about a life-altering gift.             

Four years later Ron left his financial consulting job at the Pentagon for an apprenticeship with the Baltimore Brewing Company.  The following year Bill abandoned his career as an art director to join Baltimore Brewing, where he would stay until 1995.    

“At Baltimore Brewing we learned under a German-trained, Dutch brewmaster so, when we created Victory, we brought the appreciation for German ingredients and paired them with an American-style beer,” Bill says.  

He cites Victory’s best selling beer, Hop Devil, as an example of this fusion.  With Hop Devil German malt melds with American whole flower hops for a bold, spicy India Pale Ale.

Ron, who had lived in Munich, Germany as a child and spoke fluent German, eventually parted company with Baltimore Brewing to attend the Weihenstephan Technical University in Munich.  There he spent a year learning the science and technology of brewing.  When he returned to the U.S., he became a brewer and then brewmaster at Virginia’s Old Dominion Brewing.

On New Year’s Eve 1993, strong Belgian ales in hand, Ron and Bill broached the subject of opening their own brewery with their spouses.  After receiving the okay, the two explored how best to finance this undertaking.  In the end family and friends were the original investors with Bill’s Baltimore row home serving as collateral for their loan.  

From there the two moved on to choosing the brewery site.  “We wanted it to have industrial qualities.  The Pepperidge Farm building was inexpensive, already FDA-approved and set us up for later expansion and growth,” Ron says, pointing out that Victory Brewing started at 25,000 square feet and now covers 80,000 square feet.

On February 15, 1996 Ron and Bill opened the doors of Victory Brewing Company and Restaurant.  “We opened at the high water mark of brewery openings.  ’98 was the high water mark of their closings.  The vast majority opened for the wrong reason – for the love of money, not beer,” Ron says.

“Our priority was beer,” says Bill, who had also studied beer-making in Germany at Munich Doemens Institute.   

The first beer was Festbier.  Crafted from German malt and whole flower hops, this smooth, amber lager won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Fest in 2007.  

“Victory is unique in that we use whole flower hops, which have the least processing and highest flavor to bitter ratio.  Most breweries use pellet hops, where the flowers are processed into pellets.  This degrades the hops,” Bill says.   

Another early offering was Brandywine Valley Lager.  Initially this beer resembled Festbier in its flavor profile.  Ultimately it became more of a helles beer, or pale lager, and was transformed into the present day Victory Lager.

The brewery also introduced three signature beers, the thirst-quenching pilsner Prima Pils, the fruity, Belgian-style Golden Monkey and Hop Devil.  Prima Pils and Hop were dubbed “one of the ten best summer beers” by Details magazine.  Meanwhile, Golden Monkey became a worldwide hit when it won a silver medal at the 2004 International Beer Competition in London.   

“With our beers we satisfy our own tastes and curiosities.  We go with our gut senses and what makes us happy,” says Ron, who shares the title of brewmaster with Bill.  Ron also procures the ingredients and does most of Victory’s accounting work.  

In its opening year Victory Brewing Company produced 1,700 barrels of beer, giving it a microbrewery designation; microbreweries generate less than 15,000 barrels per year.  Today Victory is known as a craft brewery, which has no production limit.  A good thing as the brewery is scheduled to turn out 48,000 barrels in 2009.  

The Drafting Room in Exton and The Khyber and Brownie’s in Old City Philadelphia were among those lining up for the initial barrels.  They wouldn’t have a monopoly on Victory for long.  In Philadelphia Osteria, James, White Dog Cafe, Table 31 and Citizens Bank Park all serve Hop Devil.  At Amada the bartender pours Prima Pils while at Tinto Golden Monkey flows freely from the tap.  At the Four Seasons Prima Pils is presented in bottles to both restaurant and hotel guests.

Victory is not just a local hit.  In New York the elegant Waldorf Astoria Hotel and famed Spotted Pig gastro pub offer Prima Pils on draft.  To date, 26 states sell Victory beer.  Leeds, England imports Prima Pils, Hop Devil and Golden Monkey.  Ontario, Canada also has a contract to import Prima Pils.      

At present the Victory restaurant features their signature beers, plus 17 more, on tap.  During the summer this includes the tangy, unfiltered Sunrise Weissbier, the white, Belgian-style Whirlwind Witbier and Wild Devil.  Fermented with Belgian yeast, Wild Devil is a radical, hoppier version of Hop Devil.   

Victory additionally offers Storm King Stout, Hop Devil and Uncle Teddy’s on cask.  A British style of serving, cask beer is unfiltered and less carbonated than draft beer.  As a result, it possesses a smoother, creamier texture.

For Ron and Bill, the brewery’s success depends largely upon the restaurant.  “You have a story you need to tell so with the restaurant you have a place where people hear your story and try your beer,” says Bill, who designs Victory’s labels and other art work.

With the exception of the French fries, everything at Victory is made from scratch.  This includes the beer-infused barbeque sauces and root beer.  As members of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Bill and Ron likewise work with local producers to feature seasonal ingredients on their menu.     

“From the start we were adamant about the experience in the restaurant mirroring the core values of the beer,” Bill says.  

Last spring Victory’s restaurant underwent major renovations, forcing it to close for the month of April.  It re-opened on May 7, 2008 with an eye-catching, 300-seat dining area adorned with shining copper brewhouse domes accenting the bar and corner banquettes.  A children’s room with video games is positioned off the side dining area, further enhancing the family-friendly atmosphere.  

Since, as Bill points out, smoked food goes well with beer, Victory now possesses a smoker.  The restaurant smokes its own fish, fowl, peppers and pastrami.  

When it comes to pairing food and beer, Bill notes that restaurant general manager Matt Krueger has taken a creative lead.  Under Matt smoked salmon and trout partner with Prima Pils and smoked duck with Festbier or the aggressive, 12 percent ABV V-Twelve.  Barbeque pork gets linked to Wild Devil while grilled seafood pairs with Sunrise Weissbier.

To sample the creative cuisine or cool off with a cold brew, visit Victory Brewing Company on Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. until midnight, on Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight or Sunday from 10 to 10.  For information about purchasing Victory products, look online at www.victorybeer.com or call 610-873-0881.  

VICTORY LAGER CHEESE FONDUE
Recipe Courtesy of Kathy Hunt
Serves 2 to 3

8 ounces Victory Lager
2 cups Grueyere cheese, shredded
2 cups Emmental cheese, shredded
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
dash ground white pepper
1 baguette, cut into cubes
3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices
juice of a lemon
Special equipment: Fondue pot and fondue forks or long, wooden or bamboo skewers

Place the apple slices in a bowl and sprinkle the lemon juice over them to stop them from browning.

Pour the beer into a fondue pot and bring the liquid to a simmer over moderate heat.  Gradually add the cheese to the pot and stir so that the cheese melts evenly.  Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is completely melted and the liquid is creamy.  Add the nutmeg and pepper and stir to combine. 

Place the bread cubes in a separate bowl.  Serve them, along with the apple slices, for dipping.