Sly Fox Can Jam Fest Celebrates Music, Craft Brew and KanJam

Written by Community Editor Nicole Foulke

Sly Fox Brewing Company's third Can Jam festival returned to the craft beer-maker’s Brewery & Tastin’ Room in Pottstown on Sept. 28 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., where guests gathered outside to watch both a KanJam flying disc tournament as well as prominent regional bands, including The Lawsuits, a band recently recognized on Rolling Stone online.

Guest Jeff Sears and his companion came to visit the brewery and found a festival. “It’s an interesting amalgamation, Frisbee and beer,” he said, smiling, with a Sly Fox Saison Vos in one hand.

Sears said that he used to play ultimate Frisbee but recently graduated to KanJam, coincidentally.

The Sly Fox KanJam tournament games are played similarly to how the official KanJam tournaments are played, said Sly Fox brewmaster Brian O'Reilly. This year, 100 teams signed up to play.

At Can Jam the KanJam games were played where each two-person team stood 50 feet apart with their plastic scoring cylinders, and threw Frisbees at the cylinders, with the purpose of the disc hitting the cylinder or landing in the cylinder.

But in a Sly Fox twist, here, each KanJam player participated in the tournament while holding a can of beer in one hand. The winners, said O’Reilly, would win their weight in beer.

Sly Fox lead brewer Steve Jacoby was enjoying the festivities. He has been with Sly Fox for eight years, and is especially proud to have worked on their Rt. 113 IPA.

What is next for the brewery? Oak barrel-aged beers, according to Jacoby.

“We’re normal people, but we think the beer transcends to something special,” said O'Reilly.

Aside from Sly Fox beer and KanJam, the festival highlighted regional bands at the Can Jam stage, including Philadelphia’s The Lawsuits, whose song “Dreaming #26” is featured as a download on Rolling Stone online, and Toy Soldiers, also from Philadelphia, whose song “Red Dress” is embedded as a YouTube video on Esquire online.