Iron Hill brew will benefit fire company
Iron Hill brews Tower 61 for Kimberton Fire Company
Iron Hill Brewery in Phoenixville will host a special event Sept. 26 — the launch of a collaborative beer brewed with the Kimberton Fire Company and firefighter Eric Kiley — to benefit the volunteer fire company.
The brewery will unveil its Tower 61 beer starting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Iron Hill will donate $1 from each pint sold to the firehouse, according to Will Mink, head brewer for the location.
In addition, the day will feature a “Give 20” event, with Iron Hill donating 20 percent of the food bill (excluding alcoholic beverages, gratuity and taxes) to the fire department for those that present an event coupon.
“Eric brought the idea to us and we kind of ran with it and thought it would be a good opportunity to support the fire department. We wanted a beer named after the fire department,” Mink said.
The Tower 61 beer takes its name from Kimberton Fire Com-
pany’s Tower 61 truck, a six-man unit with an 85foot tower-ladder; 61 is the company’s station number.
“They are getting a new truck in the next few weeks. We hope this will help them make some of the money back for what they’re spending on the truck,” Mink said.
In addition to being a firefighter for Kimberton Fire Company, Kiley has been a bartender at Iron
Hill for the past eight years. Kiley said there had been a Tower 61 brew at Iron Hill before, and one day he “jokingly” suggested the brewery make it again.
“They really just grabbed the bull by the horns and turned it into a full event,” he said.
Mink said the new Tower 61 IPA is a light-bodied brew with a lower alcohol content.
“We wanted it to be very accessible to people, but still with a lot of flavor, he said. “I figured they have a lot of volunteers and everyone
has a different taste. Tower 61 is an accessible style. I think it will be a crowd pleaser.”
The Tower 61 beer has fragrant hop notes of pine and tropical fruit but without the extreme bitterness of traditional IPAs, according to a press release.
Mink said 310 gallons of the specialty beer have been brewed.
“It will be released the night of the event and will be on draft for one to two months after the event,” he said, adding that he expects Iron Hill will brew Tower 61
again.
Mink said that other Iron Hill locations have done collaborative brews with fire departments before, but this is the first time the Phoenixville location has done one.
Kiley said about 10 members of the fire company recently toured Iron Hill’s brewery.
“Everyone is excited about the event. It will be fun night —we all get to hang out and raise money for the firehouse — eating and drinking a couple of beers together,” he said.
Kiley said the fire truck is in its final stages of preparation and Kimberton Fire Company expects final delivery in another couple of weeks. Founded in 1929, Kimberton Fire Company is primarily a volunteer company dedicated to protecting residents of Chester County.
To get coupons for the “Give 20” event on Sept. 26, visit the Kimberton Fire Company website at www. kimbertonfire.org, click on “Fundraising Events,” then “Iron Hill,” then click to access the coupons.
Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant was founded by home brewers Kevin Finn and Mark Edelson and restaurateur Kevin Davies in Newark, Del. 20 years ago. The company has grown from one location to 12 locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. The Phoenixville brewery and restaurant is at 130 E. Bridge St. For more information visit www.ironhillbrewery.com/phoenixville-pa.