Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at [email protected].
Ryan Slicker is the head brewer of 1 year old Fury Brewing Company out of Irwin PA. Producing many different styles, and some of the juiciest IPAs in Pittsburgh, we sat down with him for a Q&A to see what makes him tick.
What was your introduction to craft beer?
I used to play poker at my friends house in college, and he brought a Great Lakes mixed pack one night. The first beer I tried from it was was Burning River, a 6% pale ale. I remember looking at the beautiful copper color as it was being poured.
How did you get started as a brewer?
Well, a few things led to me starting to brew. First, I bought a Beer Machine for my dad, a small kit to make beer, and we made that together. Second, my boss at my old job used to talk about craft beer a lot. I finally just went and bought my own kit and then started accumulating brewing equipment.
One day, I was picking up ingredients, and saw a flyer for the local T.R.A.S.H. homebrew competition. Submitted 3 beers and all placed in top 3 of each category, I won Best In Show. From there I started going to the meetings and met tons of my friends today from that club.
What styles do you find the most fun to make?
Well I just started kettle sours, they take a few days since there are a lot of moving pieces. I also really like making lagers since they have a nice clean taste.
What was the first beer you ever brewed?
The first one I ever brewed was a dunkel, a kit beer. The first beer I ever brewed at Fury Brewing was a kolsch called “Carson Street Kolsch”
Where do you see Fury Brewing in the next few years?
Our goal is to move into a standalone location and hopefully have a 10-15bbl system, leaving the original location as a taproom.
What are your thoughts on the craft beer culture in Pittsburgh and also in the state of Pennsylvania?
In Pittsburgh the scene has just blown up. A lot of great breweries making a lot of great beer right now in the area. Pennsylvania in general is blowing up, many breweries are pushing the envelope with different styles and adjuncts. I pull a lot of inspirations from PA breweries all over the state.
People are starting to expand out into other styles, their tastes change over time. For me I move around and get into different styles constantly, trying to see what else is out there.
How do you name your beers?
Sometimes I randomly think of things from shows I watch (hence the Always Sunny beer), and sometimes you use a random word generator to get a few different words together (Apocalyptic Pageant came from this). I don’t get too carried away with names, if it sounds good we roll with it.
What is your favorite beer to drink right now?
From Fury I like drinking “I’m 40% Sour” a Berliner Weisse with its name playing on the show Futurama. Outside of Fury, I always seek out a Helles lager.
What music do you find the best to brew to?
I always love listening to my favorite band Green Day, but I love putting on satellite radio and listen to hard rock and alternative rock.
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Thank you to Ryan Slicker for talking with us! Make sure you visit Fury Brewing Company for all the latest can and bottle releases, as well as special events!
