There’s an origin story here, even if it’s not apparent at first read. In 2009, Scott Rudich and Rich Diliberto, later founders of Round Guys Brewing Company, brewed up a little beer with a whole lot of flavor, which they named the Original Slacker.
“OG Slacker,” as one early distributor called it, went on to become a beer, then a podcast, and now a beer again.
Milds probably remain the most underappreciated pub ale one could drink. They lack upfront bitterness of an IPA. They aren’t deep and alluring like high abv stouts or porters. They aren’t even medium bodied! Nor are they a one-size-fits-all beer; think saison.
No, milds are just mild (not in temperature, but in character). There’s truth in advertising. And here’s why they’re the best.
The Original Slacker confounded judges of the 2010 Yards Clone Homebrew tournament, including Tom Kehoe and Steve Mashington of Yards fame, for its big beer flavor but measly 3.8% ABV. Milds, by definition, are noticeably lighter in body. They contain varied nutty and chocolate malt combinations which lead to a tasty, enticing, and surprisingly complex flavor palate.
Simply put, Milds are the casual beer drinker’s brown ale. You can share a mild ale even with that Bud Light uncle without any fear he’s going to secretly pour it out behind his lawn chair.
The Original Slacker maintains a special place in Round Guys lore. The beer moved on to win second place, losing to a Philly Pale Ale clone that year. However, recognizing the technical precision of the beer, Scott and Rich decided to take it live, setting it on the very first Round Guys Beer tap list. A list that also included beers many in Lansdale may have to dig back to recall: Fat Bob (tripel), Alpha Blackback (black IPA), and the Berliner (sour).
Then came the age of the IPAs…and boy, they did a number on brewer creativity, didn’t they? Nuanced styles like milds and brown ales lost significant market share. Distributors refused to carry multiple brown ale brands, as IPAs became the only sure bet. In the pub, customers routinely based their beer categorizations on what was your “IPA” vs “non-IPA.” Guess which they cared about?
Between that time and today, the name became repurposed. I used it as the first branding of our podcast channel as an homage to the legacy Scott and Rich created, and I later branded Original Slacker Podcast to Round Guys Radio Network.
I’m happy to say that today, this very day, you can enjoy that same tasty, session-able, lighter bodied brown ale once more on tap at Round Guys. It’s been a very long time. It only took a pandemic, after all! While other legacy beers came and went, the OG Slacker never witnessed a reboot until now. (Alpha Blackback and Fat Bob both had short runs during our past couple of anniversary parties).
Taste a little bit of history without the worry of being only able to have just one. Original Slacker, a true Lansdale OG, now available at Round Guys Brewery.
Bill McGeeney is the marketing officer and co-owner of Round Guys Brewing Company.
See also:
Round Guys: 15 Hours Of Prohibition? Time To Bring Back Taco Tuesday
Round Guys: A Tale Of Two Seltzers
Round Guys: Kitchen Expansion Leads To Menu Overhaul
Round Guys: An Interview With Marcus Baskerville, The Man Behind The ‘Black Is Beautiful’ Initiative
Round Guys, Well Crafted Join National ‘Black Is Beautiful’ Collaborative Beer Initiative
