So thanks to all that came out, donated, rode, and enjoyed a pint of Snow Melt Winter Ale in our delightful back lot/hop composting area.  Thanks also to all of our celebrity keg pullers:
-City Councilman: Patrick Dowd
-City of Pgh Bike Pedestrian Coordinator: Stephen Patchan
-Post Gazette Beer and Food Writer: Bob Batz Jr.
-Venture Outdoors Ambassador of Bicycling: Seth Gernot

And a HUGE thanks to Mike, Marty, and everyone at OTB that filled our bellies with a hot breakfast (and maybe even a beer) before the big ride. Go see them at http://www.otbbicyclecafe.com/ They're much easier to find, now that E. Carson St. Construction is finally complete.

In all,  we had 170 riders and raised roughly $1,100 for our two charities - BikePgh.org and the Pittsburgh Food Bank.

While the turnout was definitely lighter than our Spring Ride, it was a chilly day, and an uphill ride this time, so maybe that scared a few of you away.  But if you do the math, you'll see that the donations were quite generous.  And more importantly, it was a great test for the charity format and for sure, we'll be doing it this way again for the Pedal Pale Ale release in the Spring.  In fact, we might just have a little charity fund raiser on the side... who wants to bid on one of those prestigious Keg Pulling slots?

So, if you missed the ride and still want to contribute to these amazing local organizations, here's where to do it:

Pittsburgh Food Bank

Bike Pittsburgh

And be sure to have a look at some of these pictures and videos...especially the video of us approaching the bridge crossing, where the wheel falls off of my trailer!

mike vindler photos

jon pratt photos

joshua_siebert photos

Opening Remarks video 

Peleton crosses the Hot Metal Bridge video

Thanks again everyone!  I'll see you on your bike in the Spring (if not sooner) when we deliver the first kegs of Pedal Pale Ale! 

Cheers - Scott

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The crisp chill in the air means that the end of Pedal Pale Ale Season is nearly upon us.  At the beginning of the summer, 500 local (and some not-so-local) cyclists showed up at the brewery to help deliver the very first Pedal Pale Ale kegs of the season.  We had such a blast putting this on, that we've decided to close down Pedal Pale Ale Season in style this year...with another ride of course!

FIRST, A BIT ABOUT THE BEER: In case you've missed it so far this year, our summer seasonal, PEDAL PALE ALE is a crisp, American Pale Ale with a bright hop character, and a lighter body than its big brother (our flagship Big Hop IPA).  We change up the recipe a little bit every year to suit our ever changing tastes here, and this year is no different (think Amarillo...Chinook).  I believe it just might be THE perfect post bike ride beverage.  And since this year's supply is winding down, we need to send it off in style...

THE RIDE: To help spread the word about what it means to operate an environmentally sustainable brewery (more on that here), for the past few years, we've been delivering the the very first PEDAL PALE ALE kegs of the season to a local tap-spot in a very unique way....BY BICYCLE.  And now, it's time to return the empty kegs to the brewery.

On Saturday November 21st after a nice hot breakfast at OTB, I'll set off, with a couple hundred of my closest GOOD FRIENDS in tow, promptly at NOON taking the ceremonial empty PEDAL PALE ALE kegs BACK to the brewery to officially mark the end of the season. And this time, I'll be flanked by a few "celebrity keg pullers", but more on that as it evolves...

Like the Spring Keg Ride, this trip will be slow, meandering, and maybe even a little surprising, in spite of already knowing the destination.  And of course the big difference is that this time, it's for charity.

THE CAUSE:  After the last keg ride, it became clear to me that we need to turn this into an event with a higher purpose.  We can still ride for a FRESH LOCAL BEER, but this time we're also riding for charity.  We are suggesting a FIVE DOLLAR DONATION per person for this event, and since it's an all-volunteer event, 100% of the proceeds will go to our two charities: Bike Pittsburgh and The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW! In the interest of embracing the new season, (and since we're pulling empties of Pedal Pale Ale this time) everyone who rides along to help return the kegs to the brewey is invited to a special tasting: The official debut of SNOW MELT WINTER ALE right at the source!

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?  If the idea of following a few guys pulling kegs around town on bicycles sounds like the kind of thing that interests you, I have to say that you're our kind of people!  To ride along, all you need to do is show up at our starting point, OTB (here's a map to it) some time around 11am (or a little earlier if the hot breakfast interests you) with your bike, get yourself signed in, collect your "beer token" ...and then just follow the bouncing kegs when we head out at noon!

"IS THIS RIDE FOR ME? AM I READY?"
The most common question I get about this ride is "How difficult will it be?"  Let me remind you that although I'm not pulling a 160lb half barrel of beer behind me this time, I will still be pulling a trailer and a bouncy keg, so the pace will be gentle.  And hopefully with as few hills as possible.  But this is Pittsburgh not Chicago, so I've got my work cut out for me.  Part of the route this time will be on roads (with cars), and part will be on paved trails, so any kind of bike should work just fine.  And if you're needing to pick up a used bike for this event, check out FreeRide, another very cool local bike organization that does some great work in the community.

So, to answer the question, if you have a bike, you're ready.  If you don't, then get one!

THE PARTICULARS:

• Date: Saturday November 21st, 2009
• Time: Brunch at OTB@10am-noon, Registration 10am-Noon, Departure :Noon O'clock sharp!, Arrival: maybe between 1 and 2pm
• Starting Point: OTB Bicycle Cafe
• Destination: East End Brewing Co.
• Distance: Somewhere around 7 miles.
• Pace: Gentle.  Remember that part about pulling kegs - granted, they are empty, but still... I'm pretty slow.
• Return trip: Sorry folks, you're on your own. Though maybe you left your car at the brewery when we did the Spring ride?....No?
• Kid friendly: There have definitely been kids on this ride in the past, and they are certainly welcome this time.  But the ride is on OPEN CITY STREETS, and a decent portion of this trip will be up one looong hill.  But the pace will be gentle, and we plan to obey the law and stop at all red lights and respect one-way street designations. Oh, and of course the kids don't get a beer at the end of the ride. But maybe we can swing some hot chocolate.

PREVIOUS YEAR STATS: 
As you can see below, the Spring ride has roughly doubled in size every year:

• 2005: About 12-15 riders to East End Brewing, tasting straight from the fermenter!
• 2006: 45 riders to Kelly's Bar and Lounge, sixtel keg. 
• 2007: 120 riders to The Harris Grill, half barrel via kiddie trailer.
• 2008: 225 riders to The Map Room, half barrel+quarter barrel.
• 2009: 500 riders to Over the Bar Bicycle Cafe on the S. Side!
• 2009 REVERSE KEG RIDE: That's totally up to you!

But this is a new event, and it's likely to be a bit cooler outside, so I have no idea how many people this will draw.  Hopefully a WHOLE BUNCH!  How many friends have you told about this ride, and how many places have you posted a link to this page???

TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW:  As you know, we do LOTS of events... Beer Dinners, Festivals, Volunteer Days, but this is probably my favorite event of the year, and now we're doing it AGAIN!  It's a great excuse to get out on your bike with your GOOD FRIENDS for an afternoon of riding, some good fun, and of course, some GOOD BEER.  Plus, this time we're actually raising money for two worthwhile charities!

Seriously, tell everyone you know about this.  The more people we have, the more fun it will be, and the more we can help these organizations do what they do best - which is a LOT with a LITTLE!

I'll see you on the ride!

Cheers, Scott