Thanks to everyone who came out for the 2010 Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride May 14th.  Once the thunderstorms passed us that afternoon, the skies cleared up to reveal a beautiful evening of Spring Cycling weather.  We got lucky again!  And good thing, because with SEVEN HUNDRED cyclists to get across town safely behind our keg trailers, we needed it!

As you may have heard, our original destination, the Round Corner Cantina, got cold feet about a week before the ride (And rightly so!  Their patio would have never held us.)  So we had to scramble to find someplace on the bigger side, available, and willing to be our destination for the delivery.  Plus, with the ominous weather forecast, it needed to be inside.  Luckily, the guys at Belvedere's were willingand able to handle as many of us as they could - but of course, as soon as we arrived, we put them over capacity.  Still, they did an amazing job of handling the mass of thirsty humanity we dropped on them.

THE ROUTE: In case you were wondering, here's the approximate route we took from the brewery to Lawrenceville.  But keep in mind, this does not reflect the stop we made on Shady Ave. searching the street for the cotter pin attaching the keg trailer to my bike.

HOW DID WE DO?  Thanks to your generous contributions, we raised we raised a total of $2984.44 for Bike-Pgh, and $2,238.43 for In-Stride Therapeutic Riding.  (We split the registration proceeds, but people also donated directly to these organizations and purchased Bike-Pgh memberships.)  Not too shabby, considering it was pretty much the same event we did last year, but we helped out two very worthwhile charities!

Thanks also to our auction-winning Keg Riders who managed to haul an extra 170lbs plus trailer the whole way, and personally contribute some extra loot for the privledge to do so.

PICTURES, VIDEO, and ARTICLES: The photo and video links are rolling in, and here's what I've gotten so far.  If you've got some you'd like to share, drop me a line via the Contact page, and I'll add yours to the list.

http://bit.ly/ccceaJ (Click "All Sizes" for better view)

http://bit.ly/c8ZJZc (Here too with the "All Sizes" and the clicking)

http://bit.ly/9Yu2on (And again...)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=166537&id=714632214&l=acb56b6099

http://www.mnn.com/local-reports/pennsylvania/local-blog/sustainable-keg-delivery-biking-for-beer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jake-was-here/sets/72157624060045165/

http://www.jonpratt.com/2010/Pedal-Pale-Ale-Ride-May-14th/12191173_79sJo#875508920_S3kn8-A-LB Video!

...and a full write-up with loads of photos is here on the Bike-Pgh site:

http://bike-pgh.org/2010/05/700-ish-show-up-to-the-pedal-pale-ale-keg-delivery-ride/

 

THE FUTURE: Given the way this thing has grown over the years, it's definitely taken on a life of it's own, and is not without it's share of issues.  So in the interest of making this thing better every single year, here's what we're thinking went well, and stuff we'll change for next time:

- Pre-registration was a HUGE help in getting people signed in for the ride, without having to wait in a long line.

- Got LOADS of great feedback on the addition of FOOD before the ride, so big props to Kevin Sousa for the veg tacos.  And be sure to check out Kevin's new restaurant, opening in July of 2010: http://www.saltpgh.com/

- We will move the ride from Friday evening to Saturday or Sunday in the early afternoon, thus avoiding loads of cranky car traffic, night riding on the way home, and plus, the chances of finding a venue that is interested in taking on an additional 700-1,000 extra customers gets a whole lot better than cramming everyone in on a Friday night.

- It may be time to make this ride "legit".  Maybe file a parade permit, maybe arrange for rolling intersection closures to keep the pack together, maybe rent a hall for our destination. Of course, we need to weigh this against the money we're trying to raise for our charities.

 

Thanks again everyone for coming out to make this our Best Event of the YEAR!  Now, we'll still have some empty Pedal Pale Ale kegs to return in the late fall, and in the process bust out the first batch of Snow Melt Winter Ale, so stay tuned that!

Cheers -Scott 

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We have a date! Friday May 14th is the official date for the official keg ride of official 2010...officially speaking.

FIRST, THE BEER: In case you haven't had it before, 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.

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.

On Friday evening May 14th, 2010, a few of us will set off with kegs and couple hundred of my closest GOOD FRIENDS in tow, to a mystery destination some place in Pittsburgh that ordered some beer. The trip will be slow, meandering, and maybe a little surprising.  And of course, the beer will be cold, super-fresh, and especially tasty after the ride!

CAN I BUY YOU A BEER? For everyone that rides along, your first  pint is on me.  The more people that ride, the more beer we have to pull, but we'll worry about that.

WORTHY CAUSES: This time, instead of just riding for beer, we're turning this event into a Charity Fundraiser, to raise a little cash for two small organizations doing great work on tiny budgets...

• IN-STRIDE Therapeutic Riding is a local organization that uses horses to help kids and adults with severe challenges to heal, and grow in amazing ways. Learn more about their great work and even make a direct donation on the In-Stride Website.
• Bike Pittsburgh has been our partner on this event since we started it, so if you care at all about bicycling in Pittsburgh, you should know about Bike Pittsburgh. 

ALSO NEW THIS YEAR: We've got some special stuff planned for this year, including...

• On-line registration/contribution, so no more huge line on ride day! (see below)
• Everyone registering EARLY gets a chance to win the very first East End Brewing/Big Hop Cycle Jersey!
• Everyone registering EARLY gets a chance to win a Pittsburgh Cycling Jersey, cap, and socks!
• Want to pull a keg?  We're auctioning off 3 keg pulling slots to the highest bidders! Auction is LIVE now: http://kegride.winwinevents.com.  All proceeds go to our charities, of course.

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE? If the idea of following a few people pulling kegs of beer 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, here's what you need to do:

1. Pre-registration is now closed. Come early to register in person at the brewery.

2. Show up at the brewery between 6 and 7pm with your bike, sign in, and collect your "beer token".

3. Follow the bouncing kegs to their mystery destination.

4. Enjoy a fresh glass of PEDAL PALE ALE with a few hundred of GOOD FRIENDS.

"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 I'm pulling a 160lb half barrel of beer behind me...so uh, let's just say that 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: Friday May 14th, 2010
• Time: 6pm sign-in, 7pm departure, arrival likely between 8 and 9pm
• Starting Point: East End Brewing Co.
• Destination: You've gotta ride to find out! (We're not crossing a river this year though.)
• Distance: TBD.
• Pace: Gentle.  Remember that part about me pulling a keg?
• Return trip: Sorry folks, you're on your own.

PREVIOUS YEAR STATS: As you can see below, this ride has roughly doubled in size every year, so if we get some nice weather, we could see a HUGE turnout!

• 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!
• 2010: That's up to you! (Edit: Turns out, it was about 700 riders!)

This year's tally is totally up to you.  How many friends have you told about this ride, and how many places have you posted a link to this page?  The more the merrier! 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.  It's a great excuse to get out on your bike with your GOOD FRIENDS for an evening of riding, silliness, and of course, some GOOD BEER. May is also home to American Craft Beer Week, as well as National Bike Month, so what better way could there be to celebrate both at the same time?

Seriously, tell everyone you know about this.  The more people we have, the more fun it will be.

I'll see you on the ride! Cheers, Scott