Well, another REVERSE KEG RIDE is history, and we had a great morning of biking and beer to show for it!  This was our first time doing the event "LEGIT" with Marshals, Insurance, Permits and such, so it was a nice dress rehearsal for the BIG RIDE in the Spring.  We had just under 100 cyclists come out to brave the chilly November morning temps (low 30's), and help us get those empty kegs back to the brewery safely.  (Whew!)  And maybe it was the fresh first batch of Snow Melt Winter Ale waiting for us at the brewery, but there was no fluffy white stuff falling out of the sky the entire day.

The route turned out to be uncharacteristically direct this time, mostly because we couldn't get certain permissions in place from CMU to make a pass through campus to trim some of that long hill.  So, with the need to lock down our route and the possibility of some nasty freezing rain, we made the call to make it a pretty straight shot.  Here's the route we took.

And here's a BUNCH of great photos from our GOOD FRIEND Mike Vindler. If you have some you'd like us to link to, drop me a line on the contact page.

Thanks to all of you who came out to ride, and thank you also for your generous donation to our charity this timearound: SOUTHWINDS.  If you'd like to read about them, or make a direct donation to support the great work that they do, follow this link.

Since we had some overhead associated with "going legit" this time around, and we had a lighter-than-usual turnout due to the chilly weather, we raised $600, including additional personal donations and the proceeds from an impromptu auction of a keg pulling slot.  So to sweeten the pot, East End Brewing will be matching that figure, dollar for dollar, to bump up our collective donation to $1,200.

Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen:

- Venture Outdoors and Seth Gernot (coordinated the whole damn thing)

- Over The Bar Bicycle Cafe (Our gracious hosts at the start of the ride)

- Whole Foods Market (Breakfast supplies)

- Bike-Pittsburgh (Advocacy, Vision, and Tenacity)

- Flock of Cycles (Our diligent ride marshals for the day)

...and of course, to all of you who came out to ride.  See you here soon - and see you on your bike in the Spring for the 2011 Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride, the mother of all keg rides!

Cheers - Scott

 

 

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Once again, that crisp Fall air means that the end of Pedal Pale Ale Season is drawing near.  As you may have heard, back in May about 700 of our GOOD FRIENDS came out to help deliver the first Pedal Pale Ale kegs of the season at our annual PEDAL PALE ALE KEG RIDE, and raised over $5,200 for charity at the same time!  And just like last year, we need to get the last of this year's empty Pedal Pale Ale kegs back to the brewery... which in my book is the perfect excuse for another bike ride!

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 floral 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 shifting tastes, and to keep the release a little more interesting.  I believe it just might be THE PERFECT post-bike-ride beverage, but that's just my opinion.  And since this year's supply is winding down, so we need to send it off in style...

THE RIDE:  After a Hot Breakfast at OTB Bicycle Cafe courtesy of our GOOD FRIENDS at Whole Foods Pittsburgh, we'll head off in a nice tight group.  Of course, the big difference is that unlike the KEG RIDE in the Spring, everybody knows where we're going on the REVERSE KEG RIDE... back to the brewery, just like last year!

Except this time, this ride is going legit, with permits, insurance, ride marshals, and complete lack of Friday evening rush-hour traffic.  And this time, we're also asking that you STAY BEHIND THE KEGS as we carefully wind our way back toward the brewery.  Like the Spring Keg Ride, this trip will be slow, meandering, and maybe even a little surprising, in spite of already knowing the destination.  When we arrive, we'll say goodbye to Pedal Pale Ale until next year, and raise a glass of SNOW MELT WINTER ALE to toast it's passing, on me of course.

DIFFICULTY, PACE: There's no two ways about it.  Riding from OTB to EEBC is an uphill trip.  If you've not been on you bike for 3 years, this ride may not be for you.  But we'll do our best to keep the pace nice and gentle, and keep the group together...which will mean some waiting around for the quicker riders.  (Part of this route will include a long climb through Panther Hollow, but we plan to stop at the end of this climb and re-mass the group, and wait for any stragglers.)  Of course, the good news is that if you're heading back to the S. Side, it's almost entirely down hill.

Part of the route this time will be on roads (with cars), part will be on paved trails, and some will be unpaved but smooth trails.  So really, 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, a local bike organization that does some great work in the community. 

THE PARTICULARS:

Saturday, November 6th. rain or shine.

Breakfast and Check-in at 9:00am

Depart at 10:00, arrive at 11:00-11:30am

Cost: $15 for pre-registration (on-line), $20 for Day-of-ride registration.

This charitable contribution gets you breakfast and coffee, a fun morning of riding your bike in a big group, and this year's very first pint SNOW MELT WINTER ALE fresh from the brewery, served in our spacious back lot at the end of our ride. 

HOW TO SIGN UP:  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, you first need to REGISTER FOR THE RIDE by hitting that big blue button below.  Then show up at our starting point, OTB (here's a map to it) with your bike, get yourself checked-in, collect your "beer token" ...and then just follow the bouncing kegs when we head out

 

THE CAUSE: SOUTHWINDS is a non-profit agency which provides quality residential care and life skills training for adults with developmental challenges through out Allegheny County.  They do great work with modest resources, and we've worked with them a little in the past.  This is their first time being our keg ride beneficiary though. 

 

RETURN TRIP: Sorry folks, you're on your own.

CAN KIDS COME?  Yes.  There have definitely been kids on this ride in the past, and they are certainly welcome this time.  But be advised that this ride is on OPEN CITY STREETS, and a decent portion of this trip will be up one loooong hill.  But the pace will be gentle, and we plan to obey the law, stop at 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 we do have Home Made Root Beer on tap.

TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW: As you know, we do LOTS of events every year... Beer Dinners, Festivals, Volunteer Days, but this is probably my favorite event of the year, and now we're doing it TWICE A YEAR!  It's a great excuse to get out on your bike with your GOOD FRIENDS for day of group riding, some good food, some good fun, some GOOD BEER, and of course a good cause.  So seriously, tell everyone you know about this.  The more people we have, the more money we will raise, and the more fun it will be.

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