HEY! Thanks everyone for coming out for the 2011 Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride May 7th.  After a smattering of sprinkles in the hours leading up to our departure, the weather finally came around before anyone really got wet.  And before you knew it, the sun was shining, and with your help 4 half barrels had been delivered and tapped at our Mystery Destination....Penn Brewery.

REALLY???  Another Brewery???  SURE!!!  I think we managed to surprise just about every single person with our destination this year, so a HUGE THANKS goes out to everyone at Penn Brewery for being our gracious, forward-thinking hosts. Not only did they jump at the chance to be our mystery destination, but they even came out to ride with us and help deliver the kegs.  How cool was that?  And of course, they also got to eaves drop on all the discussion and speculation in the pack about where people thought we were going.  (That must have been extra fun!) So kudos Andy, Sandy, and everyone else at Penn for keeping our secret until the very last second.  Thanks guys - you made it extra special this year!

It was great to work with another Local Craft Brewer on our BIGGEST event of the year, and a great collaboration leading up to American Craft Beer Week.

HOW BIG WAS IT?  All in all, we had 425 riders come out to help deliver kegs this year.  Less than last time, but I think the decrease was due to a number of things: Holding it the day before Mother's Day (the only day we could swing it), a morning start time, some pretty iffy weather, and the fact that this was the first time the charitible contribution was mandatory... thse all contributed to a lighter turnout than we have seen in the past.  But still, 425 bikes moving across town following 4 kegs of beer???  That's still a pretty glorious sight!

THE ROUTE: <link coming>

 

 

 

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://t.co/eblBemO

https://picasaweb.google.com/mike.vindler/KegRide2011#

http://www.jonpratt.com/2011/2011-Pedal-Pale-Ale-Ride

 

THE FUTURE: This was clearly the smoothest and safest KEG RIDE with more than 100 people.  And we have the Outdoor Event Experts over at Venture Outdoors to thank for that.  But still, we try to learn as much as we can from each ride to make it better and better.  This year was definitely a "building year", where we spent some cash on infastructure and tools that we will use for years to come... an important stride to make if next year's ride happens to be on a sunny day with nothing else happening in Pittsburgh.

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...but that's our REVERSE KEG RIDE, so stay tuned that!

Cheers -Scott

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On SATURDAY MAY 7TH, we'll hold our 7th Annual Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride. Register here: http://blog.ventureoutdoors.org/?ee=1

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).  After many seasons of tinkering with the recipe, we've dialed it in just the way we like it, and 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 six 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 Saturday Morning, May 7th, 2011, a few of us will set off with kegs and possibly ONE THOUSAND 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 - especially the destination.  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: Like last year, instead of just riding for beer, we're riding for Charity, raising a bit of cash for a local organization doing great work on tiny budgets...

• The Kingsley Association: A super-local organization, serving the youth and families of our community.
• Flock of Cycles: More locals working to make city streets safe for everyone.  That's why they're marshalling this ride!

 

ALSO NEW THIS YEAR: We've got some special stuff planned for this year, including THREE different registration options, all benefitting our charities of course:

• $15 KEG RIDE Pre-registration / $20 Day-of.  Pre registration ends at 5pm on Friday, May 6th.
• $27 KEG RIDE Pre-registration w/lunch buffet (including veg option). Pre registration w/lunch ends April 27th.
• $50 KEG RIDE Pre-registration w/lunch buffet (including veg option), PLUS a "Special Beer Event" at our destination.

(Lunch is not vegan as previously advertised here. If you need me to refund the lunch portion of your registration as a result of this, drop me a line via the contact page at the top of this page and I'll take care of it for you.)

What's this "Special Beer Event" you ask???  We can't give you details, but we can tell you it'll be fun... especially if you're a fan of GOOD BEER!  There's only 40 spots available, and they will not be sold on the day of the event.  In fact, with 1,000 expected riders, they won't last long.

The REGISTRATION PAGE will be up and running by 4/21/11.

 

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-register at our Event Page on the VentureOutdoors website (link coming).

2. Show up at the brewery between 9:30 and 10:30am with your bike, sign in, and collect your "beer token". (The brewery will be closed.)  The Registration Table closes at 10:30am.

3. Follow the bouncing kegs to their mystery destination.

4. Enjoy a fresh glass of PEDAL PALE ALE with a few hundred GOOD FRIENDS.  Okay maybe 1,000.

 

WANT TO REALLY PARTICIPATE?  PULL A KEG!  Yes, you can have the honor of riding at the front of the pack, and scoring one of the very first glasses of PEDAL PALE ALE served this season.  Of course, you'll need to work for it - and pay for it too.  But again, it all goes to charity.  There's two ways to get in on it:

1. BUY IT NOW: For the tidy sum of $250, you can guarantee a slot at the head of the pack.  Just drop an email to seth@ventureoutdoors.org, and the first person to make payment - credit card, check, unmarked bills, gold bullion (Seth's words, not mine.  I'd also take beer.) - gets to pull a keg to our undisclosed location.  No, we still won't tell you where we're riding.

2. DAY-OF-RIDE LIVE AUCTION: We're auctioning off a second keg pulling slot the day of the ride to anyone within earshot.  (A bullhorn may be involved.) Look for signs telling you where to be when it's auction time, and bring your checkbook!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"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, and so do the other keg pullers. All of the route this time will be on roads (with cars) this year, so any kind of bike should work just fine.

NEED A BIKE? GET ONE!

• RENT A BIKE: Click on over to Golden Triangle Bike Rentals and be sure to tell them what you're doing with it!
• BUY A USED BIKE: Check out FreeRide, another very cool local bike organization that does some great work in the community.  Always loads of servicable rides in stock, and on-the-cheap.
• So to answer the question, if you have a bike, you're ready for this ride.  If you don't, then get one!

THE PARTICULARS:

• Date: Saturday, May 7th, 2011
• Time: 9:30am sign-in, 11am departure, arrival likely between 12 and 1pm
• Starting Point: East End Brewing Co.
• Destination: You've gotta ride to find out! (No, we're not climbing Mt. Washington as someone said on April 1st.  We're fools, but not sadistic fools.  But here's a hint: We're crossing another river this year.)
• Distance: 7-10 miles, mostly downhill.
• Pace: Gentle.  Remember that part about me pulling a keg?
• Return trip: Sorry folks, you're on your own. But at least this year, it won't be DARK!

PREVIOUS YEAR STATS: As you can see below, this ride has nearly 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: About 700 riders to Belvedere's in Lawrenceville.
• 2011: Who knows? Our mystery destination can handle 1,000 or more!

This year's turnout 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, the more we will raise for charity, and the more beer we'll have to pull!

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