Thanks everyone for coming out for the Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride May 15th.  It was a truly stellar evening of perfect weather, and a MIND BOGGLING FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE showed up to follow the bouncing kegs (all 3 half barrles) along their 7 mile trip to our destination, the Over The Bar Bicycle Cafe on Carson Street in the S. Side.  Yes, I said 500 people...plus one octopus.

Here's the route we took if you're wondering how you get 500 people from Homewood to the S. Side by bicycle. Answer: Mostly with bike lanes and bike trails!

I had a wonderful time this year, thanks to all the great help from Scott and Erok at Bike-Pgh, plus all the Bike Pittsburgh Volunteers who handled the sign-in, and the great work from Mike, Marty, and the entire crew at Over The Bar who managed to handle 500 thirsty bikers in their amazing restaurant/GOOD BEER joint - in record time without so much as breaking a sweat.

On the sweatier side of things, huge thanks to Sean from Venture Outdoors, and Peter from behind the taps at Growler Hours for being our special "Celebrity Keg Pullers" for the evening.  (Especially Peter who didn't get drafted until the day before...luckily he has draft experience.)  Thanks guys!

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://bike-pgh.org/2009/05/16/500-cyclists-show-up-to-deliver-first-batch-of-pedal-pale-ale-by-bike/

http://mtnbiker.smugmug.com/gallery/8223052_qRaWY#537518998_2AEnD

http://randomprecisionphoto.com/?p=524

http://www.gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=23301&window_height=602&window_width=1007

http://www.flickr.com/photos/edr1084/sets/72157618289449542/

http://www.vimeo.com/4680534

http://picasaweb.google.com/sonofshantytown/KegRide2009#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewjCBikScEY

http://thethibaults.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/keg-ride-2009/

http://picasaweb.google.com/aestheteguy/PedalPaleAleKegRide2009?feat=directlink

I don't know what 2010 will hold for this event, but we'll likely be making some tweaks to see if there's a way to somehow make it even better!  But I've got at least 11 months to dream about that...

Until then, see you on your bike!

Cheers -Scott

 

 

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We've been doing this event for a few years now, so it's time I put up a devoted page for it.  This should be everything you need to know about the ride.  If I'm missing something, please let me know.

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 15th, 2009, I'll set off with a keg 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 to you.  And of course, the beer will be cold, 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 I have to pull, but let me worry about that.  Besides, I've got some help. 

The experts at Bike-Pittsburgh
loan us a really solid bike trailer, and help us plan our route. They also help with the logistics of moving a couple hundred cyclists
safely around town, and provide a 200+ bike parking solution at our destination.  These guys do some great work, so consider becoming a Bike-Pgh member, okay?

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?  If the idea of following a guy pulling a keg of beer around town on a bicycle 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 the brewery (directions here)
at 6pm with your bike, get yourself signed in, collect your "beer token" ...and then just follow the bouncing keg! 

"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 15th, 2009
• Time: 6pm sign-in, 7pm departure, arrival likely between 8 and 9pm
• Starting Point: East End Brewing Co.
• Destination: Undisclosed, but we will cross a river this year!
• Distance: Somewhere around 7 miles.
• 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: Edit: 500 riders to Over the Bar Bicycle Cafe on the S. Side!
  

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?


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 15th also happens to be part of American Craft Beer Week, as well as National Bike-to-Work Day, 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