East End Brewing Keg Ride
Certain activities will arouse us from Saturday slumbers – beer consumption is among them. Nothing like good, old-fashioned day drinkin’! Add in the element of bike riding, and we’ve got ourselves a solid morning on the East End Brewery Keg Ride. Mandy and I suited up for the ride on April 28. We followed kegs of East End’s summer brew, Pedal Pale Ale, through East Liberty and Highland Park. The destination? Station Street Hot Dogs. Excessive amounts of wins all morning long.
Here’s what we learned:
- Bicycle has two flat tires? NBD. Every other cyclist on the ride will be one thousand times more prepared than you — tire pumps aplenty!
- Just a casual bike rider? It’s cool. The intense biking gear of other riders may be intimidating at first, but the Keg Ride is a slow-moving affair that provides little opportunity to make serious cycling errors and look like a total fool. (I mean, seriously, it’s not like you’ll show up with two flat tires… oh wait…)
- Pedal Pale Ale is a refreshing brew. It definitely got our taste buds ready for summer and happens to pair perfectly with encased meats.
- Station Street Hot Dogs is baller. They were totally prepared for the group of 500+ and served up hot dogs and duck fat fries with ease.
- BikePGH and Pittsburgh bicycle enthusiasts are a fun crowd. Need some new pals? You’ll get ‘em fast in this friendly bunch!
- Awesome jokes from our new friend (see?) Terry. Example: “I was just out drinking the other night, got pretty drunk, and had to pass through a sobriety check point on my way home. I took a bus and wasn’t stopped, which is lucky because that was the first time I’d ever driven a bus!” ZING!
Want to get in on this action? The next Keg Ride won’t be until next spring, but you can take the reverse Keg Ride on October 27. The Keg Rides are typically limited to several hundred participants (and sell out) and are a nominal cost which is a donation (this year to BikePGH and ABOARD’S Autism Connection). You’ll receive a surprise-destination bike ride through the ‘Burgh and a glass of Pedal Pale Ale. Be on the lookout for more info here, and to learn more about the brews: http://www.eastendbrewing.com/
