Beer of the Bike

Wow!

This past Saturday was the official Brewery Bike Ride for Philly Beer Week.  I knew that lots of people were excited about it, but neither I nor the breweries were prepared for the number to people that showed up.  I had warned each brewery that there could be 70-80 people.  But as I asked folks to sign in, my 90-some sign in slots quickly filled up.  From Nodding Head, we had at least 130 people on the ride.  I would venture to guess there was over 150 total throughout the day.

Despite the crowds, it was really a fun ride.  Or at least I had a great time!  Due to the number of riders, there was no way we could stay as one group.  So instead we had cue sheets, and I gave an announcement when it was time to head out to the next location.  Everyone rode at their own pace, with whomever they happened to be riding with.  I really like this format, as it gave me, at least, a chance to ride with different people for each leg of the trip.  I had some nice conversations with new people all day!

Nodding Head was packed, but the Berliner Weisse was a good morning beer for sure!  Dock St was swamped as well, it took some time to get a beer, but being able to mull around outside was wonderful.  And they provided an awesome fruit and veggie spread for us!  The longest ride of the day was from Dock St to Yards, but most everyone made it.  Everyone was anxious for beer after that, so the lines at Yards were out of control!  After some tours and some breaking apart of the group for food, we all reconvened at Philadelphia Brewing Co.  This room was probably the best suited for the number of people we had, but we still packed it out!  A surprising number of people acutally made the entire ride and ended up at Triumph, where we said our goodbyes and had some dinner.

The weather was perfect, the beers were delicious, and everyone acted responsibly and had a great time.  I don’t think I could have imagined a better ride for Beer Week.  Well, actually, I can imagine.  Just wait until next year!