Saturday was supposed to be our monthly “Beer of the Bike” ride.  The plan was to ride out to Victory in Downingtown.  But as the date approached, I realized that no one was really letting me know they were coming.  I suspected it Saturday morning, and as I sat enjoying my coffee at the Art Museum steps, no one showed up.  The rain and the longer distance likely scared people away.  No worries, I switched to plan B.

There was an Oktoberfest beer fest going on in Center City that day as well.  I figured I’d make the most of my free day and head over there.  I met up with the Beer Lass and joined her for a bit (many thanks Suzy!!), pouring samples of the Sly Fox Oktoberfest, first to the “VIPs”, then to the drunken masses.  In between I had a chance to sample some of the beers.  I kept it light, as its easy to go overboard at a beer fest.  But of all the beers I had, I really think that the Sly Fox version was the best.  Spaten, Harpoon, and Oskar Blues all had solid offerings.  I was a little underwhelmed by the Dock Street, unfortunately.  And of the 4 rare beers at the Monks/Shelton Bro’s table, I only tried the Klosterbier, which had a lactic acid/Berliner-weisse-y tartness to it that I wasn’t quite sure if intentional or not.  The sign indicated it was from a pitch lined cask, but I didn’t get anything of that nature in the flavor.

I spent the remainder of the day, and most of the night, at the Lehigh Ave Arts Fest.  I was really there to see our good friends Adam and Dave’s Bloodline play, with Lois on backing vocals.  It dragged on into the evening, but with the kids at the grandparents for the night, it was all good.

Except, perhaps, for the 2 flat tires on the way home.  But it was after a late dinner at the Memphis Taproom.  So really, after a day filled with beer, music, and biking, can I really complain?