Dec 09 Ride Recap

Man, this was a cold ride.  Temps were in the 20’s, and as soon as I left the house, the wind was fighting.  And it never let up.  We ended up riding out to the General Lafayette Inn, via the Valley Forge trail to Barren Hill Rd on the way there and Forbidden Dr on the way back.

I don’t know if I could imagine a better post-frigid ride setting.  Fireplaces, dark wood, low ceilings, and hand pumped beer.  It really was an oasis.  They had their Sunset Red and an old ale on cask, and they were perfect.  The place got crowded, but we stayed at the bar, had some lunch, and otherwise avoided having to go back out in the cold.

But we did, and made it safely back.  A lucky few of us enjoyed some homemade chili at Chateau Keenan.  This was definitely an epic and enjoyable ride

Giving the General a run for its money

Bryan over that The Brew Lounge, in his quest to help the General Lafayette Inn stay above water, is hosting a run this Sunday.  (Well, he said walk and bike too, but I don’t see any further mention).  If I wasn’t attending a wedding (and potentially recovering from the ride to Victory the day before) I would be there.  But as I can’t be, you should go in my stead.  The General Lafayette Inn was one of my favorite rides from last year, and I would love to see them continue in business and thrive.  So go, with your running shoes, or your bike, and support your local brewpub.  Especially your local brewpub at the end of an awesome bike path housed in an awesome 300 year old tavern house.  Never been there?  This is your chance, do it!  And bring a growler!

Le Philly Tour de Brew

On Saturday I embarked on “Le Philly Tour de Brew,” as its been dubbed, for my inaugural event of Philly Beer Week.  Jeff Appeltans put together a great route and a great ride.

There was 25 of us, starting and ending the day at Yards Brewery, with 3 stops in between .  First we took a quite ride past some Chestnut Hill mansions to get to the General Lafayette Inn.  We had a  quick pint and got right back on the road for a hilly suburban ride to Iron Hill in North Wales.  But this point I really needed the lunch and longer break.  They were expecting us, and thankfully had a table waiting.  A flight of their seasonal beers was a refreshing accompaniment to a filling and greasy fish and chips lunch.

We set out again after lunch, back towards the city.  Not far into the ride, the beer made its way to my bladder, making this leg of the ride perhaps the most uncomfortable.  I eventually had to pull over and relieve myself before getting to Manayunk Brewing Co.  The beer at Manayunk was just barely drinkable, but the riverside deck was wonderful.  From there, the group split up, as we all tried to drag our tired legs back across the city to Yards for some celebratory samples.

The weather was wonderful, the first real spring-like day, with highs in the 60’s (maybe even 70s?) and just enough cloud cover to keep the sun from beating us up.  And as my first real big ride of the year, I couldn’t have asked for a better time!

Lists

I like keeping lists.  Its my way of attempting to organize my life.  Of course, those lists are usually haphazard and ill-kept.  But I still do it.  Technology has helped to centralize these lists, and my Blackberry (best phone ever) holds many of my digital lists.  The problem is, I rarely update the lists once made.  So as an exercise in fun-ness and organizing-ization-ness, here is a random list, distilled from my Blackberry and my own mind.

• Prohibition Taproom – This (post) is what prompted this list.  It opened recently, and I added it to my “to-try” list, and realized that I hadn’t updated it in awhile
• The Tiedhouse – This Saturday The Brew Lounge crew is running there (not to be confused with the Fishtown Beer runners, as I made the mistake of doing before) from the General Lafayette Inn.  It reminded me that I want to get there soon.  And I would love to bike there on Saturday, but Lois will be on tour and I’ll be dadding all day.  Maybe I’ll bring the trailer, hmm…
• Chicks Cafe – Another place I’ve been meaning to get to
• Southwark Restaurant – Rye Whisky anyone?  Did I mention my “to try” list?
• Apothecary – I think I must have
• Kung Fu Necktie – I get the sense that I should either go here more often and put my flag in the ground before it becomes the new cool spot, or just concede it to cooler people than I.  Either way, it needs a new name.  And a website.
• Memphis Taproom – Heard of this place before?
• Germantown – Maybe moving there in the not too distant future?
• Earth Bread and Brewery– Not too far from Germantown…
• Stilton Cheese and Barleywine – Tis the season
• Autumn – Have you seen a tree lately?
• Bottom Brackets – I need to check mine out before my next ride, please remind me.
• Tria – I forgot about this place, I used to go to all their beer classes
• Money – Oh yea, I don’t have any, so most of this list is pointless.
• The Internet – I’m on an upward swing in my dysfunctional relationship with the internet, I signed up for Blip.fm, Twitter, and Facebook recently.
• Real life – If you want to discuss, enjoy, attempt, consume, or visit any of the above, let me know.  I’d love to get out more often.