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Its a bit old news at this point, but I had a interesting experience last week. I hinted at it in my previous post, but I had a chance to be on a TV show!
I was contacted (by roundabout means via Chris LaPierre) by the producer of the Samantha Brown show on the Travel Channel a couple weeks ago. Apparently they somehow heard of the Beer of the Bike rides that I do and thought it would be a nice feature for the show. We met, planned and set up a brief pub crawl ride.
There were some errors in planning, and Wednesday I found myself scrambling to gather the 10 or 11 people that had planned on filming with us on Thursday. Sadly very few of those who had planned on coming (and had taken Thurs off from work) were able to make it. Due to the weather, they decided to scrap the actual riding too. I don’t think Samantha was excited about riding a bike through a rainy 40 degree day. Go figure.
So I ended up drinking beer and filming for a TV show with Samantha Brown, along with Lois (6 months pregnant), Rose, and Sonya. A stark contrast from our usual rides, which are heavily male populated, and of course, are actually rides.
We started at Yards, with a faux tour, including some staged dark malt additions by Samantha. We spent the most time at Monks, where Tom Peters poured some amazing beers, including a 6 year old Westvleteren 8. That alone made the day worth it. We ended the day at South Philly Taproom, where Adam and Joe poured us some local favorites while we chatted about the Philly beer scene on camera. And Lois got her chance to shine by dissing the suburban beer culture, ha, which she mildly regrets.
Some other high points: getting to wear a fancy wireless microphone, a full meal at SPTR paid for by the show, having a chance to plug my idea of a Travel Channel show – filming me riding my bike to different breweries worldwide. I’m glad that at least some of you all were able to be a part of it, especially Lois! I just hope they manage to hide her pregnant belly, I don’t want to be seen as encouraging alcohol consumption during pregnancy! The episode should air sometime in May. Stay tuned!
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?
Beer by Bike 