For the Love of God...Ride your Bike to Drink Beer!

Folks....this is just terrifying!  Climate change is now threatening our beer supply.  The only clear solution is to ride bikes....to drink beer.  Save the planet one pedaled to pint at a time!

**Clearly....it's a slow bicycle news day.  Sometimes you have to find something to post!**

Out and About by Bike....The new(er) Under the Rose.

Given that my weekly bike commuting is limited by a new job (that's not nearly as convenient to get to), I'm trying to make some sight specific trips in the evenings and on the weekends.  Last weekend it was out to the "newer to me" location for Under the Rose Brewing after a bit of music down at the Rolling on the River concert series.   We enjoyed a few beers and would have tried some food but the kitchen closed at 10pm (just as we arrived).  Reno isn't quite the 24 hour town it used to be!

The beers were great and the place was definitely doing business.   It's significantly upscale compared to their humble beginnings on 4th Street back in 2013.  If you haven't been, definitely stop in and check out the new(er) digs. 

Only down side is there is zero bicycle parking (Ha....I guess Midtown does have a parking problem)!  They are however totally cool with letting you wheel your bike right in!

A Perfect Beer and Bikes Opportunity!

And it's the same day as RenOpen Streets.  So since you'll already be out on your bike make sure to do the detour out 2nd Street.  They really are making the best beer in Reno and this is a perfect chance to prove it to yourself!

Bikey fun at CanFest!

The expression says it all.  Bikes and beer are that much fun!

A new brewery to bike to!

It's been open for a couple weeks now....but I finally managed to get down to the newest brewery in Reno, The Depot, over the weekend.  It's the old train station that you've probably driven by a hundred times on 4th Street and never given much thought to as it's been boarded up for the last 25 years.  It looks a bit different these days!

The front entrance on 4th Street...nice to finally see this building without boards!

The restored interior bar/restaurant area.  Very nicely remodeled.

While there is car parking in the rear...the bike parking is immediately adjacent to the door!  And yes, I suck at photography.

And the bike parking was almost completely full!

In addition to restoring the building to it's original glory.  The project also restored the surrounding grounds, so there will be some patio activities once the weather warms up.  The entire place is surrounded by a rather impressive iron fence (6' plus high) with brick columns and lighting.  While I'm sure they might not like it, this makes for a nice overflow bicycle lock up point!

So get down and check it out.  The Voyager IPA I tried was a very good example of the style and while I didn't try any food on my first pass, everything I saw served looked really good!

Are Beer (and Whiskey) and Bikes Up your Alley?

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If the title got your attention, then you've got a new location to visit.  The Depot is now open on 4th Street just east of Louie's Basque Corner.  Here's a little video clip to wet your whistle!  Sorry...there is a commercial first.




Also....if those aren't good enough directions to get you there....then you haven't spent enough time on 4th Street and you have to do your own homework!

Beer and Bike Park....sheer genius!

Found this little article over at DirtRagMag.....click on the image for the whole thing.

How is it that someone in the Sierra's hasn't done this!!!???

Bend Trip Report.

What can you say about Bend....well, I'd go with:  If you like good friends, bicycles, running, and beer, you're probably gonna have a good time!  And if a simple statement isn't enough, here is a picture or two for each of those topics.

Phil's Trail Network trail head.

Rolling out on Ben's Trail.

Evidence it's not wise to take pictures while riding single track.

Words to live by!

The trail system is so large it has roundabouts for bikes and central artwork....here's Bend's infamous flaming chicken (the trail version)

20 miles of riding wasn't enough for the girls....so on Sunday it was off to the Happy Girl 1/2 marathon....the start....

......and the finish!

Once riding and running were accomplished.....it was time for beer.  And if you're in Bend you must stop by Deschutes during your beer escapades!

Eventually we moved on for alternate beers serving locations..... In this case a bike shop that serves beer and decked out custom bikepacking rides!

 So there's a few pics from the trip.  If you enjoy bikes, running, beer, and fun, you might just want to take a trip in the near future!

The Growler Cage! Here's to Bikes and Beer!

Yeah, I think I might just have to get (or make) one of these!  If you feel the same you can check them out here.....growlercage.com.

Backcountry ride to the Brewing Lair.

Ok, I've been mentioning this on and off for a while now.  I intend to get out on a backcountry / bikepacking tour.  My intention in the long run is to have a route that gets me up to Klamath Falls where I can link in with the newly established Oregon Outback route (360 miles from Klamath Falls to Deschutes).  This is a preliminary "imagined" route that gets me up to Blairsden and the Brewing Lair.

It's probably 75% gravel, forest service road, or fire road and there is some climbing but I think it looks like a doable first leg.  It also doesn't hurt that it ends at a brewery!  If I do the next leg correctly I think I'll have it end at Lassen Ale Works.  Then not only will this be a touring gravel grinder, but a brewery tour to boot!  Anyway, have a look or check it out over at map my ride....I made it public so you can get a look at the details.  If you're really bored you can watch it on the google earth flyby below:



Just a heads up.....at a about 4 minutes in you'll be on the Verdi ride....just turning on Bridge St.  Then you hit gravel and the fun begins!

Nevada Craft Beer Festival.

The only thing that could have improved our recent beer festival might have been a nice beer themed bike!  A great event with a much improved layout from last year and the addition of food trucks.  Who knows, maybe Reno isn't too far behind Bend or Portland after all!

Taking an evening off!

What can you do....sometimes you just need an evening off.  Yesterday that meant kegging up a couple new beers (a jalapeno ale and an garden uber-hopped special) and then chilling out in the backyard beer garden. 

 

Technically, it's still a "bicycling" post......see, there are two of them just outside the brewery!

It's Friday!!

Or perhaps....

Bicycle route blues......wait, bonanza!

Well, blues and bonanza might not be the right words.  Riding the same route each day does start to get a little old, especially if your trying to write something about it each day.  Don't get me wrong, the river path is great and there's no traffic to deal with.  Mill St. also has it's pluses (mainly speed).  However, to relieve this problem I've taken up riding 4th St. from Washington St. to Galletti Way on my morning commute.

I know some people might not enjoy this route (East 4th St. does have a reputation), but it's really a pretty low stress street to ride on.  There is relatively little traffic and the speeds are lower than alternate routes like Mill St.

As for the lore of East 4th....for those of you not familiar.  There are a fair number of rough pseudo-industrial businesses, St. Vincents homeless shelter, and low budget "weekly" hotels if you head out along this route.  It has long had a reputation as a unpleasant area.  However, this is really changing even during the hard economic times.  There are new businesses popping up and old businesses pushing back against this image.  So I'd encourage you to venture out this way next time you need some real Reno culture.

Start out with a drink at the Lincoln Lounge, a throwback to prohibition drinking.  You can't see in from the outside, so no one knows your partaking in drinking debauchery.  Once your inside you'll be greeted with a plush velvet interior and a nice beer garden out back.

You will see some unique characters as you roll by St. Vincents, but their not really even going to interact with you.  Once you pass them stop in and check out the Reno Bike Project.

I'll post more on the rest of the ride next week.  Let's just say their are some good places to check out for food and beer.

I'm thinking we might just have to organize a 4th St. bike tour as summer rolls in!  Until then...explore a new route.  You never know just how interesting it might be.