Dayton Brewvet: My Submission

And, as they say, the reporting. This is my tabulation for the Dayton Brewvet: 8 rides and 99.2 miles, all told. I had a lot of fun doing this—beer and bikes makes for a delightful combination. I’m looking forward to John Roche’s version next year, when I will actually be paying attention to biking in May. Until then, enjoy! 

Dayton Brewvet Ride 1: Can Beer
Dayton Brewvet Ride 2: Local Bar
Dayton Brewvet Ride 3: Go Exploring
Dayton Brewvet Ride 4: Co-op Brew
Dayton Brewvet Ride 5: Local Brew
Dayton Brewvet Ride 6: Beer at Home
Dayton Brewvet Ride 7: Bike Path Brew
Dayton Brewvet Ride 8: Outdoor Beer

Update: Including myself, there were only four people that completed the Dayton Brewvet: Elli (not surprising) as well as Jake and Sarah. Looks like I might need to get to work on that certificate. Maybe I can just buy them all off with beer.

(8/15/2014)

Dayton Brewvet Ride 8: Outdoor Beer

Sadly, it is time for the last of our Dayton Brewvet rides of the year, although that does mean that we have actually completed the brewvet! This ride was to the Yellow Cab Food Truck Rally, where they are also serving beer. We did end up getting there later than planned, so all of the Yellow Springs and Warped Wing beer was gone, but there was still Redhook Long Hammer IPA a-plenty to drink, which we did while wandering among all of the food truck offerings to be had. Which were plenty, mind you.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Redhook, mostly because I used to go to the Trollyman Pub back in the day when Redhook Brewery was located in Fremont, just past Queen Anne and right on the way to Ballard, back before the giant craft beer explosion and Redhook’s deal with the devil (i.e. A-B) for distribution. Back then, they’d fill our bike water bottles with beer on the way out the door for the ride home. Yes, my love affair with beer and bikes goes back to the early ’90s. And I will confess, that certainly makes me feel old. Thus, I think it a fitting conclusion to this year’s Dayton Brewvet that we close it out with one of the under-appreciated and oft-scorned founders of the craft beer movement. And before all you Boston Beer nay-sayers get started whining about Redhook, just remember that Jim Koch was himself a contract brewer until the mid-90s. So suck it.

Today’s ride was another short but sweet outing to wrap things up; all told, we covered 1.2 miles from start to finish. While today is the last day for completing Dayton Brewvet rides, you all have until August 22 to submit your control card and information. See here for more details! Remember, even if you didn’t cover everything, I’d love to hear what you did cover. And if nothing else, we’ll be back next year for more fun and hi-jinx with two wheels and some pints.

(8/8/2014)

Dayton Brewvet Ride 7: Bike Path Brew

With the clock winding down on the Dayton Brewvet, it is time for our longer bike path ride to complete the fabled Bike Path Brew ride. Why fabled? Why not? This ride was intended to up everyone’s overall distance; in our case, however, this is only the second longest ride of our brewvet, following the initial Swallow Adventure Can Beer ride that opened our exploits. In fact, this ride is only half the distance of that ride. Basically what I’m saying is that sometimes we are foolish. In a good way.

Our jaunt to Star City Brewing in Miamisburg followed the Great Miami River Recreational Trail. Basically, we rode to the river, took a left, and followed the bike path to Miamisburg. It was that easy. And since it was only 13 miles one way, it was a nice leisurely ride (and remember the British pronunciation!) to our destination with plenty of delightful scenery: riverfront views, woods, some parks, and the occasional other trail denizen. I’m going to selectively ignore the section of the trail that parallels I-75 because, well, it is not scenic.

Once we arrived at Star City, we parked our bikes on the patio and grabbed beers to sit out in the sun. While we could have counted this for our Patio/Outdoor Beer ride, we’re saving that for the dramatic conclusion to our Dayton Brewvet tomorrow. Alright, so dramatic might be an overstatement. Anyway, I had the IPA while Elli had the Oatmeal Stout. The IPA was a bit too caramel-ly for my taste, but the bitterness in the finish was clean and sharp, so everything worked out in the end. Then it was time to head back to Dayton. A relaxing 26 miles on the bike with a beer fit into the middle? I can’t think of a better way to spend a Thursday afternoon.

(8/7/2104)

Dayton Brewvet Ride 6: Beer at Home

Time for another groovy Dayton Brevet ride! Since the time has come to tick off the last remaining rides, that means it is time for a quick jaunt to a local purveyor of craft beer, and then take it home to drink. We decided a late evening ride to Belmont Party Supply would be the best choice for us, especially considering that it was in the neighborhood of ten o’clock when we got started. Night time is for sleeping, yes, but also for biking and drinking. We did wear helmets and lots of lights so that we were clearly visible to motorists, but then again, we always do that. Ride smart, yo.

Our selections included Ommegang Hop House for me, Toøl Yeastus Christus for Elli (a brewery we’ve seen before), and Freigeist Geisterzug as a bonus beer, because it is almost physically impossible for me to resist the sweet siren-song of a Gose when one confronts me. Spoiler alert: needs more salt. Anyway. The rides there and back were smooth and uneventful—it was a cool evening. My phone had us covering 6.6 miles, while Elli’s phone recorded 7.7 miles for the same ride. And you can guess which one was the one not working right. I gotta get me a new phone. Our selection of beer for the evening was both solid and enjoyable, with the Ommegang Hop House being a particularly nice surprise—crisp and refreshing with a depth of flavor that made the beer a real treat. Yeastus Christus was good, but it did taste a bit aged, which is unsurprising for a beer from Denmark. And my remarks on Geisterzug have already been recorded: good, but not enough salt.

(8/5/2014)

Dayton Brewvet Ride 5: Local Brew

Thus begins the whirlwind final week of completing the last several Dayton Brewvet rides. Procrastination much? Indubitably! And since it is Sunday, and a supposed lazy Sunday at that, what would the aforementioned lazy Sunday be without beer, bike riding, and some half-ass gardening? Well, we managed to fit all three together in one wonderful outing: we rode out to our Wegerzyn Gardens Metropark garden plot to scavenge what ever beans and tomatillos had survived our summer-long neglect, then stopped by Warped Wing on the way home for a pint. We did not, sadly, make any friends.

Warped Wing is a nice addition to the other breweries in downtown Dayton: lots of open space in the brewery, lots of light, a good industrial vibe, and a huge-ass crane. The one thing, they are missing, however, is a bike rack. This lack of a bike rack has not quite reached the unforgivable stage yet, but a certain long-standing friend of the blog, Jeff Fortney, better mind his Ps and Qs if there isn’t an equitable solution to this problem soon. What good is knowing someone on the inside if you can’t use that pull for sweet, sweet bike rack action? Huh? I mean, seriously. As for beer selections, I had the Siam Thai Saison, while Elli opted for the Self Starter Session IPA. I like the spicy aggressive bite of Siam, although I can see how it might be a bit much for a less adventurous drinker. Still, delicious and quenching. The total distance for our ride was 10.3 miles, including the trip to the garden! More soon!

P.S. Warped Wing: get a bike rack!

(8/3/2014)

Dayton Brewvet Ride 4: Co-op Brew

After a few days off, time to get back into the swing of all things Brewvet. Specifically since Fifth Street Brewpub now has their own beers on tap! And as per the Dayton Most Metro Dayton Brewvet Midterm Report, I wanted to fulfill my scheduled obligations to build all things Brewvet in the Dayton area. So I rolled into the brewpub right at six, and found a seat at the bar.

The only people foolish enough to meet me were Jake and Sarah, along with Darren Link, brewmaster at Fifth Street, although I am not sure if he rode his bike to work. Actually, maybe there were others there, but once they saw the cut of my jib opted to not introduce themselves. Always a distinct possibility. Anyway, I had the Cure-All Cream Ale, which was smooth easy sipping—clean and bright. After the Cure-All, I had a pint of Ithaca Brewing Company’s Flower Power IPA. The four of us chatted about all things beer-related, and took a quick tour of the brewing facilities before jumping on our bikes to pedal back home.

This ride clocked in at 2 miles round trip, pushing me to 55.1 total miles thus far. Go Dayton Brewvet!

(7/23/2014)

Dayton Brewvet Ride 3: Go Exploring

Since we were in Athens for Ohio Brew Week, we decided to take advantage of our options to fulfill the Go Exploring segment of the Dayton Brewvet. Is this cheating? Quite possibly. But since I am organizing it, isn’t that my prerogative? To pull out some classic Parenting 101, do what I say, not what I do. After all, if it works for parents, it should equally apply to bikes, beer, and brewvets. Stone cold logic.

Our destination was the West End Ciderhouse, which was right down the road from where we were staying. Yes, this ride was even shorter than the last one: two-tenths of a mile roundtrip. Barely a bike ride at all. But since we did have an earlier 58 mile Quilt Barn Cycling ride (we rode the Granny Gear ride, but made a couple tactical changes to avoid main roads), I figured it was acceptable to make this ride nice and short. While our location was quite close, I still made Elli ride her bike, for which there was much grumbling. Walking may be convenient, but there ain’t no walking in brewvet.

West End Ciderhouse had several of their own creations on tap, as well as several offering of both beer and cider for Ohio Brew Week. We ordered a sampler round of the in-house ciders and meads; cider, after all, is the new beer. Our sampling included:

Kelly’s House, which was a dry cider with just a hint of apple. It had an almost brut-like quality (ala champagne) from the dryness and the carbonation, with hints of tannic skin character and soft acidity to balance out the flavors. It was my favorite of the evening.
Them Apples, a semi-sweet cider that featured crisp, sweet apple flavors. It could have used a touch more carbonation to brighten it on the palate, as it was significantly less carbonated than the other three. Still, however, a delicious choice. This was Elli’s favorite, and I can see why.
Creekside Raspberry Mead, a sparkling small mead with raspberries. The balance between honey and raspberry was nice, while the carbonation brightened the mead on the tongue. It was still sweet, even with the carbonation
Zingiber, which was (I believe) a cider with ginger, lemon, and honey added. The ginger flavor was excellent; coupled with the dry body and carbonation, it was bright and delicious, with just a touch of alcohol and ginger candy spiciness to finish.

We also tried Griffin Cider Works Jolly Friar and Lemon Blues (from Cleveland), as well as Brothers Drake Hopped Mead (from Columbus).

I’ve always had a soft-spot for ciders—of the drier French and Spanish variety more than commercial American-made candy bombs—and West End Ciderhouse is certainly following the current craft cider revolution in regards to making ciders like their Old World predecessors. I do, however, wish they were closer to Dayton.

More on the Dayton Brewvet can be found here.

(7/14/2014)

Dayton Brewvet Ride 2: Local Bar

Unlike our last ride, this one was sweet and simple: we rode down the street to Lucky’s for a beer. Not every ride has to be a major event. After all, this one certainly wasn’t—it clocked in at nine-tenths of a mile roundtrip, offering us a quick tour of the neighborhood. The golden retriever puppy on the corner (technically, no longer a puppy), however, was not out for pets—we checked. And just to be clear, we actually followed the roads and didn’t ride through yards and houses as the Strava map indicates. Although that might be a fun ride as well. But on second thought, no—too many fences.

I had a New Holland Oak Aged Hatter IPA. It was probably more oak aged than IPA, but that was fine with me. You know you are in trouble when you use the word “balanced” with an IPA, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing—the oak and hop bitterness played well together, making for a creamy, rounded, chewy body and mouthfeel, and the oak helped clean and brighten the finish, along with the hop bitterness. It went down smooth.

Afterwards, a slow ride home, and then dinner: a stir fry made from vegetables out of our own garden. Here’s to more lazy, slow-paced summer evenings.

(7/10/2014)

Dayton Brewvet Ride 1: Can Beer

Thus begins our Dayton Brewvet. For this ride, we rolled out to Jefferson County, Indiana to join Swallow Bicycle Works Adventure Ride, which covered 50 plus miles of gravel and paved roads. So there was lots of dusty fun to be had. Emphasis on the dusty.

We were on the road by 6:30 am to make it down to Indiana for the 9:00 am start. Nothing says dedication like intentionally getting up at 5:30 am on a Sunday. At least to this guy. Maybe you’re different. I doubt it, but I’m at least willing to pretend.

Anyway, once we met up with everyone at Camp Meeting Ground and got ready to go, we rolled out. Riding on gravel roads is fun, although it can be a bit dicey at times. The weird aspect of several of today’s roads were that they had not yet been packed down: you could see the imprint left in the gravel and dirt by the bike tires, which is not something you normally experience. This also meant that much of the gravel was extra-loose. Still, that’s the nature of the game.

The overall route was 52.5 miles; Strava said I did 53.2 miles. I’ll attribute the extra seven-tenths of a mile to the swerving back and forth across the road I did during a couple of the steeper climbs, and not to the fact that my phone sucks. You know, for a change of pace. Most of the 2800 feet of climbing was gradual, but there were two steep climbs that did include some suffering, although it was mostly of the kind that, as my father would describe it, builds character. Not that I was contemplating my father’s words of wisdom at the time: I was too busy sweating and grinding.

There was one actual creek crossing on the ride—you know, through the rocks and water—along with several creek crossings across cement levees. We saw a fair amount of wildlife, including two turtles (which were rescued from the road by one gallant rider), a toad, a deer running through the soybean field, and a turkey. Plus many, many dogs, some more barky than others. And a turkey. Undoubtedly there was more that I missed. We did not, however, get to meet Holly, one of the advertised highlights of the ride, but that was the one minor disappointment in a day full of fun.

Once we got back to the Camp Meeting Ground—and it was an actual old-school outdoors camp meeting ground with religious paraphernalia and the likes—everyone dug into snacks and beer. Elli and I partook in Founders All Day IPA. Light, bright, and easy-drinking. After a little under four hours of riding, it really hit the spot. After our long day of adventuring, we still made it back home to Dayton with enough time to longue and watch pre-recorded World Cup action. Thanks to Tom and Sarah at Swallow Bicycle Works for planning such awesome bicycling fun!

Oh, and just so everyone knows, I was the jackass who got the flat.

(6/29/2014)

Dayton Brewvet

This post was originally supposed to be published in Telephone Weekly, where I write a craft beer column, but issues have temporarily sidelined them. Boo! Since letting the idea of a Dayton Brewvet to go to waste this summer seemed criminal, we’re getting it started here:

         The summer months are upon us, so it is time to jump on your bike and enjoy the outdoors. Dayton is a great town for cycling; there are more than 250 miles of bike trails in the greater Dayton metro area, which is a fair share more than many lauded bike-friendly cities. With that in mind, I am here today to offer you the Dayton Brewvet. My inspiration is John Roche of DrinkCraftBeer.com, who pioneered the concept of the Brewvet last summer; 

From here

I would have participated this year, but he started it mad early and it was over almost before I thought to look it up! So rather than admitting defeat, I decided a local Dayton version was in order. The idea behind the Brewvet is drawn from randonneuring, a long-distance, non-competitive endurance cycling event; the Randonneur USA website notes that “friendly camaraderie, not competition, is the hallmark of randonneuring.” The idea of taking pleasure in the event itself rather than focusing on competition is something I can get behind. As Roche explains further, “since a randonneuring event is called a brevet, it only made sense to call our take on this concept the Brewvet.” While we’re leaving behind the long-distance part of randonneuring—with the exception of ride number eight—combining cycling and local craft beer seems a perfect recipe for summer fun. 

          The Dayton Brewvet will run from June 27, 2014 to August 8, 2014, so there will be plenty of time to get out and explore Dayton by bike. The eight rides—and they can be completed in any order you would like—are:

1. Local Brew: During your ride, stop at a local brewery and enjoy a beer.

2. Local Bar: Ride to your favorite local bar and enjoy a craft beer. 

3. Co-op Brew: Ride to the Fifth Street Brewpub Co-op and enjoy a craft beer. Sorry to be self-serving, but I’m a co-op member, and you should be, too.

4. Patio/Outdoor Beer: Ride to a local bar with a patio, or to an outdoor event, and enjoy a craft beer outdoors. 

5. Beer at Home: Take a spin to the store, and bring home a craft beer to drink. 

6. Go Exploring: Ride someplace new, stop in at a new bar or restaurant, and try a new craft beer. 

7. Can Beer: Canned craft beer is all the rage, in part because it packs in and out with ease. Find yourself a bike ride that incorporates beer in a can. Remember, though: you’re adults. Don’t get either of us in trouble. 

8. Bike Path Brew: Plan a longer ride to explore some of Dayton’s bike paths, and use this as an excuse to visit one of the breweries close to the bike path: Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs (via the Creekside Trail and the Little Miami Trail), Star City Brewing Company in Miamisburg (via the Great Miami River Recreational Trail), or, for the truly brave of heart, Fifty West in Cincinnati. If you’re willing to ride to Cincinnati, I’m pretty sure you can figure out a route on your own.

Your eight rides should ideally combine for a total distance of at least 40 miles; as Roche also notes, “A ride qualifies if you either stop to drink a beer during your bike ride, or purchase a beer on your bike ride that you drink shortly after you get back home. Just like in a brevet, you must provide documentation of each stop on your adventures.”

          More on the documentation part in a minute. First, some basic ground rules. Apparently, randonneuring is rule crazy. While I’m less fussy, I’m still going to implement some of the basic guidelines Roche uses for his Brewvet:

1. Limit of one ride per day. Any ride in which you drink more than one beer still only counts as one ride. Be responsible and make adult decisions.
2. Each ride should be to a different location. No doubling up on bars or breweries.
3. Each ride should feature a different beer, with preference towards craft beer. Local beer is even better.
4. The eight rides are to be completed between June 27, 2014 and August 8, 2014.
5. While there is no minimum distance for each ride, aim to cover at least 40 miles over the course of your eight rides. The Bike Path Brew ride is intended to bulk up everyone’s overall numbers. Yes, long rides are hard. But also fun.
6. For each ride, fill out the Dayton Brewvet rider information card (the Dayton Brewvet rider information card can be found here). Please document the following: Destination: from where to where did you ride? Beer: what did you drink? Miles: how long was the round trip? Date: when did you do it? Ride Completed: which of the eight rides was this?

Take plenty of pictures along the way, and use the #daytonbrewvet hashtag when posting them online. As well, Strava, an online app for phones, is helpful for mapping rides and keeping track of miles.

          Once you’ve completed your eight rides, submit your Dayton Brewvet control card and eight pictures (you can also submit links to pictures posted on your blog or other online sites) to tlmorgan3 at gmail.com. The deadline for Dayton Brewvet submissions is August 22, 2014. A few final notes: arranging group rides is encouraged. Use the #daytonbrewvet hashtag to let others know what you’ll be doing. I’ll post a couple of my destinations a few days prior to riding if you’re looking for an excuse to be social. And as an added incentive—although, to be honest, isn’t the delightful allure of beer and bike riding already more than enough incentive?—everyone who completes the Dayton Brewvet will get an official certificate of completion, suitable for framing. Suitable for framing. I’ve always wanted to say that. Awesome. Plus, I’ll buy you a beer when this is all over. So get out and start riding with beer as your destination.

Dayton Brewvet Practice Ride #2

Another (and by far more successful) Dayton Brewvet practice run; this one was to Yellow Springs Brewery, and everything went swimmingly. I took the scenic route, which means that I rode on the bike path as much as possible, which makes for slightly longer than 54 mile round trip: it was 27.3 each way on my odometer, while Strava said it was 25 each way. I’m trusting the odometer, as Strava had me biking through the middle of neighborhoods and shopping centers. A fun way to bike, maybe, but not the route I took.
         
The route was to head to Riverscape, and then follow the Mad River Trail towards Eastwood Metropark, where I caught the Creekside Trail towards Xenia. I left the Creekside Trail before I got to Xenia proper, cutting across the Greene County Fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds are after the Kil-Kare Speedway (which you can’t really miss); after crossing the street behind Kil-Care, there will be a wooden bridge off the right hand side of the bike path a little over a half of a mile down—take this, follow it up, cut across Fairground Road and follow the path through the fairgrounds and out the back; you’ll get dumped on Alameda Drive, where you’ll take a right on Purcell and then another right on Hollywood. Follow Hollywood to the stoplight. Cross Detroit, and take a left on the Little Miami Scenic Trail, which will run you all the way up to the back of Yellow Springs Brewery—after passing through downtown Yellow Springs, you’ll see their patio over-looking the bike path. This route took me 1:50 on the way there, and 1:40 on the way home (it is a slight uphill most of the way there; either than, or I was powered by beer on the way home).
     
If you want to shave a few miles off the above route, you can always take Xenia Ave. (off Wayne Ave.) to Linden Ave.; take a right on Linden, and follow it across Smithville to the Iron Horse Trail (which crosses Linden); take a left on the trail, and right under 35 (you’ll be turning onto the trail going under 35, so only about 100 yards), Iron Horse hooks up with the Creekside Trail. This will cut about 3.5 miles, leaving you 23.8 each way. Personally, I prefer the bike path, but that’s me.
         
And as to the beers: after all, that is much more fun to talk about then bike path routes. I started with Zoetic Galaxy, which was crisp and fresh with lots of hop flavor and aroma, specifically citrus and tropical fruit. There is a nice balance between the malt body and hop flavors, with just enough bitterness and carbonation to refresh the palate and leave you wanting more. Next, I had Daily’s Comet, a 3.8% ABV saison that drinks just about perfect for summer: light and bright with hints of hay and grass. It is such easy drinking that it will be gone before you know it! And then it was time to hit the trail for the ride home.
         
I’ll be posting information on the Dayton Brewvet shortly! Stay tuned! And prost!

(6//22/2014)

Dayton Brewvet Practice Ride #1

So today I took a spin from Dayton down to Miamisburg as a test run for one of the Dayton Brewvet rides. What is that, you ask? You’ll find out soon enough, so have no fear. Not surprisingly, it will combine bike riding and beer. And if that isn’t a win win situation, I don’t know what to tell you. So be prepared: I’ll expect all of you to be ready to jump on those bikes and ride when the time comes!

My plan was simple enough. Ride down to Star City in Miamisburg, have a beer, and then ride back home. Sadly, nothing was in the mood to cooperate today. First, it was like a gazillion degrees out today. Second, there was a headwind all the way down to Miamisburg (well, at least the return trip was easy with the tailwind all the way home). And third, Star City was closed. Yes, I should have seen that one coming. But since I always just assume beer will be freely flowing at all hours, I was still a bit shocked. While they did open at 4:00, I didn’t think that hanging out for two-plus hours on their patio was a proper investment of my time. So I instead headed for home in the sweltering weather, wondering why bad things happen to good people. Actually, that’s a bold-faced lie. I really wondered about what beer I would have when I got home as a reward, and then thought about this blog post and my waiting lunch, all three subjects far more promising (and interesting) to speculate upon than the nature of evil.

Finally, as you can tell from the Strava map (at least maybe you can tell—my phone does a terrible job of mapping my ride, making it look like I ride straight direct lines over rivers, lakes and highways), besides the trip to Miamisburg, I put in some extra miles on the bike path for fun, and also rode around my neighborhood looking for apartments for rent for a friend moving to Dayton. The trip to Miamisburg and back covered about 25 miles of my 40 mile ride. Not that all the rides will be this long, mind you. But the occasional long ride is good for you! More soon!

(6/17/2014)