Pour de Raleigh Bike and Beer Tour III

This past weekend, I organized and led the 3rd installment of my bike and beer tour of Raleigh (that I recently discussed in an interview with Draft Magzine's Beer Runner) dropping in on some of my favorite local watering holes and brewers of local craft beer. Based on the success of my first two events in the summer of 2009, I decided to increase the number of locations we stopped at and the number of people invited to join in on the fun this go round. My initial theme and plan for this ride would be a stop at the three Raleigh breweries and brewpubs now operating inside the beltline but once I realized there was time for more, I added stops at three bars that also have good selections of craft beer.

Our group of eight started this tour as the past two from home with the first stop less than a mile away at my new favorite neighborhood bottle shop - Barley and Vine. This wine and beer store is owned and managed by my friend Jen where she has quickly established a great place to drink quality draft beers on rotating taps at the wine and beer bar. I started the day with a half pint of Stone Brewing Russian Imperial Stout which went down quite nicely after our brief ride in the morning heat.

From Barley and Vine, we headed out on a 9+ mile ride to our next stop, my favorite local brewery - Big Boss Brewing Company. Normally their taproom named Horniblow's Tavern is not yet open this time of day so I was able to make special arrangements with my friend Dave who works at the brewery and runs the Craft Beer Collective website to let us in for a round of beers. As a group, we covered the 9 miles on the Raleigh greenway to Big Boss in about 45 minutes where Dave was waiting to join us. Here I grabbed a full pint of my favorite Boss beer - High Roller IPA that I enjoyed with the group as we got an impromptu tour of the brewery and learned how some of their beers are made. As we departed Big Boss Brewing, Dave stayed back to handle some technical difficulties (I broke the front door off the hinges, sorry Dave) with the intention of catching up with us for the rest of the stops.

Our next stop was The Remedy Diner in downtown Raleigh which was about 2 miles away. The route included passing the historic Mordecai neighborhood and by the NC Governor's mansion. Apparently, the heat, the riding and time on the clock made the decision for us that it was time for a snack with our next beer so we bellied up to the bar as a group for some fresh, tasty apps at The Remedy and our next round. I enjoyed another local brew from my friend Mark's brewery in Fuquay, NC - Old Bulldog ESB from Aviator Brewing. My buddy Joey riding in our group snuck in a Bloody Mary but I gave him a pass on that since he has rode an astounding 67 miles earlier in the morning in preparation for his Ironman event this fall. By this time, he needed all the extra nutrients he could get. Dave caught up to us before long and grabbed a pint himself before we headed down the street to our next stop.

 

From here, the riding got a lot easier. Our next stop was Woody's at City Market, just two blocks away owned and operated by my friend Joe. Joe wasn't home this day but we all hit up the bar for another round and I was ecstatic to find that they had Terrapin Brewing Wake N Bake Coffee Stout on special for $3 a pint. Woody's was on my list because they have a great selection of craft beers at a fair price every day. Feeling replenished from our snacks at The Remedy or perhaps from the caffeine in our coffee stouts, we powered on to the next stop.

Despite concerns from the group, I opted for the scenic route from Woody's to our next stop - Boylan Bridge Brewpub. After a brief ride past the Raleigh Amtrak station and through the Boylan Heights neighborhood where the Raleigh Mayor lives, we arrived at Boylan Bridge for another round. I went with the Public Transportation Pale Ale though my favorite here is the Bruno Bitter. Boylan Bridge's deck has a fantastic view of the city so we lingered outside for some photos and I can not tell you how happy I was to notice that the deck now has more shade from the sun.

Our final planned stop was next at Natty Greene's Pub and Brewing just around the corner for a late lunch and of course - more beer. On the way, we got stuck at a train track crossing by a train so after a short but impatient wait, we took the long way around to our final watering hole. Despite the heat and bright sun, we sat outside under the umbrellas for another round and lunch. I went with a spicy burger, an 8-Pounder Imperial Pilsner and finished with a sample of the Freedom American IPA.

My intention as this point was for the majority of us to pile in the Subaru with the bikes on the back and drive home but a few members of the group wanted more, at least more riding so we decided to ride home from Natty's. I led the ride home as well taking a different and slightly more direct route through NC State University and Meredith College campuses and back to our side of town with mileage for the day totaling 3 breweries, 3 bars and about 25 miles. Wow, what a day of riding, friends and beers!

Big thanks goes out to all our beer stop hosts and especially Dave from Big Boss Brewing Company. Check out his photo gallery from the day over at Craft Beer Collective. Cheers.