Go Clipless

Tour de Brew Mountain Bike Race - 2 out of 3 ain't bad

That's what I'm talking about! A race that brings two of the three major components to sustain a happy life. All that's missing is the sex. That's right I'm talking about bikes and beer.

Sure you've been to fat tire festivals and hauled your coolers of frosty cold ones out to the 24-hour race campsite, but have you ever raced through a brew pub? I didn't think so.

Now you can, ladies and gentleman...at the Tour de Brew in Allentown, PA (via Smithers). Which, by the way, is part of the Lehigh Valley and is quietly becoming a mecca of all things cycling.

But I digress.

Why didn't anyone think of this before? It's absolute genius. Why not bring your mountain bike race right through a brew pub or bar? Maybe even grab a pint on the way through. It would be great for us also-rans that end up in the bottom third of the field. Our new excuse..."yeah I would have podiumed, but they just broke the seal on a new keg of IPA, I just had to give it a try."

DNF would be a badge of honor.

Just possibly the greatest grocery store ever

The new Whole Foods "concept" store in Fairfax, VA.

As a cyclist you enjoy healthy food, right? As such, you've likely been to a Whole Foods before. But not like this one. Unless you live in Austin, TX where the only other store of this kind exists.

There's a wine tasting bar, five gourmet restaurants, and more microbrews than you'd find at your nearest mountain bike festival.

If this is the future of Whole Foods, you guys are in for a treat when one finally comes your way.

Anyway, sorry to be a bit off topic, but I just had to share. Jealous?

Beer XML

Seems like beer and mountain biking go hand-in-hand. Many of the mountain bikers I know tend to seek new micro-brews as passionately as they do epic singletrack. Some even brew their own in their quest beyond the ordinary.

Now there is Beer XML to help transfer recipes across the Internet faster than Dr. P supermans over the handlebars on a downhill run.

(via Fimoculous)

"Only one drink each at the office Christmas party"

Any other good captions for this one?

This seems to be going around the e-mail joke world, of which I almost never participate. However, a friend of mine sent this to me today and I thought it was funny and worth sharing.

Not necessarily bike related, but I do have a beer category so I thought I'd make it fit.

A more efficient energy source

With the cycling blogoshpere a buzz with car-free living, here's a look at a Miller High Life commercial that should provide more fuel to the discussion. The commercial never aired.

Velocipete reminded me of this (it seems to be floating around again), however, I think it was Nicomachus that first raised awareness of this video gem back in August (which I found in the comments to this post).

Beer Cycling Jerseys

Fixedgear's got a great list going of beer brewers with cycling jerseys.  Here's another list of beer jersey's from the BikeForums archives.

London Pride's gone beyond the generic jersey (read - road jersey) and created one thats more forgiving for mountain bikers.

I thought that local brewer Old Dominion had a jersey, but I guess I was mistaken.

Graham's Glass Slipper

So, here we are spending a lazy day at GC Headquarters when Betty shows with a cardboard full of Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale.  Then it all started.

"I really like this beer!"

Those were the words Gman uttered over and over.

MTB Brews. What is your favorite?

Even beer companies are capitalizing on the popularity of mountain biking. Outside Magazine noted in its October issue that brewers are increasingly naming their beers for adventure sports. Most of the brews pictured in the magazine, however, are named for mountain biking, including:

- Singletrack Copper Ale
- Tire Bite Golden Ale
- Fat Tire Amber Ale

Note that all three are Ale. I suppose that is because we mountain bikers are a hearty bunch. I haven't tried them yet,
but when I do I will update the site with a review. If you have tried any let us know what you think. If not let us know what your favorite beer is after a ride!