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East End Brewing's keg ride around Pittsburgh supports charity | TribLIVE.com
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East End Brewing's keg ride around Pittsburgh supports charity

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
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East End Brewing
The Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride is April 27

This bike ride has beer at the finish line.

On April 27, a group of several hundred bicyclists will leave East End Brewing in Larimer, towing several kegs of beer for the Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride on a several mile course through the city.

A keg weighs 170 pounds.

The destination is kept a secret until the riders arrive, East End Brewing owner Scott Smith told the Tribune-Review on Friday.

Once they reach the final destination, the participants will be treated to a fresh pint of Pedal Pale Ale.

Smith, who started the event 15 years ago, said it takes about 110 riders to cover the costs of the event from the beer to the police escort needed to insure safety. The $25 entry fee for riders includes a glass and the beer inside.

Money raised is donated to Auberle Foster Care, a charity Smith said does amazing things for children in bad family situations . He and his wife Julie have had 14 foster children in their care over the past three years.

The more keg riders they have, the more funds can be donated to the charity. So they make the ride easy for all skill levels.

“The day is also about the camaraderie and the silliness of following around a keg of beer on a bicycle looking for a place to stop and drink it,” said Smith. “What started with 20 people has really grown. At one time we had north of 700 people. We expect 350-450 for this ride.”

Smith said he started the ride to highlight the local aspects of beer. He was inspired by a saying by British brewer Peter Austin.

“Beer should never be consumed further from its source than a horse can walk in a day.”

“I thought, ‘Well, we don’t have horses, but we have bikes,’” Smith said. “So this might be a fun way to take a ride and drink beer. In the early days, it wasn’t very safe as I was pulling a 170-pound keg in a child carrier and I don’t know any babies who are 170 pounds. I thought at one point the beer was going to speed right past me because it was really rolling. But, now we have cargo bikes and proper carriers for the beer.”

The ride will not exceed 11 miles and the journey will help many youngsters, Smith said.

“Auberle is near and dear to our hearts,” he said. “They do incredible work. When you hear there are more kids in the foster care program because of bad situations than you have foster homes for them it breaks your heart. The lack of support keeps them in bad situations and we want to change that.”

Details: https://www.facebook.com/EastEndBrewing/

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.

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Categories: Food & Drink | Local | Allegheny
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