The First of April

Maybe wearing a hoodie sweatshirt the same color of the asphalt we were riding on was not the smartest thing to do, but while following my friend Chris, we were able to log 25 miles on our bikes yesterday, without being mowed down by distracted drivers in the DC traffic.

Chris's new ride

Our goal was, as it always seems to be, a bike ride to visit some of the new micro-breweries that have been springing up in the metro DC area in the last few years. This was also one of the first rides of any distance that Chris did on his new bike. That's not to say that these were the only miles Chris has ridden since the first of the year. He's probably ridden more miles between January and now than I will ride for the rest of the year.

Our first stop was a couple miles from Chris's house. A very nice liquor store-deli called Quench. Good news was they make a really good sandwich. Bad news is they don't allow drinking on the premises. They are in the middle of a remodel that will expand the store to include a bar/cafe which I believe will make it a regular stop for us in the future.

The next stop, after about 12 miles of pedaling was Three Stars Brewery.  They feature a home brewing supply store as well as a tasting room. You can also get 64 ounce growlers filled along with t-shirts and hats featuring the brands logo. Of the 4 beers they had on tap for sampling, I liked the Southern Belle, which is their pecan brown ale. Chris prefered their IPA, but to no ones surprise, we liked them all.

Around the corner from Three Stars is Chocolate City Brewery which was featuring three beers on tap including their flagship copper ale and their dark cerveza  Everything was good but we both prefered the more complex beers of Three Stars. That being said, they were very friendly and knowledgeable and seemed to draw a good crowd.

Our last stop on the bike ride portion of our odyssey was a visit to Chris's wife's place of business, Providence Hospital, which translates to "hospital on the hill". We met Sue there because she needed help rearranging her office. With the promise of dinner and a car ride back to their house, that's what we did. Her office is in a former patient's room so it featured it's own bathroom which includes a sit down shower. Nice. It's her temporary office for the next year and I think the workspace is better used in the new arrangement.

For dinner we chose Shaw's Tavern in DC which we chose because it stocked both Three Stars and Chocolate City beers. Dinner was good and the beer flowed once again. Between the free samples at the breweries and Sue picking up the dinner check, Chris and I did not pay for a single drink all day. That, to me. is an almost perfect day.