6pm, done with work, walking home; it’s 38F and drizzling, which is quite pleasant in the dark. As much as I like it, I have a nagging wish for some beer…..

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What’s more fun than spending a Friday evening hanging out with a bunch of bike geeks next to a workbench and beer fridge? Hanging out with bike geeks and beer geeks next to a bunch of kegs, of course…..

The night began with a few laps around the pump track on our not-so-militant commuters. Extra-long wheelbases don’t work too well on stiff-lipped tabletops, FWIW.

Unfortunately, that got old, so we rolled out instead. There was a cute little sunset, but the darkness finally overcame us.

We finally arrived, only to find Woody…….who tried to insulate his feet from the chill….

There was a reason we made the ride….beer! The local winner of the evening was the Oatmeal Stout from Independence Brewing. The word is that it should be available in bottles in about two months. I’ll be looking for it now that I know it’s coming; stouts are a fantastic thing come “real” (Central Texas) winter.

(512) was also making some noise, but they ran out of beer before I could get to my third pint…this may have been their Pecan Porter, or it may have been the Shiner winter peach/pecan contraption…

Either way, the Best Wurst was enjoyed by most of the crew, in part to stoke the central heat; in part to ensure we had enough gas to roll home.

When we finally ran out of beer, some intrepid souls charged indoors to exchange their wrinkly green for some bubbly brown. With stouts on the mind, we sampled another specimen of the Oatmeal Stout variety (anyone who can match Breckenridge Brewing has a winning team), as well as excellent takes on the Imperial Stout (worldclass!) and IPA (Pike is extremely under-rated — $3.99 / 22oz — and consistently high quality. Try their Extra Stout and Kilt Lifter, you’ll love ‘em!)

The ride home was a little eventful, but we left no man behind, and met a rather nice police officer who enjoys riding at City Park. Thanks for making sure we were safe from physical harm, guys. However, you can never be safe from your better half, especially when she gets a call from your friends. Ride safely, kiddos!

With all of that behind us, we wandered off to see if the Rubik’s Cube had been solved. Turns out it had, and it warranted some blue boobs and double-teaming sunglasses.

There’s more to the story, but I’m tired, so check back soon….

Prost!