The Bolder Life: Bikes, Brews and Barbeques

This weekend marks the second anniversary of my twenty-fifth birthday and what better way to celebrate this momentous occasion than with a few of my favorite things.

Bikes, delicious craft beer and some warm weather barbequing. Throw in one awesome best friend (also celebrating a birthday), a slew of other bike-riding, beer-drinking folks and a good old fashioned barbeque and I truly do have the makings of a pretty awesome birthday.

I’m pretty excited, and I never get excited about birthdays.

It all started on the day of my tenth birthday party when my parents drove away from the Roller Rink, leaving me in the bathroom until they realized their error and came tearing back into the parking lot. They didn’t even have the decency to leave some of my birthday presents for me to play with to pass the time. I know, right? Pretty scarring. Then there was the time I got a triple chocolate, fudge-filled, oreo cake with chocolate ice cream for my birthday. Sounds delicious–for people that actually like chocolate.

So here I am. Giving the whole birthday shenanigans business another shot. I mean, you only turn twenty-five a handful of times!

Here are some of my tips for throwing a bikes, brews and barbeque shindig of your own:

Recon and Taste Testing

Luckily for me, I live within a quick bike ride to Avery Brewing, Boulder Beer Co., Redstone Meadery, and the wildcard stop on the tour—303 Vodka. Because I’m a really good person, care about others and want my friends to have a good time at my birthday shenanigans, I’ve done quite a bit of taste testing and spent my share of time scoping out the best local tasting rooms to stop at on the tour. Seriously—I’m a giver.

Two Wheels

My bike’s name is Lilly. We spend a lot of time together, so naturally I wanted to include her in my birthday festivities. However, I understand that not everyone has a working bike—or a bike period. Don’t let that deter you. If your friends can’t get in on the best and most responsible part of the action, then have them check out this site. B-Cycle exists in Boulder and Denver and offers the bike-less the chance to jump on two wheels for the day. The concept is so simple: sign up online, choose a bike from one of the conveniently placed B-Stations, participate in shenanigans, return the bike. Great idea and very reasonably priced.

Barbeque Dos

The hardest part about throwing a barbeque isn’t figuring out how to light the grill—it’s finding the right combination of alcoholic beverages to please each of your particular guests. Shake things up a bit by asking each of your guests to bring a six-pack of their favorite beer, or bottle of their favorite wine to share. Everyone gets a tasty beverage and a little variety– a win-win for all. And be sure to get all of your food prepping done earlier in the day. Marinate some chicken, prep your burger patties, cook up some cold pasta salad, a little strawberry spinach salad action, slice up some potato wedges for some grilling, whip up some yummy cupcakes—and you’re all set!

So happy biking, beer-drinking and barbequing to you, and happy birthday to me!

With blue skies and 60-degree weather, this weekend is the perfect time to get a little recon and taste tasting done for some of your upcoming celebration shenanigans!