Touring - Alcohol

I was wondering what people drink on tour and how they carry their alcoholic beverages --- seems like those trunk cooler bags could be VERY nice for getting a cold six pack to dinner. Do you favor plastic rotgut whiskey bottles for weight and durability? How about wine since it's tasty warm? A fresh six pack every night and save the extras for the morning? :) Or extreme efficiency: only drinking alcohol you can use as fuel?

I have enjoyed a cold beer after a long days ride.
I figure if my tri buddies do it why not me? I don't carry beer though. I will buy it if I want when I am close to camping for the night.
I do remember drinking with some Germans in Clear lake National Park years ago. I was camping (not on a bike) and they were touring to Banff from Toronto. Good bunch they were. They really enjoyed the Canadian beer.
I don't think they did much riding the next day.

It's probably not real wise to consume too much alcohol on tour. It's tough enough keeping properly hydrated without adding alcohol to the mix (pardon the pun :) ).

Get a plastic flask and learn to love bourbon.

Who wants to argue with scientists (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=491236&in_page_id=1766&ito=1490)?

I'll drink to that

Cheers

george

I've been known to carry an unopened bottle of wine around for several days in a pannier. It's not really much of a deal if you are camping and there is a liquor outlet in the town close by. It might be problematic if you are intent on camping more remotely and have to plan ahead by buying before you set out.

I'm not much of a spirits drinker (and there are the mixers which need to be accounted for), and beer takes up way too much space for the alcohol content -- and needs to be kept cold. But wine is far more adaptable.

I've also been known to carry a two-litre cask of wine when setting out on a mini-tour to enjoy over the next couple of nights with friends. The casks here in Australia have mylar bladders, so I ditch the box and the bladder conforms to the available space in a pannier.

For me, the French really have it all worked out. Reasonable quality wine in plastic bottles at good prices in the supermarkets. A nice light red such as a rose with an evening meal helps finish off a good day of cycle-touring!

you were probably wondering why the LHT has 3 bottle cage mounts...

http://www.trophybikes.com/catalog.php?deptid=13&catid=-1&prodid=32

all we need is a 10 and a 5, a key and car and a sober rider

B double E double R U N, beeeeeeerrrrrrrun

Gold rum in a plastic flask, otherwise, whatever anybody is offering.

If you really want to keep your drinks cold, Xtracycle make a cooler for use on a bike - their Sub Cooler. It's designed for their FreeRadical longtail but mounting it on a rack should be pretty easy. It holds twelve 12-oz cans and costs $39.00. However at 4.75lbs / 2.16kg you'll need to figure just how much you want that cold drink.

The Pack Tap from Sea to Summit uses a wine cask bladder inside a strong nylon bag so this may be a good option to securely carry your favourite beverage. Four sizes, 2 to 10 litres.

I usually limit my alcohol consumption on tour to an occasional beer or glass of wine with lunch or dinner in a bar or restaurant, or at a hosts house if offered. I had a drink or two about 4 times on the TA. I guess I should indulge a bit more often.

When touring in Europe it is easy to find local beer, wine and cider in village stores, markets, wineries, bars and service stations. I normally start out early and stop along the way to buy a bottle of wine, water, milk, fresh bread, cheese, chocolate, fruit & vegetables etc. and find a nice scenic place to eat. After a long lunch with wine I will have a nap before I continue cycling late in the afternoon. I then have wine for my evening meal and when I stop to camp.
For me part of the pleasure of traveling is trying local products and I’ve found excellent wine, cider and beer while touring. It is nice to meet locals in the bars and share a pint! When I was cycling the Camino de Santiago, it was customary to share the wine when dining with other pilgrims! :beer:

When I decide to camp for the night I would usually stop and get a boss can or two. Each one contains almost 3 beers so you only need to carry 2 if them, and they take longer to warm up. Whiskey is good in the morning for that extra kick in your coffee, and really helps to start your day right.

I carry an insulated grocery bag like this one while on tour.

http://www.reusablebags.com/store/reusable-thermal-shopping-medium-p-387.html

When I find a grocery store near the end of the day, I pick-up food for the evening meal. I will usually include a package of frozen veggies (or other frozen food) that I will pack in the bag with perishables and/or beer to keep them cold. The bag folds flat and is reusable.

touring cuba, I enjoyed an cafe, maybe a cigar, maybe a shot of the local rotgut and some bull****ting with the locals at each hodunk town I stopped through.

It's too easy to buy whatever you want on the road. Why bother carrying it when it is so easy to ruin the stuff by riding in the heat of the day.

It's too easy to buy whatever you want on the road. Why bother carrying it when it is so easy to ruin the stuff by riding in the heat of the day.
True, even with wine (assuming you're carrying a red and not a white) I'd rather buy from a store at the end of the day than carry something that temp. sensitive.

I was wondering what people drink on tour and how they carry their alcoholic beverages --- seems like those trunk cooler bags could be VERY nice for getting a cold six pack to dinner. Do you favor plastic rotgut whiskey bottles for weight and durability? How about wine since it's tasty warm? A fresh six pack every night and save the extras for the morning? :) Or extreme efficiency: only drinking alcohol you can use as fuel?


In the cooler mountains I used to put my cans of Coors (more likely to be Sam Adams thse days) right in my water bottle racks. I always would get beeps from drivers and truckers going by.

roughstuff

On tour around here??? With two or three wineries per mile in places. You need to save your tasting until you get near your campsite or motel before swallowing any. Some wines cost more then a motel room. Those wineries usually charge for tasting unless you buy. There are still enough places that are free to get tanked.

I always prefered to stop somewhere for something to eat and a cold brew
Always carried a small flask of either strong rum or vodka
Works wonders as a painkiller after a crash and is perfect for wound disinfection

It sounds like us cycle-tourists are aficionados of fine wine, beer and spirits! :beer:

It's all about maximizing use of the stuff you carry. Alcohol stoves will run off of Everclear.

The formula:

1 Part EC
4 Parts Punch (or six if you can't take the heat).

Don't drink too much, or you won't have enough fuel to cook breakfast the next morning.

It's all about maximizing use of the stuff you carry. Alcohol stoves will run off of Everclear.

The formula:

1 Part EC
4 Parts Punch (or six if you can't take the heat).

Don't drink too much, or you won't have enough fuel to cook breakfast the next morning.

Pfftt, everclear should be drank straight up
:beer:

It's all about maximizing use of the stuff you carry. Alcohol stoves will run off of Everclear.

The formula:

1 Part EC
4 Parts Punch (or six if you can't take the heat).

Don't drink too much, or you won't have enough fuel to cook breakfast the next morning.

Hah! I knew SOMEBODY did it! Expensive though, isn't it? $30/bottle? Denatured alcohol is like $5 a quart..

i try to keep it to one beer per bar. although on my last tour, i did the last 30 or 40 miles of a 114 mile (longest of the tour) day starting off wasted!!! (three beers - i was depleted) i think there is just something totally beyond our control that decides morale...like wind direction...*edit*:rolleyes:

If there's a store close to the campground, ride back and buy a 6-pack and a bag of crushed ice. Go to your campsite. Dig a hole. Put the ice in the hole. Put the beer in the ice in the hole. It will stay cold a long time. Share with your neighbors in the hiker/biker sites. You'll be a hero.

On my last tour, across Cuba, beer was consumed (sometimes in copious amounts) daily.

There are a couple of brands of wine that are now using box packaging like a tetra-pack juice container. A liter of wine becomes a realistic item to bring in to a backpacking camp - you just flatten the box and pack it back out! :) I would imagine this would hold true for cycle touring also!

Oddly enough my panniers have two wine bottle size pockets!

And here's what to do with your glass of wine in the tent, so as not to spill it. :D
.

Carry double proof rum in a small plastic bottle. Stop near the end of the day for one of those large beer cans and stuff it into your sleeping bag. Keeps it cold for hours!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who "consumes" a bit while on tour.
I have met riders who strictly will not drink one drop while touring.
Wussys.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who "consumes" a bit while on tour.
I have met riders who strictly will not drink one drop while touring.
Wussys.

And they may have their reasons. They could be recovering alcoholics, or maybe they don't drink for religious reasons, or maybe they just don't like the taste.

I have to laugh when Drs are doing a medical on me and ask me how much I drink. I tell them, "Not very much." ... and they say, "That's what ... once a week?" ... and I say, "No, once or twice a year." Some years I'll go the whole year without drinking any alcoholic beverages. I like a little bit of wine once in a while, and only rosé and some reds, but for the most part, I don't like the taste of alcohol. I tried to get used to beer, but ... YUCK ... so I don't bother with it anymore. Drinking alcoholic beverages is just not all that important to me.

And they may have their reasons. They could be recovering alcoholics, or maybe they don't drink for religious reasons, or maybe they just don't like the taste.

I have to laugh when Drs are doing a medical on me and ask me how much I drink. I tell them, "Not very much." ... and they say, "That's what ... once a week?" ... and I say, "No, once or twice a year." Some years I'll go the whole year without drinking any alcoholic beverages. I like a little bit of wine once in a while, and only rosé and some reds, but for the most part, I don't like the taste of alcohol. I tried to get used to beer, but ... YUCK ... so I don't bother with it anymore. Drinking alcoholic beverages is just not all that important to me.

No, I mean guys who do drink regularly but abstain while training or touring. My tri buddy and I used to drink, a bit (and a bit more) and he used to always have a beer or few after the Ironman.
I repect their decision to not drink but I don't like it when they frown on me and my cold beer in my campsite after a hard days ride.

There are a couple of brands of wine that are now using box packaging like a tetra-pack juice container. A liter of wine becomes a realistic item to bring in to a backpacking camp - you just flatten the box and pack it back out! :) I would imagine this would hold true for cycle touring also!

And the bag is easily inflatable and makes a decent pillow.

One part Vodka plus four parts Gatorade and you have yourself a Gatorita.

And the bag is easily inflatable and makes a decent pillow.

One part Vodka plus four parts Gatorade and you have yourself a Gatorita.

:-)
a gatorita or two is ok, but 3 or more could let local badges assist you in lodging with bui (bicycling under the influence) and you "camp" in local jail-cell.
i usually don't drink and ride on tour, sometimes at camp or at dinner i have had a few.
i like the idea of recycling too. often am searching for that correct pillow, now it's found!!
enjoy you tours!
tomg

And the bag is easily inflatable and makes a decent pillow.

One part Vodka plus four parts Gatorade and you have yourself a Gatorita.

I think Buglady was referring to the waxed Tetrapak-type of cardboard containers like milk and orange juice are packed in. The French have been putting their wine in similar one-litre packs for a while. Actually, I don't recall seeing the bladder-in-box casks to which you are referring (and invented in Australia) in the wine retail outlets in France, but then we were looking only for bottles (plastic or glass) at that stage.

Regarding the tetrapak/wine box confusion, I realized my error about the time I turned off my computer. The tetrapaks are becoming more common, at least in BC, but some folks seem to have an aversion to them and associate the packaging with being an inexpensive wine which isn't true.

I think Buglady was referring to the waxed Tetrapak-type of cardboard containers like milk and orange juice are packed in. The French have been putting their wine in similar one-litre packs for a while. Actually, I don't recall seeing the bladder-in-box casks to which you are referring (and invented in Australia) in the wine retail outlets in France, but then we were looking only for bottles (plastic or glass) at that stage.

I don't know about France, but here in Spain only the very cheapest, low-quality wines are packaged in Tetra Briks.

A bota is my solution for wine on tour.

http://ab.dip-caceres.org/images/carrillo/rural/La%20bota%20de%20vino%20(Carb%C3%B3n%20y%20%C3%93leo).JPG