Rides

This Friday, we shall commence the longest of the planned 2026 Biweekly Brewpub rides, to Pho No. 1 Brewing at Belmont and Pacific, in the Belmont Terrace neighborhood.  Unlike most of this week, the weather forecast is reasonable; we should not encounter the rather damp ride that we experienced when last we rode to Pho No.1 in June 2025.

This ride will use the new online ride signup exclusively, please use this link to sign up for this ride: EBC Ride Sign Up  Riders who arrive at the ride expecting to use a paper sign up sheet will be asked to register online, either on their own phones, or by using mine.

The route we will use is here: Brewpub Ride Pho No. 1 Brewing 2026 Revision Alternative

This is a city ride, but I have taken pains to choose streets in generally good repair, and I have managed to limit the number of uncontrolled intersection crossings and difficult left turns.  A fair proportion of this ride will be on bike paths.  Bike parking at our destination will require cooperation, and a bit of creativity.  Bring your longer cable locks...

Beer Notes:

Pho No. 1 Brewing has an interesting story.  The owner was primarily a restaurateur specializing in Vietnamese food here in Chicago, but he missed the beers of Vietnam, which were crafted to better harmonize with the flavors of his cuisine.  So he created a small 2 barrel operation to create beer that would work well with his dishes, often by using the flavors and ingredients in the food, like lemongrass, galangal, mango and pineapple.  By and large, he has succeeded.  

The highlight beer last year was their Mango IPA - essentially a fruited IPA with a nice balance between hop and fruit flavors.  I'd characterize it as an IPA for people who don't like IPA's - it was balanced, not hop-forward, crisp and clean on the palate.  At the moment, indications are that this year's fruited IPA uses pineapple; in any event, I am most likely to choose the fruited IPA for my meal.

There is also a rice IPA ( think Rolling Rock with overtones of lemongrass ) and an American Pale Ale, which have a lighter approach to each of their styles to better match the food choices.  For dark beer drinkers, there is usually both a standard and a pastry stout, often with higher alcohol levels.  They even make a sour; the current version is flavored with dragon fruit.  If you cannot decide, Pho No. 1 offers a sampler of 4 beers... and if this is your first visit, I recommend it.

Dining Notes:  

Pho No. 1 is Vietnamese cuisine, with a few twists.  

Good news: the pho here is top tier.  They spend 48 hours preparing each batch of beef bone broth for their pho, and the amount of care is obvious in each spoonful.  The meatballs and other proteins are as good as any on Argyle St.  Bad news: ever try riding 18 miles with a belly full of pho?  I made that mistake the first time I previewed this brewery, and cannot recommend the experience.  

Other menu items that have received good reviews by EBC club riders include all the Vermicelli Noodle dishes, the Fried Rice, the Green Papaya Salad, and the spring rolls.  There are an assortment of stir fried dishes, and a good number of vegetarian choices.  If brewpub fare is mandatory, there are even chicken wings.

A set of photos of recent menus is located here: Gallery

Again, this ride is part of the Electronic Ride Sheet Pilot program.  Please use this link to sign up for the ride: EBC Ride Sign Up

See you Friday at 11!

Ron