Interview: BrewCycle's Andrea Lins and Chuck Riegelman

STATS
Name: Andrea Lins
Hometown: Racine, Wisconsin
Website: http://brewcycleportland.com/
First Beer Consumed: Milwaukee's Best...embarassing I know.
Favorite Style of Beer: Porters
Preferred Watering Hole: Bridgeport Brewpub, I live really close which makes it too easy! They have great beer and an excellent late night menu!
Best Place for Pizza: Lucky Lab Beer Hall on NW Quimby.

STATS
Name: Chuck Riegelman
Hometown: Racine, Wisconsin
Website: http://brewcycleportland.com/
First Beer Consumed: Whatever my Dad had in the fridge, probably something cheap.
Favorite Style of Beer: IPAs, hands down.
Preferred Watering Hole: Bridgeport Brewpub. They have the most well-rounded IPA I’ve had since moving to Portland and the staff is great, too.
Best Place for Pizza: Lucky Lab.


I met the BrewCycle gang at the 2011 North American Organic Brewers Festival. I actually had the opportunity to help pedal the fifteen-person, 100% green, party machine from one section of the festival grounds to another. I think I must have snapped at least a dozen pictures of this thing. That’s what one does when they come across a marvel of engineering and design. I wanted to find out more about BrewCycle, the machine and the owner. Andrea and Chuck generously donated their time to answer a few questions.

When did you start BrewCycle?
We officially started July of 2011.

Who built the fifteen-person, 100% green, party machine?
It was built by Crawler Fabrications in Savannah, GA.

Have you added anything to the BrewCycle since you got it?
A BUNCH of signatures, we wanted to make the BrewCycle a little more personal. It’s been fun having riders come back for a second time and be able to point out their signature to the new riders they brought with them!

How often do you take the BrewCycle out?
Whenever we are booked! We run seven days a week starting as early as eleven am. As long as we have enough riders, we will be on the road!

Are you able to take the machine on most of Portland’s local streets?
We have specific streets we can and ones we can’t be on…believe it or not, the streetcar would not want to be stuck behind us, nor would we want to be in front of the streetcar!

What can one expect if they sign up for an outing?
A great taste of some of the best beer Portland has to offer while being taken around the city in an entirely unique way. While some riders are unsure of the idea upon first impression, everyone leaves with a smile! We are delighted to provide our riders with such a fun and enjoyable experience whether they’re locals or just visiting for the weekend.

What has been the most challenging aspect of running BrewCycle?
The weather, it’s been so unpredictable this past winter. I was out in hail, snow, rain and sun ALL in one day! We have fun in any weather, but that has definitely been the most challenging part.

What do you enjoy most about the business?
We have enjoyed being able to have the opportunity to incorporate our love for locally-brewed, craft beer and a healthy, active lifestyle. And of course, hearing all of the great things people have to say that have been on the bike.

What do you foresee in BrewCycle’s future?
We will be starting to branch out a little to offer a variety of tours on the BrewCycle beyond just the beer, hoping to do some progressive dinners on the bike this spring! The dream would be to have multiple bikes on the street…soon!

BrewCycle rolling through downtown Portland

BrewCycle Owners, Andrea and Chuck will
show you a great time.