Longmont, CO & Brevard, NC– Oskar Blues Brewery‘s new 145-acre farm will serve Western North Carolina as an epic beer and bike-fueled destination. Located about 8 miles from the Brevard-based Oskar Blues brewery, which opened in December 2012, the former Shoal Falls Farm soon will be a haven for mountain bikers, a place to grow hops, pasture land for spent grain-fed cows, and a music & event space, all against the beautiful backdrop of Dupont State Forest.
The Oskar Blues REEB Ranch will be home to The Bike Farm (http://www.bikefarmpisgah.com), an established bike guide and concierge service, owned by Cashion Smith and Eva Surls. The REEB Ranch/Bike Farm team envisions creating a world-class biking destination for the whole family at the site, which will offer a bike park and direct trail access to Dupont’s miles of single track.
Cycling has always been a huge part of Oskar Blues’ culture and was a huge reason that soul-founder Dale Katechis chose Western North Carolina as the home for a second brewery. “Western North Carolina rings true with the same eclectic mountain energy that inspired Oskar Blues to put Dale’s Pale Ale in a can,” Katechis says.
The name REEB Ranch pays homage to REEB Cycles (http://www.reebcycles.com), Oskar Blues hand-made bike company based in ColoRADo. A stable of demo REEB Mountain Bikes & Dirt Jump rigs are available at the REEB Ranch.
“It’s important to us to keep that trail-side camaraderie in the community,” Katechis says. “We’ve been able to integrate our passions of the brewery, farm, restaurants and REEB Cycles into much of what we do–the Oskar Blues REEB Ranch continues that effort.”
Oskar Blues has kept a grassroots, hands-on feel with ColoRADo projects such as REEB Cycles and the Hops & Heifers Farm, which provides home-grown beef, pork and vegetables to four Oskar Blues restaurants, including a new CHUBurger at Coors Field in Denver. The Oskar Blues REEB Ranch continues that grassroots path in Western North Carolina.
Construction on the REEB Ranch bike park has already begun, and rides from the property will start rolling soon.
The ranch creates a ride-in, ride-out experience with direct Dupont State Park single-track access, pump track sessions, dirt jump progression lines and post ride beers alongside the swimming hole. On-site lodging includes a 1940s cabin at the base of two 43-foot waterfalls and an apartment on the top floor of a venue-perfect barn, while tent camping is also available.
“Whether it’s brewing beer, building bikes, or creating one of the East Coast’s most impressive bike parks, Dale likes to dream big and enable big dreams for his partners,” Smith says.
For the past two years, Oskar Blues has offered the Oskar Blues Ordeal bus tours for a backstage view into all Oskar Blues ColoRADo locations including the brewery, farm, restaurants & bike company during the Great American Beer Festival in the fall. Check out a chance to win a trip to the 2014 Oskar Blues Ordeal (ColoRADo) by signing up & recycling at http://www.obordeal.com/.
About Oskar Blues Brewery
Founded as a brewpub by Dale Katechis in 1997, Oskar Blues Brewery launched the craft beer-in-a-can apocalypse in 2002 using a tabletop machine that sealed one can at a time. In 2008, the makers of the top-selling pale ale in ColoRADo, Dale’s Pale Ale, moved into a 35,000-square-foot facility in Longmont, ColoRADo. The brewery has since experienced explosive growth–packaging 59,000 barrels of beer in 2011 and 86,750 barrels in 2012. In December of 2012, Oskar Blues opened the doors to an additional brewery in Brevard, North Carolina. Together, the breweries packaged 119,000 barrels of beer in 2013, and now distribute their trailblazing craft brews to 35 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.
About REEB Cycles
Bikes and bloody elbows have always been at the heart of Oskar Blues culture. Dale’s bike was stolen and REEB Cycles was born out of a middle finger to bike thieves and bikes made overseas. We use 100% American made, True Temper OX Platinum tubing and hand-weld them one at a time here in the Rocky Mountains of ColoRADo craft beer country. REEB is the smile that comes from having a post-ride beer around a campfire. RIDE BIKES. DRINK BEER. REPEAT.
About The Bike Farm
The Bike Farm is destined to become one of North America’s premier bike resorts. With equally stunning single track and scenery, The Bike Farm caters to the entire family, and to their every need. From dirt jumps and pump tracks in the park, downhill shuttle runs, and guided cross country epics right from the farm, there is truly something for everyone. Whether you choose the seclusion of the waterfall cabin, the pasture and bike park views of the barn apartment, car camping or tent camping, The Bike Farm is the place to stay and play in Western NC. At the end of a long day in the saddle enjoy a dip in the swimming hole at the base of twin 43′ waterfalls, a massage, a cold Oskar Blues brew and a campfire to tell the day’s story by. From jump jams and celebrity skills clinics, to weddings, festivals, and gatherings of all sorts, you don’t have to be a cyclist to fall in love with The Bike Farm.