"bars" news and stories

Historically, biking and drinking beer is a bad idea. But imbibing brews and pedaling while someone else steers? That's a stroke of two-wheeled brilliance. Actually, make that four wheels.

Recently, Bend, Oregon, featured the debut of the Cycle Pub, a trolley car–shaped traveling bar that blends the city's twin passions: cycling and craft beer. (The innovation is an American riff on Holland's lush-friendly Bier Bike.) Up to 12 beer lovers belly up to the glossy wooden bar and pump their legs, while an additional three non-pedalers can plop down on a plush bench and sip brewskis served by a pal doubling as a bartender. (Cycle Pub employees are unable to dole out drinks.)

To cut down on the risk of crashes -- and spilling your precious carbonated nectar -- "we provide the driver, so riders can legally enjoy a local fine-crafted beer, glass of wine or cup of coffee en route," founder James Watts told The Bulletin.

But forget caffeine. This a bicycle built for brews. Thanks to Cycle Pub, gaining -- and losing -- a beer belly has never been so much fun.

• Can switching to beer actually save calories? Read the surprising truth at AOL Health.

There are a lot of things that might drive you to drink, but nothing does it quite like the holidays. Afraid so -- it's that time again to go over the river and through the woods to be annoyed by relatives you barely remember, who are once again ready to turn our nation's airports into outposts from Hell as they zero in on Grandmother's house, which may or may not be in foreclosure any day now. And, ever since the trees were paved over to put up that cookie-cutter subdivision, there's no more slipping off for a "walk" in the woods with a flask of bourbon tucked in your hip pocket.

Ah, but here's an idea: the 100-proof turkey, which was unveiled today by the United Restaurant and Tavern Owners Association. The bird takes three days to prepare and is "infused with five different flavors of vodka: peach, cherry, orange, lemon and apple," with gravy that's also made with 100-proof vodka. The recipe is to be posted at liquor stores across the country and will be served at 100 pubs around New York City, including PD O'Hurley's tavern, which URTO president Paul Hurley happens to own. (This is Hurley's second year of the 100-proof turkey.) Bars are even throwing in a free cab ride for anyone who orders the boozy bird. As for Granny, don't worry. She started the 100-proof turkey last week. And doubled the alcohol.

The newest vino trend at bars, restaurants and lounges gets its inspiration from beer: wine poured from a keg and served on tap. And it's happening everywhere around the U.S. -- from Napa to Atlanta.

One advantage for the watering holes that serve the wine kegs is the ability to order wine in small batches, providing opportunities to get to know boutique wineries whose products aren't widely distributed or produced in high volume. Another plus is eco-conscious: fewer wine bottles end up in the recycling bin. Here's where to follow the wine-on-tap trend:

Tapping into smaller-production, lesser-known wines that customers may not have sipped before is the case at Vesta Trattoria in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. Raphael Winery on the North Fork of Long Island even creates custom blends for the trattoria. According to the restaurant, wine sales are up since the debut of wine on tap.

Los Angeles has at least one bar offering wine from a cask. Father's Office -- with locations in Santa Monica and Los Angeles -- offers eight different wines on tap, going beyond the two to four wines most bars sell. In Phoenix, the two Postino Winecafe locations source wine from a keg from Palmina Wines, based in Santa Barbara County, California.

While we'll all be cozying up to our TV's on Sunday night to watch the Mad Men premiere, sipping on either scotch, some Heinekens or a few dirty martinis (what? we like to have options), some dedicated fans might want to spend their weekend enjoying a more authentic "Mad Men" experience.

Eater has rounded up the bars and restaurants the [now former] Sterling Cooper employees visited in seasons 1 through 3. Though many of the establishments are long-gone ghosts of NYC past, there are still several existing bars, markets and restaurants die-hards can visit in anticipation of the expansion of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. (This would all culminate, naturally, in the official Mad Men premiere party in Times Square.) Happy drinking...er...watching!

Every day, new beers hit the market. And not just the latest take on American lagers like Budweiser or Miller Lite: More likely than not, the newest draft at the neighborhood pub is a craft beer, often times in a style or from a brand that patrons aren't familiar with.

Ironically, drinkers who are already converted craft beer snobs are even more likely to encounter beers of which they have little knowledge. Beer geeks seek out these unique experiences, hunting down a draft from the newest brewery or clamoring to try a non-traditional style so they can be the first to ponder these products' worth.

Most beer drinkers fall somewhere in the middle: familiar with some craft beers and occasionally want to try something different. The question becomes, though, if you don't know exactly what you're ordering, how do you know if what's in your glass tastes right?

How do you know when a beer has gone bad? And how should you handle it?