Pete Sanderson: My Personal Interests

Bicycling

Nancy and I bicycle for pleasure and exercise. We generally ride our 1992 vintage Klein road bikes on 20-40 mile trips in Central Ohio or after work on the Olentangy Bike Trail. While we lived in Springfield, we rode the MS-150 for many years. Since moving to Columbus we have begun riding in the annual 7 day Great Ohio Bicycling Adventure (GOBA), www.goba.com. Here are links to photos and commentary from our GOBA 2004 and GOBA 2005 rides.

We also take organized bicycling vacations and have traveled with Sojourn, VBT, CBT Tours and Backroads. Here are links to photos from our March 2006 Sojourn tour in Tucson AZ: Arizona 2006.

Since 1991, we have also explored Vermont, Utah and Arizona canyon country, the Canadian Rockies, Louisiana, the North Carolina coast, the San Juan Islands of Washington, Nova Scotia, Quebec, southwest Ireland, and the south island of New Zealand, all by bicycle. It is a great way to see a country!

Music

I'm not much of a performer (strum the guitar on occasion) but enjoy listening to and buying good music of a variety of styles. These include rock, pop, blues, folk, bluegrass, classical and opera mostly. A text listing of my collection of LPs and CDs (164 Kbytes, updated 30 Dec 2005) is available online. I'm working on a physical inventory to update the database. I love LPs, and play them on a Linn LP12 Sondek. Good used ones are cheap-to-free, and new ones can be purchased from a variety of sources. My favorites are Music Direct in Chicago and Sour Records right here in Westerville just two blocks from Otterbein College.

Home Brewing

The Petefest tradition has continued following a year off after my move to Columbus. Petefest 6.3 (6th one, 3rd in Columbus) was held early October 2005. It featured hefeweisen, pilsner, cider, espresso and imperial stout, dark lager, belgian ale and tripel.

Most of my recent recipes have come from a "Clonebrew" book I received as a gift last fall from Jeff Garcia. They are much more specific than Papazian's, and include 3 brewing variations for each one: extract, all-grain, and mini-mash.

There are seven brewery/restaurants in Columbus! If you like beer and/or food, you can't go wrong at any of them. Plus with the statewide smoking ordinance, all are blessedly smoke-free! Three are within blocks of each other near Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL's Blue Jackets.

• For some of the best British and Irish style ales you will find this side of the pond, join me at Barley's (www.barleysbrewing.com). Barley's Ale House #1 is at 467 North High Street across from the convention center, and Barley's Smokehouse is at 1130 Dublin Road a couple miles west of downtown (from #1, go south on High, turn west on Spring and just keep going). Along with their taps and guest taps, they feature one or two cask-conditioned ales and each Friday afternoon a 20-gallon firkin (like a keg only without the propellent). Barley's is the gold standard against which I rate my homebrews. When I was still living in Springfield and flew into Columbus to visit my mother, I used to stop at Barley's for a pint on my way to/from the airport. Barley's food is mainly pub grub, while the Smokehouse features great smoked BBQ.
• Gordon Biersch adjacent to Nationwide Arena is a franchise located in selective (mostly West coast) cities. They are the only local microbrewer to brew lagers. A short walk from Barley's. Fine German-style lagers and great California-style cuisine.
• The Elevator is a few blocks south of Barley's at 161 N. High Street in a beautiful historic old bar. Beers are so-so but the food and atmosphere are great. Plus you can park free for Nationwide Arena events in their lot across the street if you eat at the restaurant!
• Columbus Brewing is located at 525 Short Street in the Brewery District just west of German Village on the south end of downtown. Go south on High Street through downtown, turn west onto Mound Street then south (left) onto Short. The menu is California and the atmosphere is trendy yet casual. Their fine pale ale is also available on tap at a number of restaurants around town.

Good source of brewing ingredients: Since moving from to Columbus, I've switched to The Winemakers Shop on High Street just north of North Broadway. It is just a few blocks from our house (coincidence? I don't think so!) and propriator Nina is not only a fellow BGSU graduate but also married to Barley's brewmaster Scott Francis. 614-263-1744. beerwine@winemakersshop.com

For my Ozarks friends, I still recommend The Home Brewery, in Ozark, MO. I still buy their barleywine kit. (800) 321-BREW. brewery@homebrewery.com

Good source of information: The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing, by Charlie Papazian.

 Some interesting links:

Williams brewing supplies
The Grape and Granary brewing supply in Akron
Barley's Ale House (#1 and #2) in Columbus
Gordon Biersch Brewery/Restaurants
Beershots: microscopic views of beers
Beer Travelers Brewpub Finder
The Real Beer Page
homebrew clubs
Association of Brewers
Homebrew Adventures
Beer Trips
Merchant du Vin
Paulaner Beer

Woodworking

Photos from Travels