This 'head-turning beast' just rolled onto Calgary's craft beer scene

David Skabar was visiting Nashville when he saw a strange, glorious thing rolling down the road.

"I said, 'I've gotta get on that thing, and not only that but I've gotta bring it back home.'"

"That thing" happened to be a 15-person "pedal-powered patio," in Skabar's words, and "home" happens to be Calgary.

The bright yellow-and-blue, Dutch-made mega-bikes launched Friday under the name Pedal Pub, and they're designed to allow beer enthusiasts to cycle between some of the hottest craft breweries in the Barley Belt, Inglewood and Ramsay.

With a "beerless leader" (read: sober driver) at its helm, and 10 cyclists pedalling with all their gusto, the contraption tops out at about 10 km/h.

"You gotta pedal. This is no joyride," says a laughing Skabar, who compares the experience to a "full-service spin class."

After burning those calories, passengers disembark and pop into a brewery for 20 to 25 minutes, share a pint, and then hop back on. This continues for about two hours. 

Thriving craft beer scene

For Skabar, the "head-turning smile-maker" has people whipping their camera phones out as soon as they spot it. But his beer bikes aren't the only ones out there.

Urban Pedal Tours and Calgary Beer Bikes offer similar tours of Calgary's brewing scene, and they're all tapping into the successful proliferation of local craft brewing.

• The year in beer: Strong growth and a heady future for Alberta's craft scene

"What the brewers in the province have really done to bolster the craft brewing scene is just amazing, and we want to really share that with the world," Skabar said.

"These pedal pubs, they live right at the intersection of crazy fun, hyper local and shared experiences. For me, that co-ordination of bike-riding, BS-ing, and having a great time is just too much for me to miss," Skabar explained.

But he stresses that it's all responsible fun.

Each of the company's drivers, previously referred to as beerless leaders, are certified to serve alcohol and are trained to spot intoxication.

No drinking is permitted on board. Still, that doesn't mean you can't have fun, Skabar said.

"We've got people jumping on here, fist-pumping and listening to music, having a great time and experiencing their town in a radically different way."