Rides on Tap
Minneapolis/St. Paul
Ride: Start at Summit Brewing Company in St. Paul, the Twin Cities’ most venerable brewery, and ride to their trendiest, Surly Brewing Co., just north of Minneapolis.
Terrain:City streets, bike paths, park roads
Try: Summit Extra Pale Ale and Surly Furious
Bend, Oregon
Ride: Hit the dirt in this Pacific Northwest outdoor mecca, home to seven craft breweries. Take a tour with Cog Wild or rent from Sunnyside Sports. At sundown, roll over to the Deschutes Public House as your first stop on a post-ride brewery crawl.
Terrain: Singletrack
Try: Deschutes Black Butte Porter
San Diego County
Ride: Tour the birthplace of hoppy American IPA. Grab lunch at the Pizza Port in Carlsbad, one of the breweries to champion the style 20 years ago, and end the day at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido.
Terrain: Road
Try: Pizza Port Wipeout IPA and Stone Ruination IPA
New York City
Ride: Piece together a three-borough bike tour that connects the Queens East River bike path, Central Park, and the bottom of Manhattan, then loops back over the Williamsburg Bridge to the Brooklyn Brewery.
Terrain: Urban bike path
Try: Brooklyn Local 1
Yakima Valley, Washington
Ride: Ride the rolling hills of central Washington in September or early October for a fragrant trip through the world’s second-largest hop-growing region. Then grab lunch and a pint at the Snipes Mountain Microbrewery in Sunnyside.
Terrain: Rural roads
Try: Sunnyside Pale Ale
Southwestern Wisconsin
Ride: Take part in fall’s most popular beer celebration on the Tyranena Oktoberfest Bike Ride. The brewery’s October 1 event offers 25, 50, and 70-mile options—plus tickets for two free beers.
Terrain: Road
Try: Rocky’s Revenge
Tyranena Oktoberfest Bike Ride Website
It Does a Body Good
Five beers with cycling benefits
Soothes Sore Muscles
Cantillon Kriek This lambic is made with tart cherries, believed to help reduce pain.
Helps Refuel
North Coast Old Rasputin This imperial stout tops off energy stores with 13 grams of carbs per bottle.
Cools You Off
Full Sail Session Brewed at cooler temperatures than an ale, this classic lager is meant to be enjoyed ice cold.
Quenches Thirst
Celis White At 3.9 percent alcohol, it’s weak enough to hydrate, according to British scientists.
Boosts Immunity
Beamish Stout Dark beers are higher in disease-fighting antioxidants than light ones.
Matt Allyn is the features director for Bicycling and Runner's World magazines. He's run nine marathons and come heartbreakingly close to BQing three times. In addition to running and cycling, he's also covered beer for more than a decade and is a certified beer judge.
